Jonathan Gales
(Picture: Instagram / Factory Fifteen)Tributes have been paid to a British creative director after he was fatally hit by a suspected drink driver in California.
Jonathan Gales was struck as he crossed the road at a pedestrian crossing in Los Angeles on November 19.
Police said Mr Gales was “catapulted into the air” by a Lexus travelling the wrong way down a one-way street.
He was one of two men hit in the collision with the second victim suffering severe but not life-threatening injuries.
The Londoner, who won a Bafta for his work on a trailer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, leaves behind his wife Claire Pepper, who is expecting their second child, and his 23 month-old son.
Factory Fifteen, the creative studio company Mr Gales co-founded, announced his death with “deep sadness”.
In a statement, the company paid tribute to the 36-year-old, affectionately named Jono.
“We loved working with Jono, who approached both his job and his hobbies with unbounded curiosity, enjoying the research, the process and the mastery as much as the completed project.
“Working proactively and without ego, he provided a steadfast creative partner to us both,” said co-founders Kibwe Tavares and Paul Nicholls.
“It’s difficult to express the synergy between the three of us. Our collaboration was absolutely intuitive and one of total trust from day one.”
The Los Angeles Police Department said: “One of the pedestrians, a 36-year-old man, died from his injuries; the other, a 32-year-old man, suffered severe injuries. Both were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk at the time of the collision.
“After hitting the men, the driver continued crashing head-on with another vehicle.
“Local people detained him and one driver blocked the car belonging to the suspect who is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center on bail of $130,000.”
Mr Gales was born in Jersey and studied architecture at the University of Brighton before founding Factory Fifteen.
The company has worked with high-profile clients including Formula 1, Samsung, Film 4 and The British Film Institute.
