Where and what are you working on right now?

I am currently the branding and art director at MetaTope, a web3 tech and entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles. As the head of creative, I have the privilege of directing a team of 3D animators, designers, and content creators, as well as taking on the bulk of design and video creation, from designing our website to directing promotional material to writing and illustrating a comic book telling the lore of our characters. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience building this brand and our story from the ground up.

What impact has SVA MFA Design had on your career?

When I graduated from SVA MFA Design, I was bitten by the bug to be a designer as author. My first go at this right after school was writing and illustrating a comic book as a pitch piece for a feature film, which kickstarted my company Loaded Barrel Studios and opened the door to me pitching major studios, collaborating with other comic book publishers, and ultimately leading to me directing and producing the feature film, The Incoherents (on Paramount+ now!). Applying that framework of authorship to client and branding work has given me an advantageous perspective and a great deal of ownership over the work that I’ve done throughout my career.

If you could choose a thesis topic today, what would you pick?

I think I am working on a would-be thesis topic! With MetaTope I’ve spent the last year working on bringing a product – interoperable 3D motion-capture enabled avatars – to market, positioning it for major partnerships, rolling out marketing content to build a community, and looking to the future. I think that’s what was so great about my experience at SVA MFA Design, I entered the world with the goal to design and create for my own projects and to bring new products and stories to life and to market. My career has pretty much felt like one thesis project after another… But I know you want a fun answer, so I’d have to say if I were choosing a thesis topic today, I’d love to further combine my passion for film and storytelling and the new opportunities that Web3 has to offer. Maybe a feature film about NFT with community based utility?

Anything else you would like to share?

If I would have tried to guess where my career was going after SVA I would have been very wrong! I’ve written and illustrated comic books and graphic novels, directed music videos for major and indie labels, designed album covers and animated tour stage visuals, directed, edited, and produced a feature film, designed motion graphics for movies and tech companies alike, and so, so much more. It’s been an interesting ride since MFA Design, I look forward to seeing where else it will lead!

Instagram:  @loadedbarrelstudios

Portfolio: www.jaredbarel.com, www.loadedbarrelstudios.com, www.metatope.com

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