Meet Ben Hausdorff | Director and Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben Hausdorff and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?

There are two habits that helped me succeed which I implemented when I was first starting in the industry. The first was saying “yes” to everything. It was so incredibly important to build a solid foundation of clientele and body of work, and you don’t do that by turning down opportunities, especially when you’re first starting out. I would take free projects, cheap projects, random projects… all things that would allow me to network, grow, and make some money. Everything at the beginning has worth, even if it’s hard to see at the time. Honing your craft and trying new things, while also practicing speaking to random people that need and expect something from you. That last part is no joke either, you don’t get many opportunities in your everyday life to speak to client-like people and that, in itself, is an art.

The other was finishing what I started, no matter what. If it was a script, I would write it to completion, even if it never got made. If it was an edit, no matter how much I disliked the project, commissioned or personal, I would ensure to get it done. This process taught me a lot, and more than just to “never give up” as cliché as that is. But it taught me what was worth my time, how to persevere through difficult projects, what I might need help with in the future and ultimately what I am most passionate about, so that I can divest my time and interests into the things that make me more successful and happy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

The road to becoming a working director is anything but easy. Honestly I’m still on it. But I’ve had to improvise to get where I am today and push myself to never give up and love what I do. I started in LA in 2014 and by 2016 I was working as a freelance videographer part-time while bussing tables in my other time. I made a few passion projects including two documentaries, one a mini-doc on a muay thai fighter, Victor Saravia, and another on the plight of the Salton Sea. That would go on to win my first award at the Awareness Festival in Los Angeles for cinematography.

But in 2016, a buddy from high school called me and said he raised enough money to film a feature and he wanted me to direct it. I thought it had to be at least 100k but he proudly told me it was 10k. When I said there’s no way we could shoot something on that low a budget, he said something I’ll never forget, “This is the time that all the great directors direct their first movie, what do we have to lose?” I was 24 at the time and he was right. Granted that movie didn’t propel me into the stratosphere but that was never really the goal. It was an incredible experience, producing and directing (and editing) a feature that we shot in 11 days and I learned an incredible amount from the experience.

In 2018, after I had been working freelance for RCA Records for two years, I got approached to become the tour videographer for Pentatonix, the 3x Grammy Award winning a cappella band. This was life-changing in more ways than one but it was finally a videography gig I had always dreamed of. Touring the country (and later the world) making mini-docs along the way. But as great as that gig was, the urge to direct continued. I kept writing and directed a short film, “Fran” that won a number of small awards, including Best Dark Comedy at the Bare Bones Festival. When covid happened I spent 2021 writing 3 features and in 2022, with the help of a producing partner, I co-wrote a feature horror film that we were able to get enough money to go out and shoot in October 2022. We are currently in the stages of selling with our sales agent.

With all that, what I’ve really learned on this journey is just to keep going, and stay patient. I’ve had so many projects that felt like the next great thing that got made and then didn’t produce. Most of my time in LA was spent wondering where the next money’s coming from and how I will succeed, and yet through it all, the money always came and I kept doing what I love, because I kept thinking forward and didn’t let the hopes of something great happening affect my dreams of success. That’s what you have to keep doing… just keep going and believe in yourself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I like to eat around the world so we’re going to Matsumoto, sushi spot on Beverly Blvd, and later Anarbagh, Indian on Beverly Dr. I don’t spend much time downtown but might bring them to Death & Co for some sick cocktails. One of my favorite experiences in LA was seeing an improv show at Groundlings so I’d definitely try to find a great lineup at an improv show. Same thing with the Kings games. As great as a Laker game is, the Kings energy and hockey itself is the best. A trip up to Malibu, hitting one of the wineries and of course out to Rustic Canyon to play some golf.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

The people who deserve credit and recognition in my story are my family and friends. My parents have always been supportive of me, even when I decided to drop my Athletic Training major, after the first two days of freshman year, to pursue a film degree (my parents both have phDs, the idea of a film degree was probably not their favorite choice). But they were supportive then and supportive in my freelance pursuit of directing now. As well as my closest friends, who have been supportive and believed in me even in hard times. Sometimes all you need is someone close to you to tell you they believe in you and know you’ll do well, to help you persevere. And of course my fianceé Kirstin who has been my rock, standing by my side as I hers, knowing there’s plenty more to come in this life.

Thank you for taking the time to share my story, I appreciate you and all that you do!

Website: hausdo.com

Instagram: @hausdo

Youtube: @hausdo

Image Credits
Luke Fontana Brandon Lavoie Ben Hausdorff