Barney grew up in New York City in a family long associated with the film business, his grandfather the founder of an early Hollywood studio and his uncle a partner at another.
Barney started as a booking agent at a small music agency and later Director of Club Booking at Music Productions, a major New England agency, and Talent Coordinator for its On Stage television series. He then became a General Partner and Director of College Booking at Sundance Music, where he developed major concert packages and worked with record companies to introduce new artists to college markets.

Barney went on Harvard College but managed to keep up his ties with the entertainment business as the New England columnist for the alternative Houston Southern Voice newspaper. In his senior year he and his roommate began Musician's Magazine in their dorm room. After graduation they worked full time on their magazine, which quickly grew into a successful and profitable national publication.

After selling Musician's Magazine, Barney moved to New York City where he worked for Forbes Magazine and attended New York University's Graduate School of Film, Video & Broadcasting. Barney became a Board Member and later Chairman of Anthology Film Archive, New York's Center for Experimental and Independent Film. There he was instrumental in bringing the Havana Film Festival to New York and became a member of the Festival Board.

After graduation in 1996, he drew on his booking agency experience and started Barney Oldfield Management. The company managed then, as it does today, only a small number of clients. In addition to traditional talent management functions, he worked closely with directors and producers to develop and to finance independent and studio projects featuring his clients. The company opened offices in New York and in Los Angeles.

In 1997 Barney Oldfield Management became part of Crimson Screen Partners and Barney became responsible for restructuring the new company and its daily operations. As a resource for the filmmaking community he began NewFilmmakers, which weekly screens new independent films in New York and Los Angeles, and the Harvard Film Group, which has over 1000 alumni members nationally.

With Angelika Entertainment Barney produced the popular Too Much Sleep feature, nominated for the Independent Spirit Award, and the controversial Zero Day feature, winner of Best Feature and Best Actor Awards at the recent Slamdunk Film Festival. In addition to successful film projects Barney developed and produced the MetroAngelika series and popular television & Internet programming for Cablevision and other clients.

Barney is currently producing the Bloody Jocks thriller as well as the Another Deep Breath independent features. He was Executive Producer on Easy To Assemble with Illeana Douglas and Jeff Goldblum and Ctrl with Tony Hale.

Barney lives in Los Angeles and New York. He is member of the Harvard Clubs in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. He is also a member of the Union League Club in New York, the California Pioneers in San Francisco, and the Friars Club in Beverly Hills.