“I want to move to Hollywood and make it as a star.”
How many times do you imagine these words have been uttered by Hollywood hopefuls, knowing full well the odds of fulfilling their dreams are next to none?
Each year, hundreds of thousands of aspiring actors and entertainers try their luck at making it on to the silver screen.
Few ever do. Even fewer go on to become producers for actors such as Neve Campbell, Bill Paxton, Imogen Potts, Alex Wolff and many others.
Ben Stranahan is not only an exception to the odds; he has managed to carve out an incredible career as an actor, producer, musician, and much more, earning award after award, and all at a young age.
Ben boasts a multifaceted list of accomplishments in theater, film, and television, with lead roles in such films as Adam Levins Indie hit, Population Zero, and Andrew Chan’s award winning anthology series, The Midnight Anthology, where he acted opposite Clancy brown.
Ben, an Aspen, Colorado native who was raised by inspiring and creative parents, found himself at a young age gripped by a lifelong pursuit and passion for the arts. Ben finds solace in something he once heard Richard Linklater say in an interview “People who ask me why I make films don’t understand that it’s not a choice. Painters paint, filmmakers make films.”
Ben considers the arts to be the most important thing he can engage in and explore – both for himself and his community.
From Ben’s website,
“Ben started his career early in Aspen, Colorado Colorado, doing theatre and playing music for his middle school “Aspen Community School” Having been fortunate to be a part of the performance arts at such an early age, he knew right away that this was something he wanted to do the rest of his life. He then continued to do theatre, short films, play drums and piano for his band until he graduated high school in 2004. It was right after high school that he knew what the next step would be: moving to Los Angeles to continue to follow his dreams of becoming an artist.
Ben then began his professional career in the arts as a graduate of both the Berklee College of Music Summer Programs in Boston, and then 3 years at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. He has since had success as an Actor, Producer and Musician.
Ben has produced many feature films including Mean Dreams starring Bill Paxton, Sophie Nélisse, Josh Wiggins and Colm Feore, which premiered in 2016 in the Directors Fortnight at Cannes and as a Special Presentation at TIFF. Mean Dreams went on to be sold into over 50 countries and have theatrical releases in over 10 territories. He’s also produced the genre-bending psychological thriller Population Zero that’s been critically lauded around the world and produced the thriller Calibre, which was released on Netflix in 2018 and was nominated for 4 BAFTA’s winning one for Best Actor – Jack Lowden.
His most recent production work was Castle in the Ground, starring Imogen Potts, Neve Campbell and Alex Wolff, Which premiered at TIFF and SXSW.
In the TV landscape, Ben has produced the smart anthology series The Midnight Anthology starring Clancy Brown. The pilot premiered at the New York Television Festival in 2015 and won both the Artistic Achievement and Best Director awards at the festival. Ben and the The Midnight Anthology team are in development on the remaining episodes of the series.
Learn more about Ben’s work and career at www.benstranahan.com
