Jared Jacobs '16 took faceoffs for Wesleyan men's lacrosse and majored in Government. Today, he serves as an Entertainment & Creative Consultant at Warner Bros. Discovery, advising on creator-led and unscripted projects. The connection between those arenas is tighter than it sounds—and it begins on Jackson Field.
Wesleyan lacrosse taught him the two habits he leans on in every development room: build with the team and have tough skin. "The best ideas come from leveraging everyone's strengths and building trust across the team," he says. Entertainment tests that daily—you can pitch a hundred ideas and sell one—so he treats criticism as material, not a verdict, and turns it into something stronger.
He still quotes Coach John Raba: "All it takes is 30 minutes." It started as a workout mantra, but it's now an operating system. Thirty minutes to prep a pitch, tighten a deck, hop on a creator call, or squeeze in a reset. Small windows, consistently protected, create momentum.
Balancing a full NESCAC season with classes taught real time management. With afternoons swallowed by practice, games, and travel, he learned to prioritize, plan ahead, and focus on what moves the needle. He uses the same filter in a deadline-driven industry: allocate attention to what is most timely, most viable, and most likely to push a project forward.
"Being a good teammate" had a specific shape for a faceoff middie. The role is brutally individual—win or lose in a heartbeat—yet the job is the team. Some days that meant stepping aside if a teammate had the better matchup or the hot hand. He carries that into leadership now: recognize strengths, listen to feedback, and put the project first. Guard an idea too tightly and you miss chances to elevate it together.
His senior class sharpened those instincts. The group had the right pieces, but the trophies arrived after they graduated—first a NESCAC title, then a national championship. The lesson he draws for the screen is simple: lasting success comes from years of trust, accountability, and culture. Invest in people, lay a foundation, and build a team that keeps rising long after the first win.
Classroom language helped him name what he was already practicing. Scott Higgins's "Language of Hollywood" was a first deep dive into cinema—motifs, symbolism, history—and, most importantly, structure. Every project needs a clear arc and tentpole moments, whether documentary, scripted, or unscripted. That framework turns vague notes into specific ones: sharpen the inciting beat, earn the midpoint, land the turn.
Wesleyan also opened doors. His first break at WME came through alumni support, and he kept a Wesleyan pennant at his desk; alumni and parents would spot it and stop to talk. That network continued to matter—introductions that led to roles at Endeavor Content, then to building unscripted and documentary series at Blumhouse and Unrealistic Ideas—rooms that drilled three questions he still uses to evaluate any project: What's the story? Why now? What access or assets do we have? Without urgency and access—key voices willing to participate, unseen photos, audio, or video—even a great premise won't connect.
He stepped into the creator economy leading development at Night Studios, steering creator-led projects toward premium buyers while the space accelerated around them. The biggest adjustment, he says, was learning to collaborate with creators as full-stack storytellers. They're not just on-camera talent; they write, direct, edit, market and are used to having full creative control. Sometimes a single YouTube video can earn them more than a season of television, so the work has to make sense financially and creatively. Dive deep into their catalog to find what feels authentic, then scale it big enough for a buyer while familiar enough that their audience will follow. Logistics are strategy, too— you must protect their posting cadence, design flexible shoots, and keep momentum with their community.
More recently he's advised on projects as a consultant, including a short run with NBA Take-Two Media, before taking on his current role at Warner Bros. Discovery. Across agency desks, producer rooms, and studio calls, the throughline is the same one he learned at the faceoff X: preparation, role clarity, resilience, and trust.
When current Cardinals ask how to start, Jacobs keeps it simple and specific: make something. A short film, a podcast, digital content, even a 24-hour competition shows passion, resourcefulness, and the ability to deliver under pressure—the real conditions of development. Pair that with thirty focused minutes, honest collaboration, and the habit of turning notes into better work, and you're already speaking the language of the room.
