RespectAbility Entertainment Professionals Lab 2024
Ben Freidman
Ben Friedman is an award-winning screenwriter, poet, and literary fiction writer based in West Orange, New Jersey. Living with Crohn’s Disease and its associated complications since the age of 8, he has managed (between flare-ups and surgeries) to serve in environments as eclectic as the American Museum of Natural History, Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Leaddog Marketing Group in NYC, the Newark office of then-Senator Jonathan Corzine, and FEGS Health and Human Services in Lower Manhattan, leading writing groups for a disabled and economically disadvantaged population.
A Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in English and Cinema Studies, Ben was hard at work producing and co-directing his own crowdfunded sci-fi/fantasy short in Australia in 2016, when a major flare-up left him medically homebound with a ruptured intestine and insufficient medical coverage to correct the problem for the next 3.5 years.
His gastrointestinal surgery finally happened in December 2019…coinciding neatly with the onset of the most dangerous (and ableist) pandemic in modern U.S. history… and silver linings being what they are, this at least gave Friedman ample time to ponder the many sublime ironies, cruelties, absurdities, and precious rare moments of grace characterizing this chaotic era, helping fuel a new and excitingly generative period for him as a creative writer.
A lifetime of memories navigating the dysfunctional American healthcare system and, more recently the dehumanizing bureaucracy of SSI Disability, offer the inspiration for his current feature script: The Chronic Ills. He also is collaborating with a CNN and NatGeo editor on a pilot for a tech-thriller miniseries that investigates the ways social media, AI, and Big Data are warping our humanity through the lens of a single hyper-victimized family, and with an Emmy Award-Winning LA-based TV producer on a mind-bending crime dramedy feature about the biggest psychedelics bust in U.S. History.
Learn More
After an extensive search and interview process, 25 individuals were invited to participate in the Virtual Cohort of RespectAbility’s 2024 Entertainment Lab taking place May 7 – September 24, 2024. This 5-month Lab aims to develop and elevate the talent pipeline of disabled entertainment professionals working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming, while connecting them with industry professionals and creatives. Participants include people with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health, and other disabilities ranging in age from people in their 20’s through their 60’s. The Lab is a recipient of The Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award.
