Barry's films have won over sixty major international awards, including Grand Prix, Best Director, Best Film, and OSCAR and BAFTA nominations.
As well as his films, Barry has directed and animated some 70 commercials, title sequences and animation inserts for films and pop promos.
His book Stop Motion: Passion, Process and Performance was published in 2008 by Focal Press and six of his films with commentaries and interviews were issued on DVD by Potemkin in 2008 as Barry Purves: His Intimate Lives. His second book Stop-motion was published in 2010 by AVA Publishing.
Barry has also given numerous TV interviews and animation training courses and has featured in documentaries and articles for magazines, books and the Internet. He has held workshops about animation, and particularly acting for animation, in colleges around the world, and in all the major American studios including Dreamworks, PDI, Pixar, and Will Vintons. He is a regular jury member and advisor for festivals.
Barry's early career was in stage management as well as some time as an actor, working in many theatres around the UK. He has directed and designed for The Garrick Theatre in Altrincham, Manchester, The Edinburgh Festival and other venues.