We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ben Szemerenyi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ben below.

Ben, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

My entire life has been based around taking risks, ever since the very beginning. When I was seven years old, I moved from London to New York, a moment that set the foundation for the risks I’d take later in life. All I knew at the time was that my dad had been offered a massive job opportunity in the faraway place of Long Island, and if I didn’t fully understand the risk that involved for him and my family at the time, I’ve certainly come to appreciate it now.

The ripple effect of that move has been seismic, to the point where I’d say every risk I’ve ever taken in my life can be traced back to that moment, and the leap of faith my family took when moving halfway across the world to chase a dream. It instilled in me from a very early age the belief that change is necessary, and that you will never know what doors might open up for you if you never take a leap of faith. Life is one big gamble, sometimes things pay off and sometimes they don’t, but I learned then from my family’s faith and conviction that I would NEVER know what opportunities might await me if I never had the courage to follow a dream.

Later on in my life I found myself faced with a choice. From the day I was born I’ve been kicking a soccer ball (football, but translating for American readers). I was very good at it too, playing high-level club soccer throughout my youth and eventually winning two state championships in high school, with a nomination for the All-American team. For a very long time I wasn’t really sure about what I wanted to do in life, but soccer was always there as my North Star. When I struggled with direction and purpose, it was (and always will be) there to guide me and ground me. After a life of playing the game at the highest level and a very successful high school career, I had my heart set on playing soccer in college, and perhaps even pursuing the sport professionally. After all, it was all I’d ever known and had been a constant source of joy and inspiration.

Until I slowly began to realize that maybe it wasn’t my true calling. I’d always been a creative person — I grew up writing stories, playing piano, performing in theatre productions, but I never once considered that it might be what I actually wanted to… do. It gradually creeped up on me as my passion for film and screenwriting began to blossom, until it became a calling I simply couldn’t ignore. To the shock of my friends and family, I did a complete 180 and announced that I wanted to turn down my soccer scholarships that I’d spent a lifetime earning, and apply to film school instead. Namely, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Knowing full well the professional and financial risks involved with pursuing a career in the arts and deviating from my comfort zone, I applied to Tisch for the Undergraduate Film & TV Program, and in one of the few moments in life I’ve come close to a heart attack, I was accepted to the most prestigious film school in the world.

Fast forward five years and my career in the film industry is beginning to blossom, and it all goes back to taking that risk. Who knows what my life would have been like if I decided to go to college to play soccer. Maybe I would have made it to a D1 team, and maybe I might have gone pro if I truly gave it my all. But maybe I would’ve always had that voice in the back of my head, wondering what my life would have been like if I’d taken that risk and followed my true passion, my true dream.

But I did. And I can say with my heart on my sleeve and a smile on my face that I have never once questioned my decision, and never once looked back, not even for an instant. Choosing a life as an artist is the best decision I’ve ever made, and I owe it all to my family for showing me that the best things in life come to those who believe in themselves and the mechanics of the universe, and simply take a risk.

Thank you for everything x

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Lovely. Hello! Ben Szemerenyi here, I’m a London-born, NYC-based screenwriter/producer, graduated from NYU Tisch last year with a BFA in Film & TV and a Minor in Economics.

Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved telling stories, but it wasn’t until high school that I developed a true passion for film and screenwriting, and realized I wanted to dedicate my whole life to it. I’ve always been an inherently creative person, constantly finding sources of inspiration and forming stories almost instantly in my head. Looking back on it, it only made sense that I decided to pursue a career in the arts.

After being offered a PA position on a local short film shoot on Long Island, my first major industry experience came as an intern at MCM Creative, an NYC-based production company where I worked hands-on with actors such as Ben Platt and Zachary Quinto. I learned so much from the amazing people at MCM, who taught me the day-to-day life of working on a set, including industry practices, specific language used on set, and everything a teenager entering film school could dream of learning. I followed this up with a script development internship at LA-based production company Vertigo Entertainment under producer Roy Lee, where I provided daily notes on feature film scripts, television pilots, and novels submitted to the company.

I stumbled into producing (more on this later) while at NYU, and quickly realized that it was a dream job. There is a thrill in bringing a talented filmmaker’s vision to life that I truly do not get anywhere else. In my senior year at NYU I wrote and produced numerous short films, collaborating with a wide variety of artists to bring their unique stories to life. I also wrote and directed my own senior thesis film IRIS, a sci-fi drama which I’m using as a proof-of-concept for a feature version. Iris recently had its big-screen debut at NYU’s First Run Film Festival, where my producer Erin Cummins won the Faculty Commendation for Producing, and my DP Dylan Louie won the Faculty Commendation for Cinematography.

Shortly after graduating last May, I was offered the incredible opportunity by a former classmate of mine to produce my first feature film, the NYC-based crime thriller LETTER BY LETTER. As as happened so many times in my life, I took a leap of faith without quite knowing where I’d land. I knew my worth and trusted my ability as a producer, but a feature film was a massive undertaking having only produced a handful of student films. I obviously leapt at the chance and signed on in an instant, knowing that if we could pull it off it would be the biggest and most proud achievement of my life. And we did. By the age of 22 I had my first feature film under my belt.

