Director Jon Barber joins Spears & Arrows creative roster
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Commercial Director brings wry humor and storytelling to Spears & Arrows.
Director Jon Barber, known for his wry and subtle situational humor, has joined the production company, Spears & Arrows.
The young prod co, led by Founder/Managing Director Jason Wolk, manages a unique short-list of visual storytelling directors that include Arni Thor Jonsson, Don Broida, Mick Wong, Phil Brown, Ago Panini, Nick Piper, and Michael Shapiro. And now, Jon Barber brings a touch of humor and a little madness to Spears & Arrows’ tradition of strong storytelling.
“Jon’s work makes me laugh,” says Wolk. “But it’s a smart, subtle laugh. Earned through great visual storytelling. Our motto at Spears & Arrows is ‘Defend The Story.’ So, for us, Jon’s work is right on brand.”
Barber is an American-born Army brat who grew up in the U.S. and Germany, attended university in Vermont and Salzburg, Austria, and speaks English, German, and French. This international influence is quickly apparent in his work for worldwide brands such as Bayer, BMW, Burger King, Coca-Cola, Deutsche Bank, FedEx, Ford Motors, General Mills, General Motors, ING, Kayak, Mastercard, MINI, Mitsubishi, Mars, Penske, Pepsi, and P&G.
“His European work is what first attracted me to him,” Wolk continues. “I love how his performances are always understated. You never get the sense that his actors are trying to make you laugh. Instead, they are present, in-the-story and reacting spontaneously. This is the foundation for the kind of honest, story-driven comedy that we usually see in movies, not advertising. And his film looks great. Very rich and very real. His visual style, his lighting and composition, don’t scream ‘comedy ahead’ from the very first frame. The humor builds and grows on you. I like the subtle surprise of that.”
I am very excited to be representing Jon for the US market. He is a unique talent who has already proven that he can make people laugh in multiple languages. Universal humor is one of those storytelling qualities that never goes out of fashion. People love to laugh.
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