Jared Langston builds bold cpg and experiential brands. He is the founder of DRY Dept, a venture design studio, and the founder of Good Liar, a non-alcoholic American IPA built that landed a partnership with Deschutes Brewery. Good Liar launched in 2024 and is currently the top-selling non-alcoholic 6-pack per point of distribution in Ohio.

Before starting DRY Dept, Jared spent ten years as Creative Director at Rise Brands in Columbus, where he helped build Pins Mechanical Company, 16-Bit Bar+Arcade, and No Soliciting from day one through major expansion.

Exterior of PINS Mechanical Company restaurant with large illuminated PINS sign, string lights, and a wooden wall with a lion logo and restaurant name.
A black bottle of Eno edge testosterone support supplement with white and red text on a red gradient background.
A hand pouring Goya Loca American IPA beer into a glass, with the beer can tilted above the glass against a red background.
A bottle of Toma Bloody Mary cocktail mixer with a reflection on a dark blue surface.
Three bottles of oat milk, one chocolate, one original, and one berry flavor, on a reflective surface with a beige background.
A man with a beard and mustache wearing a blue and white cap and black shirt holding a sandwich inside a restaurant with a sign that reads 'Good Friends Midwest Fine Grub' in blue letters.
A mural on a brick wall designed in pixel art style, featuring a monkey on a platform with cans, and the words 'Game Over' with a ladder and pixelated characters underneath.
Dimly lit bar with a long black counter, high stools with round leather seats, brick walls, shelves of liquor bottles behind the bar, and cozy seating areas with plush chairs and a mirror reflecting the space.
A young man playing ping pong in an indoor recreational space with a brick wall in the background and a large white painted Coca-Cola logo.
Inside a fast-food restaurant with a modern design, menu and promotional images on the wall, and a row of plants along the front counter.
A can of crushed tomatoes labeled 'Cora, tradition made simple' with an illustration of three tomatoes on the front.
Three cans of Toma craft beer on a wooden table with lime wedge and restaurant interior in background
Interior of a pinball arcade with two rows of classic pinball machines, themed after popular shows and characters, with a central walkway and decorative ceiling.
Three boxes of Good Liar American IPA non-alcoholic beer with six cans inside each box, placed on a red surface against a black background.
A woman roller skating on a sidewalk at night, wearing a red swimsuit, a fur coat, white roller skates, and holding a spray can.

Langston

I don't separate brand from business.

I came up as a creative director, but the title undersells the job. I’ve always been in the room where concepts became companies—not handed a brief, but writing it. The brands I helped build there weren't designed and then operated. They were designed by operating them.

I started DRY Dept in 2023 to do that kind of work on my own terms. I take on only a few outside projects a year. The filter is whether I'd buy the thing myself, and whether the founder is the kind of person I'd want to grab a beer with.

Good Liar
Open Essentials
Pins Mechanical Co
16-Bit Bar+Arcade
No Soliciting
Rise Brands

Toma Bloody Mary
Cora Brands
Weenie Wonder
Sara Lee
Goood Friends
The Film Forge

Unfiltered Founder
McDonalds
Jimmy Dean
Oak Milk
Brevity Films
Kassis & Co

Kenzie Ziegler
Brave Wilderness

LET’S CHAT
jared@drydept.com