McFarland worked his way through college as a freelance producer, sound designer, and editor, participating on such documentaries as Out of the Ashes, Immortal Fortress: A Look Inside Chechnya's Warrior Culture, and Roots & Wings.
During his freelance years he developed a specialty in language replacement pieces for various companies and produced, and also scored Truth and Conviction, a PBS documentary film about a young boy who defied the Nazis during World War II.
[2] In 2003 he came to Cosmic Pictures in Salt Lake City where he produced hundreds of broadcast and noncommercial pieces and Stalking Santa, a feature-length film narrated by William Shatner.
He founded his own company, Fiftyfilms, in 2006 where he has continued his prodigious commercial work with clients such as Intel, Verizon, BAE Systems, Purina, Sabick, and Microsoft.
McFarland produced and edited My Girlfriend's Boyfriend starring Alyssa Milano, Christopher Gorham, and Michael Landes in 2009.