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

Benjamin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I wish I’d started sooner, but not where I thought I’d be going.

When I was 6 years old, I fell in love with theater. I wanted to perform, and nothing else mattered. That passion took me through community theater, college acting programs, and eventually to a master’s degree in directing and arts administration. The plan was simple: move to New York City and become part of the performing community.

But a few months into that dream, I realized I didn’t have the gumption to pound the pavement. I never found my place in the theatrical world, and the passion that had driven me since childhood started to fade.

So I pivoted to website development, a way to keep my creative juices flowing without the rejection and hustle of auditions. It worked for a while. Then I got laid off, and ironically, I found myself back in the theatrical world as a casting and booth director for a voiceover company. Today, I run marketing and manage the website presence alongside my casting duties.

Looking back, I wish I’d discovered sooner what actually makes me thrive: being in charge of creative projects. Not performing in them, but shaping them and putting out work that makes audiences happy. If I’d gone into computer programming or marketing right out of college, I would have saved myself years of searching for a fit that was never going to work.

But here’s the thing: I might not have found my podcast, Reel Beans, without taking that winding path. Pairing coffee and movies, two other passions of mine, and sharing them with an audience has made me feel alive again. It’s the synthesis of everything I’ve learned: storytelling, curation, marketing, and connecting with people.

So yes, I wish I’d started my creative career sooner. But I don’t regret starting my creative journey exactly when I did.

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 casting and marketing director who codes, a web developer who directs voice actors, and a podcaster who pairs movies with coffee. If that sounds like an odd combination, it is. But that’s exactly where I thrive.

I’m the Casting & Booth Director at The Voicecaster, a Los Angeles-based voice-over training and casting company that’s been around since 1975. I also run a freelance web development practice under developitben.com, and I host Reel Beans, a podcast that pairs films with thematically matched coffee recommendations.

My path here wasn’t linear. I started in theater and fell in love with performing at 6, got my MFA in directing and arts administration, moved to New York to “make it.” But I quickly realized I didn’t have the gumption for auditions and rejection. So I pivoted to web development to stay creative without the hustle. After getting laid off, I found my way back to the theater world through voiceover casting. And somewhere along the way, I realized what actually makes me tick: leading creative projects, not performing in them.

At The Voicecaster, I direct voice actors in the booth, run our weekly VO Power Hour workout sessions with personalized feedback, and oversee all our marketing: Instagram campaigns, email newsletters, print ads, web presence. I write commercial scripts for practice exercises and create content that makes voiceover training feel accessible instead of intimidating. My theater background gives me an edge here: I understand performance from the inside out, so I can give talent actionable direction that actually improves their work.

As a freelance web developer, I build custom websites for creative professionals and small businesses. People who need a professional web presence without agency prices. I work across platforms (WordPress, Wix, custom builds) and bring design sensibility alongside technical execution.

With Reel Beans, I’m doing something different entirely. It’s not just “wine pairing for movies,” it’s conceptual. I’m matching films with coffee based on thematic depth, not surface aesthetics. A Brazilian coffee for Now, Voyager because of the film’s exploration of personal transformation. Equator Coffees for Weapons because of its ethical sourcing story mirroring the film’s moral questions. I curate films that explore family dynamics, social repression, existential themes, and I bring on guests who share that depth of engagement.

What sets me apart is that I don’t stay in my lane. Most casting directors don’t code. Most developers don’t direct performances. Most podcasters don’t run marketing campaigns for training companies. But I’ve learned that the most interesting work happens at the intersections: when you can see connections others miss. My theater training informs how I give feedback to voice actors. My web development work sharpened my eye for what makes marketing content convert. My podcast taught me how to curate and connect with niche audiences.

I’m most proud of building things that actually work, Instagram carousels that get engagement, email campaigns that get opened, websites that convert visitors, podcast episodes that make people rethink both coffee and cinema. I’m proud that I stayed creative across multiple mediums instead of forcing myself into one box.

Here’s what I want you to know: I solve problems by connecting dots others don’t see. I’m a generalist who goes deep. I value conceptual thinking over surface aesthetics. And I’m available for web development projects, marketing/content strategy, and collaborative creative work that blends disciplines.

If you’re looking for someone who can direct a voice actor, build you a website, and tell you which coffee pairs with Casablanca, I’m your guy.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society needs to stop treating artists like a luxury and start treating creative work like essential infrastructure.

Pay artists. Not in exposure. Not for the love of it. Fair contracts, residuals, recognition that directing, design, and storytelling are specialized skills worth compensating.

Fund arts education. I learned to think critically and solve problems through theater, skills I use daily in casting, web development, and marketing. When we cut arts programs, we’re not just losing future actors. We’re losing future innovators.

Make creative work sustainable. Healthcare for freelancers. Affordable production spaces. I’ve juggled casting director, developer, and podcaster because no single creative income was enough. That shouldn’t be the default.

Protect artists from exploitation. Voice actors deserve consent over their voice data. Podcasters shouldn’t choose between algorithmic reach and fair pay. Copyright should serve creators, not corporations.

Change the culture. Stop asking when we’re getting “real jobs.” Support artists who took unconventional paths.
Pay for the podcast. Buy the ticket. Tip the creator.

Culture isn’t decoration. It’s how we process grief, celebrate joy, and imagine different futures. When artists thrive, we all get smarter and more resilient. When we starve the arts, everyone shrinks.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When a voice actor nails a read after I’ve given them direction and I see that spark of “oh, THAT’S what you meant,” that’s the reward. When a client sees their new website for the first time and you can literally watch their face light up because now they have a tool that’ll help them grow, that’s it. When a Reel Beans listener messages me saying they watched the film, tried the coffee, and finally understood why I paired them, I’m hooked all over again.

I’m creating something tangible that changes how someone experiences their day, their work, or their art. A voice actor books the job. A small business gets more clients. Someone discovers a film they never would’ve found on their own.

Sometimes it works perfectly. Sometimes it doesn’t, and I learn what not to do next time. But either way, I’m making something that didn’t exist before and putting it out into the world.

To see a smile, hear genuine appreciation, or know I helped someone move forward. That’s why I keep doing this.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://reelbeans.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel_beans/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-j-schneider
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@reelbeans
• Other: https://developitben.com/