Katie Barkel

Katie Barkel is an accomplished video editor and director who has been creating films for over 15 years.

 

Katie earned her degree in Film & Video Studies from the University of Michigan, where she first learned how to shoot and edit on 16mm film. Katie worked as a camera assistant on feature films, commercials, and music videos during the Michigan film tax incentives era before transitioning into work as a creative editor. She has worked at Weber Shandwick, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, and for herself as a freelancer before joining the team at Commonwealth//McCann in 2019. In 2024, she created award-winning work for MRM Detroit’s Car Bravo x Barbie campaign (Cannes Bronze Lion, D&AD Wood Pencil, New York Festivals Silver Award).Katie has also mentored the next generation of artists by teaching video production, editing, and visual storytelling at the College for Creative Studies.

 

As a director, Katie has collaborated with influential figures such as musician Sixto Rodriguez and author Tiya Miles. Her short films have graced prestigious venues such as the Ann Arbor Film Festival, MoMA’s PopRally, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, among other festivals and art galleries across North America and Europe. She recently produced, directed, and edited a compelling short documentary about the life and work of poet James D. Fuson, commissioned by Kresge Arts in Detroit. The film premiered at the Freep Film Festival in April 2024.