Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ben Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ben, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I grew up around movies. My parents graduated high school in the early 80s and are big fans of all the classic 80s blockbusters: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, the John Hughes films, and Eddie Murphy comedies etc. So, I often joke that I grew up on 80s blockbusters through the 90s. My mom’s dad (papa) and dad’s mom (Gaga) both loved the movies they grew up on from the 60s, 50s, and 40s. I credit them with where my more “film snob” side comes from. My family was lower-middle class and we moved a lot for affordable housing, so, between moves we’d often live with my grandparents where they’d school me on Kazan, David Lean, and John Ford. I was definitely that precocious nine-year-old quoting Brando’s “I coulda been a contender” line. While other suburban kids were going on big vacations, my siblings and I put on backyard plays and played pretend because imagination was free — by extension movies became my escape. I think the relief I found in them during my childhood when life felt heavy made me want to make things that gave people that same relief. That’s the long winded, sappy, therapized answer.

The short one? I wanted to be Harrison Ford, but then I realized someone made him look cool and I wanted to be George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a writer, director, and producer born in Dallas who now lives in Los Angeles, CA. My work explores themes of mental health, family, and faith (whether spiritual or amorphous). I often use satire in my stories and create characters who struggle to feel at home in their heads or society.

My boring career bio goes like this: I graduated from Baylor University (sic em) with a degree in Film & Digital Media. In 2016 my original pilot WATCH THE SKIES became the top ranked pilot on the BlackList website for four months and I was signed by my manager. I’ve pitched movies to almost every major Hollywood studio and am currently in development on several projects. In 2022 and 2015 my feature screenplays Phoenix to Kiev (22) and Chasing Shadows (15) were Nicholl Fellowship semifinalists. I also work as a TV commercial director and I’ve directed ads for McDonalds, Netflix, SEGA, Playstation, Metro by T-Mobile, Chuck E Cheese, Sinclair Oil, and many others. I also produce indie projects for myself and filmmakers I admire through my company Antrim Stories. At Antrim Stories we champion filmmakers who lead with heart, speak to culture through story, and embody the spirit of Irish seanchaí (SHAN-ə-khee): storytellers who resolved conflicts and dispelled wisdom to Irish villages through entertainment for generations.

I have Bipolar II and am a fierce advocate for mental health awareness and mental wellness. When I’m not making movies I enjoy watching them (especially old ones), using parentheticals outside of the screenplay format (like so), blowing up my sibling group chat, and demanding attention from my family and friends. I also love a cheap greasy cheeseburger, the word “pontificate”, night games at Dodger Stadium, overpriced lattes & cocktails, the beach, and that beautiful, rare Sunday when the Cowboys don’t piss me off.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Personally, it’s kind of a high falutin’ answer, BUT… I really believe there’s some bizarre, special, sort of chutzpah-adjacent spark in everyone that making art, due to its refining nature, unleashes. Film is such a unique medium that combines so many different crafts and artists, so, it’s beyond rewarding to find that many times, over and over, through the process of making a movie. Whether it’s something I’m discovering about myself, seeing come alive in an actor/writer/composer I’m working with, or watching a filmmaker find in a project I’m producing… it’s always so fulfilling and enriching. Then when an audience member reacts and connects to those specific things… it’s humanity at its most vulnerable and best.

There’s more practical answers too. I’m a freelancer, so, the freedom and flexibility of making my own schedule is really nice, it’s a blast to travel to new locations for shoots, and I get to meet a lot of really talented folks who are among the best in the world. However, really, my favorite parts are the relationships. Making any movie or commercial is a miracle. It takes so much work and luck, so, you really bond while making stuff. Becoming friends with people and then seeing them use their skills and personalities to build something is so damn cool.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Movies and imagination have always helped me feel connected. That’s the simple version of my own goal: help people feel more connected (to the world, themselves, or one another) through my work.

I grew up a bad student, okay athlete, and artistic kid in a place (the North Dallas suburbs) that, especially at the time, almost exclusively recognized kids who were either great at school or great at athletics. I always felt somewhat behind my classmates and lost. Art, family, and film was a place where I never felt “behind”. My parents and siblings were always encouraging of my creative pursuits no matter how much fake blood they ended up doused in. I also lucked in to a community of kids who weren’t so unlike me and loved filmmaking. We started making our own movies in middle school like the kids from Super 8 and I still work with a lot of them today. The freedom of finding peace and joy from within ourselves by creating together was something I didn’t find in a lot of other aspects of my adolescent life. I hope the support I give or work I make inspires people to find a similar freedom and peace in their own work.

My relationship with my bipolar has been a driving force as well. In my late 20s I was diagnosed with Bipolar Type II, which explained why many times through my young adult life I wouldn’t like myself or feel at home in my head. Therapy, deep friendships, and art have all helped me rebuild that home with myself and find a new confidence. I still have weird, dark days but I understand them more now and have people to help me combat them. I’ve enjoyed exploring characters who feel as lost as I have at times, have found new hope, or are anywhere on that spectrum. It doesn’t have to be directly related to Bipolar or mental illness, but I think seeing that on screen helps people. Whether you’re being ultra realistic with that journey or satirically jeering it — there’s times for both.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bendavisfilms.com
• Instagram: this.bendavis
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bendavis89/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-davis-161160196/
• Twitter: thisbendavis
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thisbendavis
• Other: I just released a short film “The Jellyfish Man” online this holiday season. It’s a satirical dark comedy starring Adam Hagenbuch (Perks of Being a Wallflower, Fuller House) and Gregory Bordelon that’s streaming on Youtube via Omeleto. I’d love to share that as well. The film played at many fests including Oscar qualifying Austin Film Festival, the Ouray International Film Fest, and Flickers Rhode Island Film Fest. My next projects are a comedy/musical pilot about Edgar Allan Poe (that I created with former Canvas Rebel alumni Tom Gault and Ike Flitcraft) and two shorts I produced: Ring By Spring (directed by Elizabeth Sherman) and Pocket Boyfriend (written/directed by Gregory Bordleon).

Image Credits
Main Photo: Andrew Finch Others: Luke Williams, Hillary Rattikin