‘Joint Effort by name, Joint Effort by nature’: Former AJF partner and creative director launch new consultancy
Former indie creative agency AJF Partnership co-owner, Josh Stephens, and creative director, George Freckleton, have today launched their new venture – Joint Effort Creative (JEf) – an advertising, brand and marketing consultancy.
Described to “combine strategy, design, creative and production to execute campaigns, connect with customers & get results”, the new Melbourne-based consultancy believes the best work comes from the best relationships – with clients, collaborators and production partners.
(L-R): Freckleton, Stephens
“Building a successful agency with my partners and the people at AJF was a remarkable experience,” Stephens said. “We had a great time working on big brands with wonderful clients and fantastic suppliers. Now it’s time to get that buzz back.
“Joint Effort is about experienced creatives working directly with likeminded clients. We help bring together only the skillsets required to get the best results,” he continued.
“No layers. Nothing unnecessary. Just smart people working together with clear shared objectives.”
Freckleton joked: “That sounds great. I’m in.”
JEf’s core values include keeping things fast, direct, and lean, as well as helping brands find and achieve their ‘why’. The website describes the consultancy as “‘Joint Effort by name, Joint Effort by nature”.
Stephens announced his departure from AJF Partnership mid-2022. He spent 16 years at the agency as partner and in various creative roles, including chief creative.
Meanwhile, Freckleton continued at the agency until November last year, when he left after over 18 years.
In late 2022, AJF Partnership underwent a business transformation that saw a number of redundancies. At the time, then-managing director Con Frantzeskos told Mumbrella: “We confirm that a very small number of roles were recently made redundant as the business evolves its service offering in response to changing client needs. These decisions are very difficult and are only made after thorough consideration.”
In July last year, following the departure of the agency’s final founder Adam Francis, AJF Partnership’s parent company GrowthOps merged the business with digital agency Penso.
Frantzeskos moved into the role of group chief growth and innovation officer, while ex-Wunderman Thompson MD, Nick Muncaster, stepped into the managing director role.
Together, Stephens and Freckleton have experience across agency networks Clemenger Group, Y&R, and George Patts.
During their careers, their client portfolio includes Bega, Target, CUB, Lion, GMH, Remedy Drinks, iSelect, Mazda, Nintendo, Catch, Specsavers, Simply Energy, Cobs, Bendigo Bank, Jodi Lee Foundation, Australian Defence Force, Coles, Visit Victoria, Cadbury, Cricket Australia, Australian Federal Government and the AFL.
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Lauren McNamara was the associate editor at Mumbrella. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS. She left Mumbrella in August 2025.
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Legendary duo.
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Fantastic duo
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