The Mendes brothers have been trendsetters in jiu-jitsu since the earliest days of their careers. 

Renowned technicians of the highest degree, the highly influential pair have been considered reference points of sporting success for nearly a decade and won a collected 10 world titles between them. 

Since 2012, Rafael and Guilherme Mendes have proved equally as influential in the world of business. Their Art of Jiu-Jitsu academy in Costa Mesa, CA, is one of the most recognizable training facilities in the world and changed perceptions of what a jiu-jitsu gym could look like. 

With a firm visual identity and some of the strongest branding in the industry, AOJ produces a steady stream of high-quality media that straddles multiple media platforms. The creative side of AOJ is as well oiled and disciplined as the trademark AOJ style of jiu-jitsu: efficient, carefully managed, and incredibly successful. 

One of the key components in the AOJ media machine is creative director Mason Monsevais, a former competitor who now creates and curates the content fans see on a daily basis. 

A brown belt in jiu-jitsu, Monsevais rose through the ranks and represented AOJ around the world, winning titles at Europeans, Abu Dhabi World Pro, No-Gi Pans, and No-Gi Worlds. Over the last year he’s transitioned away from the sporting arena and spends more time behind the scenes shooting, editing, and churning out a steady stream of high-quality media content. 

Mason Monsevais on the sidelines and with camera in hand. Photo: Personal archive

Hailing from Fresno, CA, the 27-year-old Monsevais has been training jiu-jitsu for six years. He put his life on hold and moved to Costa Mesa to train with the Mendes brothers when AOJ first opened in 2012. Over time he developed a closer relationship with the brothers and worked as an assistant coach as a blue belt. His role in the academy continued to grow until he became more involved with business-related duties. 

As creative director Monsevais has been behind the recent spike in activity across all AOJ channels, offering intriguing looks into both the teaching and training of jiu-jitsu at the gym as well as intimate access to the team’s lifestyles. 

From highlight videos (branded “luta bonita,” or “beautiful fight”) that demonstrate the technical innovations of the Mendes brothers and their students to travelogues that feature their worldwide seminar tour to their series of “AOJ Daily” videos that showcase the ongoings in one of the most notable gyms in the world, the Mendes brothers' brand continues to grow — just as with their jiu-jitsu.

Q&A with AOJ creative director Mason Monsevais 

FloGrappling: How and when did you meet the Mendes brothers?

Monsevais: I first saw Rafa and Gui at a jiu-jitsu convention in 2012 when they were handing out flyers for their new academy, which was set to open up later that summer. I was with my dad and I remember looking to him and kind of thinking, “How can we make this happen?” I had just began training jiu-jitsu but took a risk and basically put my entire life on hold and moved down to Costa Mesa, California, to pursue this full-time when AOJ opened in July. 

You went from being a student to one of the competition team to becoming an employee at the gym and later even close friends. How did that relationship evolve over time? 

I moved to train full-time so I was at the academy most of the day and over time I continued to build a friendship with both Rafa and Gui. I eventually started coaching as a blue belt and then later working with more and more business-related duties as time went on. I’ve learned a lot from them on the mats but even more off of it. They’ve become like big brothers to me and have been such a big influence in my life over the past few years. 

Your current position is creative director of AOJ. Maybe no other jiu-jitsu gym in the world would have a position like this, so can you explain what you do? 

It changes a little bit each day but my main focus is on the social media accounts, merchandise design, and managing the online training program staff. I’m always working with the brothers on new ideas and projects to improve the overall AOJ experience both in the academy and online.

If I’m not in the academy, I’m either traveling with the team for a tournament or at home trying to learn new things on my camera. It’s basically a dream job for anyone interested in jiu-jitsu. 

Where did the idea to create this position come from? 

To be honest it kind of started as a joke. One day I mentioned that I was the “Creative Director” and it kind of stuck and has evolved over time. I think we saw an opportunity to provide not just a positive impact in our local community but in the entire jiu-jitsu community as a whole. I’ve been in this role for the past few years, but it wasn’t until this year that I fully committed to it. 

When I was competing, training and tournaments were always my priority. I remember one day I was helping one of the kids from the Believe & Achieve Program register for a tournament on my laptop and he barely knew how to use a keyboard. Here I was complaining and in a bad mood because I had been cutting weight, but this kid — who basically had nothing to his name — was as happy as he could’ve been just because he had an opportunity to chase his dream. Suddenly making a career with jiu-jitsu, living in Southern California, and traveling the world didn’t seem so bad to me anymore. 

That moment really impacted me and it became less about me and more about how I could help others. Now my goal is to use this position to not only build Art of Jiu-Jitsu but to use jiu-jitsu as a tool to also improve the lives of those around me. 

Tell me about your work. AOJ is considered an inspiration for many among the jiu-jitsu community. Where does your creative inspiration come from? What sources do you draw upon in your work? 

First of all, I want to say that I think Rafa, Gui, and RVCA founder PM Tenore were able to redefine what a jiu-jitsu academy looked and felt like with AOJ in 2012, and my goal is to continue to build on that. It’s not the color of our mats, the way we frame the medals, or the way we write our Instagram posts that make AOJ successful; it’s much more than that. 

I’m always trying to draw inspiration from sources outside of jiu jitsu because I want to bring some new to the sport. I feel like a lot of other academies could benefit from looking outside of jiu-jitsu as well.

You were mostly known for your photography, and now you’re moving into video work also. Which pieces of work are you most proud of, and which areas are you excited to work on and develop? 

I’m definitely interested in creating a lot of video content right now. I feel like a photo can be interesting, but videos are more engaging and can spark different emotions. I remember when I was younger, I would film “commercials” with my little brother and we would have “viewing parties” to show them off to our parents. I think I’ve always been interested in creating media, but it wasn’t until AOJ that it really started to blossom.

The funny part is that I absolutely hated photography when I started doing the @artofjiujitsu Instagram and even more so I dreaded anything video related. The brothers really challenged me with both and I feel like over time it has become a true passion for me now and benefited both AOJ and myself tremendously.

I’m not too “proud” of anything that I’ve created to be honest because I’m still learning so much every day and I feel like every new video is a million times better than the previous one. I’m excited to keep improving and can’t wait to release some of the newer projects we’ve been working on recently. 

What do you hope you to achieve through your work? What are the main objectives for you now in this new phase of your career?

I think that my involvement with Art of Jiu-Jitsu is the biggest opportunity for me to personally make an impact in jiu-jitsu. With this role, I have the opportunity to build a legacy much bigger than any gold medal I could have ever won.

We’ve already started planning on expanding the academy, and we should have a second location by the end of the next year and then a new location every year after that.