We recently connected with John Benam and have shared our conversation below.
John, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Early on in my career, I produced and filmed nature shows for National Geographic. It wasn’t until I left my staff position there, to start my own company, that I started making films about people and diving into topics like social justice. It was in this new space that I found my purpose in filmmaking. I found the act of holding a camera and following subjects into difficult territory to be both exhilarating and terrifying. Over time, the anxiety of that subsided and I realized that the real job was about building trust and holding compassion for the people brave enough to let me point the camera at them all day. The true mission was to illuminate an otherwise misunderstood topic through the eyes of someone living through it. My first and most formative filming experience was on a series about women working through the difficulty of their experience as survivors of child sexual abuse. The project became known as “The Keepers” and aired on Netflix in 2017. Over the course of 3 years, I was introduced to a number and me and women who allowed me to film their most difficult and heart-wrenching stories. All while being emotionally vulnerable and delicate, they persevered for something larger than themselves. Their goal was to make sure this never happened again for the get the powers that be to “do what is right”. The mission of accountability to the institutions that let them down finally came, in some measure, in the years that followed the release of the series. The contingent of survivors, now advocates and activists, helped push the state of Maryland to change laws in favor of children who are sexually abused, but unready to press charges until later in life. Something that many victims find to be difficult. They used their anguish and energy to expand the statute of limitations, thereby prioritizing the healing and rehabilitation of so many more survivors into the future.
It’s projects like this that make a real impact in the world, and working in spaces that help people has become my new “bar”. Material and films that go beyond mere entertainment value is what gives me meaning, personally and professionally. I consider the mutual respect and trust from my film subjects to be where I myself derive a true sense of value.
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?
In high school, I was introduced to photography and my world changed forever. I attended Towson University in Baltimore and while I expected to teach history with an education degree, I changed over to film and TV work, and finished with an enthusiasm for working on motion picture feature films. I started work in independent film trying to get on any camera dept. team I could, working for free and learning how to load camera magazines and gaining knowledge. I truly believe in experiential learning and mentoring. I noticed that one shop in town was the big camera rental house, Chesapeake Camera. I worked for a full year trying to get them to hire me. They finally did let me get a low end job cleaning cases and organizing materials. It took 6 months before they let me touch or handle any lenses or cameras. Around this time, I started going on paid jobs as a loader or 2nd camera assistant. I discovered documentary during this time and I fell in love with the idea of listening and learning about people through their stories and the telling of their life experience. Doing this is as old as time and I believe it’s one of the most true forms of what it means to be human. I wanted to see the world and I was passionate about animals so I pursued a job in nature filmmaking. This lead to a 10-year stint at National Geographic Television, where I learned about patience and story-telling though animals and natural history. I traveled to some of the farthest regions of the planet and really got a new education in what it takes to get things done in film and how to navigate new and challenging places. I think those experiences set me up with a level of perseverance which continues to serve me today. I gained a level of understanding about the world, and a new confidence in what I was doing.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me the most rewarding aspect about being a creative is the ability to connect with new people. The subjects in my documentaries often become life-long friends and acquaintances from various places I MIGHT NOT otherwise have contact with. The artistic way in which I depict them is something that takes shape over time, and the more they reveal to me who they truly are, through trust and vulnerability, the more they connect with audiences who are watching what they go through on film. It takes time and lots of trust. But it has expanded my own universe and allows me to see and expereince a level of diversity that is something you can’t just buy.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I keep my social media experience very simple. Staying humble and trying to sound “braggy”, is always best. Being painfully honest is my best advice. You have to show people that not everything is going to work out and there will be challenges. I feel that only posting about perfect, buttoned-up experiences will give people the impression that you are infallible, which isn’t true. We are all human and not everything will go according to the plan. You need to express to your audience that you’re not a robot and that you are human, with flaws and issues just like everyone else. I would also advise that you show compassion and care for others. Don’t make your feed just about you and your adventures. Make it about the people and places you see along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.benamfilms.com
- Instagram: john_benam
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.benam
- Twitter: @BenamJohn