I live to excite and make people laugh. Its been my pursuit since the beginning and I’m so lucky to have made a career of it.  

I grew up a rebellious child in Iowa, getting into mischief and racking up stories before escaping to Austin for high school & college.  I was fortunate to run with some film school kids who weren’t too precious about production, so we just shot as many little comedy sketches as possible.  After graduation I moved to NYC to do the same thing as a writer/director @ MTV On-Air Promos where I built a reel and did some moonlighting as a comedy rapper.  I went on to be repped by esteemed production company Smuggler where I got to travel the world shooting commercials with top-tier crew.  It was epic.

I love leading creative teams and I’ve been trusted for more than a decade by some of the world’s biggest companies and brightest creative talent to generate excitement, smiles, and awards for their brands.

In terms of my style & taste, I like to glorify unexpected characters & small moments.  I love the set up and payoff of a good fail (or a good success, but fails tend to be funnier.)  I love dry humor.  I think interesting work is when the audience walks away discussing if the piece was a joke or serious.  I love when comedy can be visually cinematic. I love music and how different tracks completely change the tone of a scene. The list goes on…

Today, as a freelance director, I collaborate with a network of quality production companies, leveraging strong relationships to deliver exceptional results. I’m eager to expand my skills into virtual production, avatars, and product innovation, envisioning great potential in infusing the Metaverse with humanity, optimism, and humor. Regardless of format, I’m always ready to bring good ideas to life. Feel free to reach out.

b@barrybangs.com / @barrybangs (IG)