We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Benjamin Mayer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Benjamin , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am incredibly happy in this creative field. I am in quite the unique position here in Iowa because, due to the smaller market, there is only a little work to do in the acting space that is paid. Due to that most people (including myself) here in Iowa do have regular jobs outside of the creative space. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t always something going on in the Iowa film world, because that is not true at all. There are always short films, fan films, web series, and various other creative film projects going on.

This year, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be included in many of these projects and many of the friends I made on these sets will be lifelong film partners. That fact, I think, highlights a really special aspect of the Iowa film market. Since we all have day jobs to support ourselves, there is this unspoken understanding that, due to the nature of the industry in our part of the US, we all show up to set because we love making films and doing it with our good friends. We have this trust in each other that we will do our best on a project and will go above and beyond to make it as cool and polished as possible because what have we got to lose? If you don’t have anything to lose, you may as well shoot for the moon and hope you land amongst the stars.

I am so honored and proud to be a part of this market as well because it is a beautiful insight into how hard working our part of the US is in this industry. I think that us all having these regular day jobs to supplement ourselves allows us to really showcase our grit and devotion to making impactful and just plain old fun films. We all show up to set knowing that we are all there just to have a good time and make something cool. Our jobs aren’t dependent on making a top notch film, Whatever oversight there would have been if we were a part of some big production isn’t hindering us, in fact, the oversight we do have is shared amongst the group so the process truly feels collaborative. That fact alone makes the filmmaking experience incredibly mutual and a true team project. There isn’t some big company overseeing our every move or critiquing every aspect of our process, so we know that if we make a film that doesn’t happen to do wonderfully, then we brush it off and move on knowing that we gave it our all and that our jobs are still in tact. I think the most important thing all of that information conveys is that, in the Iowa film market, we don’t make things to make a profit or to get tons of attention, we make compelling and interesting films because we love to do it. It is just plain old fun, and that fuels us to make whatever we want, however we want. We just do what works for us and that flow becomes second nature to us. That sort of grassroots film making has allowed for some incredibly interesting and entertaining stories to be told.

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?

Oh my, where to start! My name is Ben Mayer, and I am an actor and producer based outside of Des Moines, Iowa. I act in commercials, industrial videos, and narrative films of all sorts. I am a huge fan of all things fantasy, so I have recently been getting involved in lots of film projects focused on sci-fi and high fantasy. However, I’ve acted in several non-fiction dramas and comedies. I’ve played a Viking villain, a simple henchman, a gritty soldier, a faithful father, an unfaithful husband, a high school delinquent, and many other various roles that I am incredibly proud of. Most recently and notably, I was cast as Blippi in the popular children’s YouTube show. I have played all kinds of characters from various walks of life, and I am so honored and thrilled that people trust me to play such a wide variety of unique and fascinating characters. I absolutely love it and am so so lucky.

I guess I should probably talk about how I got started doing all of this. It’s kind of a classic story really, one that most actors can probably relate to. I started off acting in church plays when I was very little and loved being in the spotlight. That was only as a child though. Believe it or not, I actually don’t really enjoy being the center of attention nowadays. That’s the exact opposite of why I am in the film industry today, but I’ll elaborate on that later. Anyways, I used to always tell my parents that I wanted to be an actor and be in action movies. However, as I got older, I realized that profession was pretty unrealistic and probably impossible, so I didn’t really pursue it as a career. That shifted my mindset to focus on acting in all of its mediums as an activity that was just fun to do and held my attention. I tried many sports and was active throughout my schooling, but the one extracurricular I kept coming back to was theater and music. I was in band and choir for my teen years and did many musicals and plays. In high school, I did all of that on top of show and jazz choir which, for those who may not know, show choir basically what they did in Glee and jazz choir is what Pentatonix does. The common theme for my choice in doing all of these extracurriculars was that I simply found it fun and enjoyed being in cool performances with my friends. I was never super into it like some theater kids, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to put on a good show, so that fueled me to give it my all. Now, I did take it seriously because when I do something, I do it to the best of my ability because I don’t like to do a mediocre or average job, but I never took it as seriously as what some might think of when they picture your stereotypical “theater kid”. I certainly had my moments, but it was truly only in the spirit of doing something cool and fun, not because I envisioned going to college and making a career out of theater and music. I live in Iowa for god’s sake! That sort of thing was always a huge long shot, so I never really considered doing it to the extent I am now.