Thanks to the immense efforts of our exceptionally talented cast and crew we wrapped filming back in December, and the film is now nearing the end of post-production. It was an incredible experience from start to finish, and the biggest achievement of my young career so far. The transition to feature filmmaking was always going to be a massive step up, but we embraced every challenge and learned so much in the process. The film helped me grow immensely not just as a producer but as a person, and reminded me that my love for this industry will never fade.

Alongside four of my closest friends and collaborators, I recently co-founded the production company SOUP TROUPE. We are a one-stop shop to support our fellow independent filmmakers throughout the entire filmmaking process, from development to delivery, providing artists with all the “ingredients” they need. Between the five of us, we cover every position in the filmmaking process, from pre to post-production.

We assist every step of the way, from turning ideas into outlines into screenplays, to using our network of contacts to find crew and receive discounted rates on equipment from rental houses, to ultimately editing, mixing, conforming, coloring, and delivering the finished product. We’re only a small troupe of artists, but we’re doing our best to provide our fellow storytellers with one safe roof to bring their projects to, reducing the initial anxiety when beginning the mammoth task of making a film. It’s handy when some of your best friends also happen to be some of the most talented artists you know, so forming this company was truly a no-brainer. While our goal is to eventually solely produce film and television projects, we are starting out producing video content of all kinds, be it music videos, commercials, etc.

My latest project and our first short film under the new company is the coming-of-age comedy YEASTY, which starts filming in May. I co-wrote the script with my immensely talented friend Dara Bruselovsky, who is directing, and producing with Erin, my dynamite producing partner. We are using the short as a proof-of-concept for a feature version, and have already begun pitching the idea and attracting considerable interest.

“An eccentric but directionless 20-something struggling to lose her virginity has her life thrown into chaos with the devastating arrival of a yeast infection”

For updates on the film follow us on instagram @yeastyfilm, and until we set up a company website and socials, simply reach out to me regarding company projects on my personal socials — all my contact information can be found at the end of this article :)

I am a sharp, open-minded and dedicated worker with a quick wit and a restless imagination, and a combination of creative and professional qualities that make me a great fit for any project. I have excellent communication skills, years of entertainment industry experience, and the ability to multi-task and work proactively in fast-paced environments.

I am a writer and producer, and so incredibly proud of the life I’ve made for myself so far. Onwards and upwards!

Have you ever had to pivot?

I always joke that I stumbled into producing accidentally. It was never something I intended to make a career out of, and to be honest when I first started film school I didn’t really know what a producer actually does. But I’ve made a life out of taking risks and having an open mind, so it’s only natural that I discovered something outside of my comfort zone. In my junior year at NYU I was in my intermediate film class, where we started making our own short films and forming crews for the first time (sophomore year would usually be the year for this but the pandemic forced our classes online). I spent most of this class saying yes to positions without having prior experience, and then figuring them out and learning my craft as I went along. When we all came back to in-person classes after the pandemic there was a mad rush to get any and all experience we possibly could, and I knew that saying no to crew positions simply because I’d never done them before would leave me falling behind. This class, under the mentorship of our wonderful professor Janet Grillo, was my true film school — I spent every weekend on a different set, in a different position on a different crew. It’s where I met my producing partner Erin, my cinematographer Dylan, now two of my closest friends and founding members of our company.

I was approached by a classmate of mine to be the Unit Production Manager on their intermediate film, essentially just helping out with minor tasks like driving the rental car, picking up food and keeping an eye on things to make sure the set ran smoothly. I’d never done it before, but it sounded simple enough and it was yet another set to gain experience on. That is, until their producer suffered a concussion and was forced to step down from the project. My classmate then asked me if I would be able to step in at the last second as their producer and steady the ship.

“Ben! Have you produced before?!”
“Of course I have!”

I had never once considered being a producer. But I learned very quickly what a producer does, fell in love with the job and realized that in addition to writing my own stories, I get just as much of a thrill from bringing other people’s stories to life and providing them the means to get their films made. To me, producing is just another form of storytelling. After that film wrapped I never looked back, producing five more shorts at NYU including three senior thesis films.

A mere two years after stumbling into producing my first student film, I was producing my first feature film. The sky truly is the limit.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Absolutely. I’m fighting to swing the pendulum back in the favor of exciting, talented independent filmmakers. We’ve been talking a lot about taking risks, and it appears I’ve grown up during an incredibly risk-averse time for the film industry, with indie films becoming increasingly harder to get financed and distributed. As a producer, it is my goal to seek out unique storytellers and help bring their visions to life. I’ve touched upon it a lot already, but part of my goal in forming Soup Troupe was to provide indie filmmakers with a safe space that they can come to. Being an indie filmmaker is an increasingly daunting task, and we want to give some power and agency back to those filmmakers while relieving some of the inherent anxiety involved when starting a new project.

As a writer myself, I am an exciting, unique voice looking to change the stories we see on screen. My immigrant background and unique experiences have massively shaped the stories I tell. I primarily work in genre films — sci-fi, horror, thrillers, and love putting my own twist on those genres and flipping their conventions upside down. As a writer/producer I want to put my own personal stamp on the industry, give power back to independent filmmakers and increase the number of fresh, exciting stories we see on screen, from talents of all backgrounds.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/szemmers/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-szemerenyi-790a1a21b/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/yeastyfilm/

Image Credits
Megan Pallman