Fun Facts:
Founder and Creative Director at People People Media Foundation.
Has been to all 50 states
Has a Master in Divinity in Spiritual Formation.
A bull directly charged Jared after he had just run with the bulls in Pamplona
Jared cannot sing, remember jokes, or swim very well.
Jared works out of the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, & Minneapolis.
Bio:
Jared Callahan is a fun, kind, loud, storytelling redhead. Jared loves snowboarding, creeks, deep-fried food, hearing great stories, exploring new places, and watching sports.
Growing up in Lodi, CA, he became interested in film by making skateboard movies in high school. Jared moved to the San Diego area to attend Point Loma Nazarene University. Jared earned his B.A. in Media Communication (emphasis in Production) and minored in Youth Ministry. He worked in youth ministry for 16 years, earned a Masters of Divinity from Northwest Nazarene University, and was ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene in 2013.
Jared moved with his wife Sophie to Atlanta, GA in 2014 when Sophie attended Candler School of Theology at Emory University. While in Atlanta, Jared refined his skills as a traveling speaker, writer, and filmmaker. He has spoken at countless colleges, universities, camps, retreats, film festivals, and conferences. Jared has had his writing published in the likes of Darling Magazine, Moviemaker, and The Viewpoint. He has published a children’s book called Hoot’s Hideout and 84 Ways to Pray.
Jared also began a film company in 2014 that has grown into People People Media Foundation (follow that link for projects). He served as an Atlanta Film Society’s Filmmakers in Residence and as a 2024 Likewise Director’s Fellow. Jared honed his filmmaking abilities under the guidance of a quality group of filmmakers in San Diego, including Destin Cretton, Lowell Frank, Brad Kester, and Joel P. West. Most notably, he was the First AD on Cretton’s Short Term 12, which won the Grand Jury Prize for short filmmaking at Sundance in 2009, as well as the First AD on the 2012 Sundance feature film I AM NOT A HIPSTER. He has since produced 24 short films and 4 feature films that have won awards all over the world.
In 2017, Jared and Sophie moved to the San Francisco Bay Area Palo Alto, CA to co-found an incubator for young adults. Their efforts resulted in Heirloom East Bay, a farm based community living program. Jared captained the creative arts programs, mentoring young artists from a variety of disciplines.
Jared is an ideator who works incredibly hard and is always looking for talented collaborators for telling unique and intimate character stories. Jared uses film to teach himself empathy for the journeys of others.