Ben Younger

Born: 1973
Where: New Jersey

Ben worked numerous odd jobs, and studied political science at the city's public university after which he went on to work for local politicians.

He soon became disenchanted with politics, and looked for the creative rush he had with previous work as a stand-up comedian.

So Ben tried his hand at screenwriting and made two short films Maestro and L & M.

Working as a waiter in a Manhattan restaurant, Ben struck up a chance conversation with a screenwriter that led to important industry contacts.

Before landing his feature debut, Ben worked behind-the-scenes, serving as a driver for the independent Walking and Talking, and working as a grip on the Italian production New York Crossing.

At the same time, he also had jobs directing music videos and adverts.

The seeds of Boiler Room were sown some five years before its release, when Ben was approached with a too-good-to-be-true promise of big payoffs for hard work as a stock broker, much like the protagonist in his film.

Just minutes into the recruiting process, Ben knew that the firm was crooked and that what he was witnessing would make for an interesting film project.

In 2000, 27 year-old Ben made his feature film debut when Boiler Room was released, and followed with five short featurette adverts for BMW.