Now, flash forward to college at Iowa State, and yet again, I found myself yearning for an extracurricular to occupy the free time I had outside of my studies. Once again, I found myself back in the theater department auditioning for ten-minute plays and one act plays the directing students would direct for their final semester projects. I was cast in a play that ended up going to KCACTF (Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival), where I won some puppetry awards on the main stage for my role as Achilles in “Iphigenia” by Euripides. After I won those awards, I started to get an idea that maybe I was at least alright at this acting thing, and that maybe it would be cool to try and work in some commercials and such as a side gig. I was in college, so I definitely could use the extra cash, so what did I have to lose? Therefore, I submitted to the talent agency in Des Moines, The Peak Agency, and have been represented by them since 2019. I have really only gotten commercials and industrial video gigs from them, but that was a huge reason why I connected with people who would eventually cast me in their creative projects outside of their professional lives as filmmakers.

After I graduated college, I found myself working as a landscaper in Ames as a private contractor so I could keep my schedule flexible for acting gigs that would occasionally arrive. That’s when a classmate of mine who was in Iphigenia with me posted onto her story that she was doing the local 48 Hour Horror Film Festival in Des Moines, and that thoroughly piqued my interest so I reached out to offer my help however she needed it, and she asked if I wanted to act in it, which I immediately said yes to. To cut a long story short, that 48 Hour Film won Best In City and catapulted me into the narrative film world in Des Moines. People slowly began to reach out to me out of nowhere after seeing my 48 film to help them with their projects, and that continued all the way up to this very day. This year has been absolutely surreal and totally bonkers, to my utter disbelief and elation, but I’ll get to that.

Now, things have been really picking up for me these past couple years especially. About two years ago, I received a very rare, narrative/creative audition from my agent at the Peak Agency (I say rare because the auditions I get from him are primarily commercial and industrial video auditions). It was a national audition to boot, which was really cool to get from my agent. This audition was for a kid’s show named Blippi, which I hadn’t the faintest idea what that was, but it seemed really fun. It was a kids show that advertised adventure and curiosity, exploration and excitement, and that was all I needed to hear. I submitted my audition and expected to never hear from them again, as it was a national call and I’m just some chump from Iowa, so the chances were astronomically slim that I would make it anywhere past the initial call. That being said, to my shock, a month later, I got a callback! It was so cool to get that email and I was giddy to get my audition out, so I did it as quickly as I could. However, I again had a feeling that I would never hear back from them, since again, this was a national audition and I am just some random dude from nowhere Iowa. Yet again I was proven wrong… and again… and again… and before I knew it, I was doing a two week intensive learning the character of Blippi in preparation for the official role. From my first audition to when I signed my contract was about a year-and-a-half, so it was a long and fantastically fun walk, but I eventually signed. I still can’t believe it and I am not sure I will ever get used to it. I had to wait about six months from when I signed onto the show to talk about it publicly, but once I went live in November, I have had an overwhelmingly positive reception. Sure, there are some haters, but I grew up in the age of the internet, so I knew what was coming and love the creativity and passion behind some of the hate comments. I genuinely get a kick out of them and find them unendingly fascinating. All that aside, I have gotten to do some absolutely incredible activities like going to Monster Jam and standing in the arena and going to a Formula 1 race in Austin, Texas. There are so many other amazing things I’ve been able to do in my short time as Blippi, and I am so excited to see what comes in this new year.

Due to my hard work over the past few years, I have been able to help out on many different projects, but this year I have been stepping into the role of “producer” behind the camera. Becoming a producer has been such an amazing way for me to unintentionally discover just how much I’ve learned about how to run a smooth set and to assist in making interesting creative choices that enhance and streamline the filmmaking process. I did many leadership-oriented activities growing up (Student Council, NHS, leadership seminars and camps, etc.), so pairing that experience with my knowledge of acting and how a set flows helped me truly thrive in a leadership position behind the camera. That has been a recent delight that has gotten me incredibly interested in directing and producing even more. I am hoping to become well known, not just for my diverse acting skills, but also for my leadership behind the camera and for my creative style.

