The studio and the people behind it

Jockamo Barnes is led by Murali and Rania Tayfour. Forged across New Orleans, New York, Dhahran and Dubai, their work recognized by Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Club, Clio, and the Webby Awards.

We started Jockamo in the traditional model, making what brands briefed us to make. We know that world. We worked that way for years. But we realized, to understand culture, you have to be a part of it. You don’t get it by advising from the outside.

So we flipped the model. We stopped waiting to be briefed and started making our own things first. The ones we think should exist, and then bringing in the brands who want to be part of them.

Murali

Murali

Strategy and Artistic Lead

I'm a strategist, creative and composer born in Miami and based in Abu Dhabi. Over the past two decades, I've spent time at leading agencies and consultancies — Johannes Leonardo, R/GA, I&Co, Publicis — working with brands like Instagram, Uber, Airbnb, Spotify, adidas and Abu Dhabi Tourism. Prior to Jockamo Barnes, I was VP of Brand and Creative at CAFU. I've spoken at Cannes Lions and SxSW and have been published in Campaign Middle East and PR Week. I hold a Master's in Music Composition from Tulane University, a Bachelor's in Music from New York University and, sadly, a lifetime subscription to Columbia House Records.

Rania Tayfour

Brand Director

I'm a brand director, born and raised in the UAE. I've spent my career building brands across the GCC — from banking and tech to lifestyle and luxury — with clients including First Abu Dhabi Bank, CAFU, OMNIYAT, Atlantis Resorts and du, both in-house and at agencies. I know what it takes to make things land in this market because I grew up in it. And I don't let interesting ideas die boring deaths. I hold a BBA from the American University of Beirut and am fluent in English and Arabic.

Rania Tayfour

HOW TO ENGAGE US

You know what’s wrong, but not what to do about it.

Where is the energy going? What’s the real problem underneath the one everyone keeps talking about? We come in from the outside, interrogate the problem, and leave with a direction worth moving in.

You want to make a cultural object.

What should exist that doesn’t? What would make it earn its place in culture rather than ask for it? We build it the way we build our own. The form depends on what the idea demands.

You need to see and understand what’s coming.

What’s moving at the edges of your category? What are the signals people are ignoring? We immerse ourselves in cultures, communities, and behaviors and develop a perspective you only get from thinking how others don’t.