Our story

Hello! We’re Sarah Stone and Jacob Barrell – the Stone and Barrell of Stone Barrell. Thanks for dropping by. The two of us first met in 2013 when we started working for the same nonprofit, Jake as a videographer and Sarah as a writer, and we’ve been creating content together ever since.

Our work has taken us across the globe – through the mountains of Afghanistan, along the Amazon, into the refugee settlements of northern Uganda, and to a desert hospital in Chad. We’ve had the opportunity to meet inspiring people from a whole host of backgrounds and contexts, and partner with them to help tell their stories. And we’ve raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to support their extraordinary work.

But we’ve also seen other fantastic organisations struggling to tell their stories because of a lack of people and funding. And bad/no storytelling means they struggle to raise money, which means having to cut back on their frontline projects. Not a good cycle.

We wanted to help, so in late 2020 (when Covid was rife, our sanity was waning and we were both in serious need of some Vitamin D) we had the ingenious idea to start something new. Our own business, where we could put our dream team skills together to help more nonprofits and purpose-driven businesses tell their stories. And tell them really well.

Fast-forward to today, and (incredibly) Stone Barrell is doing what it set out to do. With Sarah’s word wizardry and love of stories, and Jake’s visual media prowess, we’re creating beautiful, authentic, and highly effective campaigns and videos, raising awareness and support for some absolute gems of organisations. And we love it. 

Meet the team

Sarah Stone Profile Picture

Sarah Stone

Founder and Director

Sarah loves storytelling. She heads up the content-side of Stone Barrell – which is everything from helping our lovely clients work out what their story is and how best to tell it, to writing and editing video scripts and fundraising appeals, and interviewing amazing project contributors. Sarah’s been working in nonprofit communications for the last decade, both in the UK and Afghanistan, and has led content-gathering trips in Central and South Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. If you want something written, she’s here to help. She takes nice photos too.

Sarah Stone Profile Picture

Jacob Barrell

Founder and Director

Jacob is never happier than when he’s managed to frame the perfect shot – whether it’s a two-camera interview setup, or a still photo that completely nails the brief. A videographer, photographer and graphic designer, Jacob has been creating visual content for nonprofits for almost ten years (he doesn’t look old enough, we know). He’s led cinematography for appeals in countries such as Afghanistan, Guatemala, Uganda, and Chad, and is constantly working to perfect his craft. If you need help with your visual storytelling, Jacob is your man.

Your story is our business, and we’d love to work with you.

Stone Barrell is a people-focused, purpose-driven creative communications agency, specialising in video production for nonprofits and values-driven organisations. We’re based in Oxford, England, but if you’re not nearby, don’t worry. Whether you’re in the UK or on the other side of the world, we’re ready to help you tell your story.

Drop us a message and let’s chat – we’re always up for a new adventure.

Get in touch

Stories have power.
We want to help you tell yours well.

If you need help creating a video campaign, are looking to up your social media game, or want to improve your organisation’s communications, we’re here for you! Drop us a message. We’d love to chat and see how we can work together.

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