To close all of this off, the one thing I want people to understand about my situation, is firstly, that I do this because it’s fun. Secondarily, I do it because I love making cool and interesting content. I love telling compelling stories and showcasing those stories in interesting, compelling, and visually stunning ways. I have so much fun piecing together that puzzle that it makes me never want to stop creating. I love collaborating with my friends on fascinating projects and I love that we all do it for the love of the craft, not to make it big or make tons of money. That mentality of “making cool things because it’s fun” is the only reason I have found success in this market. I feel like people are too easily bogged down with the idea that they are only successful if they “make it big” and become a household name, but as soon as you resign to that standard, you’ve already set yourself back, in my opinion. If you put positivity and love for the craft out into the world, you are much more likely to be rewarded for your hard work. Along with that, you take so much pressure off yourself and can truly live in the moment and just create fantastic work. I realize that my stance on “just doing it because it is fun” is fairly privileged, but I truly think it is necessary to have a healthy outlook on your creative endeavors. That even extends beyond the film industry and is applicable to any facet of life. Now, there are exceptions to that, of course. I mean, we all gotta eat and pay our bills, but as far as extracurriculars and other various side endeavors, why would you do them if you didn’t enjoy them? That is not any way to enjoy your free time, so doing those side projects with the full intention of just having a good time will not only be rewarding for yourself, but will enhance your chances of finding success in those creative endeavors and extracurriculars.

There is just so much I had to leave out for brevity’s sake, but I cannot thank the people who have been alongside me and trusted me to work in their films throughout my short career in the film world. I am absolutely itching to see what we can all create next and I can’t wait to take them along with me on the fantastic ride that I am currently on. I have several projects coming up and I hope y’all stay tuned to see what comes from our hard work and collaboration!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I have referenced this throughout this interview, but truly, I think that in any activity that exists outside of your day job, it is imperative that you enjoy that activity. If you are doing something in your free time that is bland and boring to you, then why are you spending your precious time on it? In my experience, I do my best work when I am enjoying my time spent doing that activity. If I am enjoying myself in those moments, then I am bringing the best version of myself to the table, and the people I am around/working with see that and think, “huh, this guy is pretty chill. I’ll definitely work with him again”, and in this industry, that is absolutely imperative to be asked to help on sets. Aside from that, you then inherently put in your best effort to create the best product you can. That goes beyond filmmaking and can be applied to any endeavor you pursue.

I have been incredibly lucky and privileged to find success using this mentality, but it was never about being famous or rich. I realized that, no matter what I do, if I am enjoying myself while doing it, then I already am successful. I think that sentiment needs to be more ubiquitous and people should stop being so hard on themselves for not finding what most people consider as “true success”. “True success” usually implies financial security and secure social groups. While those are important in today’s day, those don’t mean anything, in my opinion, if you spend your life hating the process that gets you to that financial and social stability.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative individual is the relishing in the work that it takes to create a piece of art and seeing its final rendition being released to the public. To see their reaction, whether it’s good or bad, is such a wonderful learning experience. You either see what people do like and how they respond to the things you do well, or on the flip side, you get to see what doesn’t resonate with people and how you can adjust your process to accommodate their interests if that is your prerogative. On the latter point though, I do believe that sentiment only goes so far because, at the end of the day, art is a little selfish. Artists create to satisfy a selfish desire to take an idea that we as artists enjoy or find interesting and express it in an impactful and intriguing way. At the end of the day, the consumers are important to the process, but they are only a small part of it, and it’s important for the artist to also enjoy their final product. That being said, seeing the consumers react to your art positively is such a wonderful feeling. Understanding how your work impacts them in that moment when they see it and how it may continue to impact them is such an intimately cool thing. If someone tells me that a film I did is still burned into their memory because they enjoyed it so much, that means that my work was impactful enough that they think about it during their everyday life, despite the very real struggles that can make us all feel trapped in the real world. My work served as a positive distraction from a potentially negative period in their life, or added to their current positive life situation. That is such an honor to me and I feel so lucky to have earned that kind of praise. On top of that, it reaffirms that you are on the right track when it comes to your creative goals. If you are making a project in a way that is satisfying, interesting, and fun for you as an artist and people respond well to that, you know that your creative process is one that positively resonates with people who take a more objective look at you and your work. That is an immensely gratifying thing to discover after people first consume your art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.benjaminmayeractor.com
• Instagram: @ben_is_mayer
• Facebook: Ben Mayer
• Other: I mainly use Instagram.