Jasper Avenue

When I joined Jasper Avenue last year, I was not only welcomed into a team of talented creatives but a community of inspiring small business owners and content creators. In this series, I hope to journal how they turned their passions into a career and empower others to do the same. I couldn’t think of a better way to start the series than to share the story of Jasper Avenue.

From Cups of Coffee to Content Creation: The Story of Jasper Avenue

Jasper Avenue was born out of a dream to help small businesses harness the power of social media through visual storytelling. What began in 2016 as a small photography company run by husband-and-wife team, John Puah (JP) and Amanda Owen (+ studio cat Casper), has flourished into a collaborative visual creative agency. To celebrate Jasper Avenue's fifth year serving local businesses, we’re reflecting on their early days and organic evolution.

Humble Beginnings

The story of Jasper Avenue begins in a bustling café in Sydney’s Inner West, Well Co. JP stepped away from a career in finance and pursued a life-long dream to run his own business when he purchased the café in 2012.

Transitioning into the hospitality industry was a natural progression for JP who had always been passionate about food. It was by chance that his fiancé and fellow foodie, Amanda, began working at Well Co. Amanda had just left a career in portrait photography so was available to cover a shift when the cafe was short-staffed. It wasn’t long before she was working full-time alongside JP, and together, the pair dove head-first into their new, fast-paced cafe world.

While coffees were brewing and customers were chewing, Amanda and JP began documenting the visual stories from the day-to-day of the café. They started sharing the photographs on social media and were amazed that it directly translated into more hungry mouths walking through the door. 

Witnessing first-hand the power of digital marketing, the couple were inspired to continue capturing and creating content that would lure in the hungry eyes of online eaters. JP’s side hustle as a wedding photographer and Amanda’s professional experience running a photography business gave them the skills to bring their vision for Well Co. to life. 

Balancing “content creation” and running a busy café was a challenge JP and Amanda faced daily. They recognised that other small businesses were likely facing similar problems or would in the future, and knew they could offer a solution. 

In 2016, the creative couple sold Well Co., along with their car and house, and launched a visual content brand. The initial concept for Jasper Avenue was a simple monthly subscription of imagery for their clients to use on social media. They not only hoped to relieve businesses of the time commitment required to create content but to use their 15+ years of combined photography and hospitality experience to help businesses develop an online presence.

Putting Passion Into Practice

Five years ago, social media was an entirely different terrain. The term ‘social media photographer’ didn’t exist and digital marketing for food businesses involved uploading basic photos that had been captured (for the most part) on a smartphone. Amanda and JP were one of the first to identify that the future of content creation would require businesses to have a certain form of curation on their feed and high-quality visuals to compete.

Branding Jasper Avenue as a ‘social media photography’ and ‘content creation’ agency helped them organically connect with their first client, which ironically was not a food based business but an organic skin care brand. In the early stages, they focused on building a portfolio and loyal client base. This has grown in the past five years and John and Amanda love working with regular clients year after year, as well as meeting new clients. 

Expanding The Avenues Of Possibility

The goal from day one was for Jasper Avenue to be more than just a photography company. Amanda and JP wanted to build a business that could expand the avenues of opportunities for their clients and team members. The pair attribute much of their growth and success not only to the evolution of social media but their willingness to take risks and say ‘yes’. This evolution started when a client requested their services in social media management. Amanda’s confidence as a copywriter was a dynamic skill pairing to JP’s photographic eye and their service offerings naturally expanded from there.

JP and Amanda encourage all future business owners/entrepreneurs/individuals/creatives to take the leap and turn their passion into purpose. The rewards far outweigh the risks and sacrifices, and when it’s your passion, it’s like building a legacy.

Today, Jasper Avenue is no longer a husband-and-wife team. It is a small but mighty family consisting of talented individuals who provide mutual support to their business. This has allowed them to specialise in new and exciting services such as videography, copywriting and social media management.

Building A Legacy

The digital marketing space is now crowded with creative and digital agencies, all competing for the top clients and biggest campaigns. However, Jasper Avenue remains motivated by a genuine desire to help other businesses grow, share their stories, and bring their creative visions to life. From start-ups to large franchises, they welcome clients of all sizes and tailor their services to each business’s individual circumstances.

Focusing on their strengths and remaining authentic to their values keeps the pair on track and has been the biggest driver of their organic growth. With fresh faces joining the team and new studio space, the avenues of possibility for Jasper Avenue are looking endless…

By Melissa Woodley