Meet Ben

Ben was raised by a family dedicated to serving the Country and community. His dad served as a military police officer in the Army Reserves at Fort Gordon, Georgia. His grandfather served in WWII, and his uncle served in Vietnam. Ben is proud of his family’s record of service and grateful for the hard work and sacrifice made by our military members. He looks to continue his family’s tradition of service to others through community action and public service.

Ben and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1987, where he began working in the entertainment industry. He learned the value of a hard day’s work by age 5 and the importance of union membership. Ben has been a member of the SAG-AFTRA union since 1987 and the Directors Guild of America since 2014. As a child actor, Ben understood the protections the union offered. He has made it a point to work with union members, including union writers and directors, transportation drivers and teachers. Ben is committed to protecting union rights throughout the Country and in all industries.

His mother, Joanne, was instrumental in ensuring union teachers were hired by studios for her children’s projects - this set a precedent for the future of child entertainment workers and their families.

As a Jewish-American, Ben was well aware of anti-semitism growing up. He had family members who perished in death camps in Eastern Europe. He takes issue with the rise in anti-semitism and hate-speech rhetoric, as well as disparaging terms used so loosely in today’s society. Through his experiences, Ben understood how lucky he and his family were to be in America, and how quickly things can change for minority groups. He is committed to protecting the safety and well-being of all members of society.

Ben graduated from Stanford University with a degree in political science and currently lives in West Hollywood. He continues to work in the entertainment industry, focusing on producing and developing inspirational stories. He regularly engages in philanthropic work throughout the community. He is actively involved in advancing medical innovations, especially in the search for a cure for cancer which took the lives of both his grandfather and father.