BEN ROSS

Director

Ben Ross knew he wanted to be a filmmaker from the first time he visited Universal Studios as a five-year-old. Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, he spent his early years soaking up film, experimenting with his own style, and creating his own short videos.

Ben received his formal education at The University of Michigan and received his BA in Film and Video Studies. While immersing himself in film theory and production in the classroom, Ben also took on a full-time position with the UofM athletic department as a videographer for their 21 varsity teams. Michigan Sports Television laid the groundwork for Ben’s documentary style, which has carried over into his commercial work.

Upon graduation, Ben moved to LA and quickly found a producer position with Plum Productions. While there he began making short documentaries and behind-the-scenes videos. By the time Plum closed its doors and Wild Plum opened in 2007, he was working with his own clients, creating branded content, often directing, shooting, and editing himself.

Ben spent several years working with Ford/American Idol partnership making branded pieces with musicians, actors, and other personalities. In 2011, he returned to his sports roots, creating an award-winning recruitment video for the Santa Clara Broncos baseball team. Other clients have included Botox Cosmetic, LegalZoom, the KAABOO Music Festival and a longtime creative partnership with the Virgin brands.

THE SPOTS

LEGAL ZOOM

What We Do

Ben spent two days at LegalZoom’s Austin facilities, talking with real employees about their jobs and the impact they had on people’s lives. The result is a beautiful testimonial to the workers and the culture of the company.

VIRGIN RACING

Empire State

The challenge was to make it appear that Richard Branson was driving an electric Formula One car through the streets of New York and parking at the Empire State Building with only 20 minutes with Richard Branson and the inability to actually drive the car. And then it rained. First shot to final delivery was within 24 hours.

KAABOO

Thank You

Ben and his team spent the have spent several years at the KAABOO music festival covering every angle and event. The end result was not just this video, but several other branded pieces specifically tailored to each sponsor.

SANTA CLARA BASEBALL

Nike

This award-winning spot harkens back to Ben’s athletic roots and is a beautiful testimonial to the underdog and the value of good old-fashioned hard work.

COOLSCULPTING

Kristin Davis

Ben shot and edited dozens of long-form and short form social media pieces for aesthetic newcomer CoolSculpting with “Sex and the City” star Kristin Davis. These videos lived on every social platform as well as pre-roll and post-roll elements.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

Flap Energy

Virgin Atlantic’s April Fool’s joke is a fun take on the traditional “behind-the-scenes” of a new industrial development. Bringing together the legitimacy of an international brand with the absurdity of flapping airplane wings served to actually fool more than a few people!

MAKE-A-WISH

Virgin America

Ben spent the day with a young man who is suffering from a serious form of lymphoma and wanted to be a pilot for a day. The people at Make-A-Wish and Virgin America made his dream come true in this heartwarming piece.

HONEST COMPANY

Waiting

Sometimes things just don’t go on a timer, and potty training is one of those things. This adorable spot follows a youngster who just can’t get things to move – and thankfully Honest Company diapers are there for a backup!

POINT BREAK

Stunt Featurette

Ben traveled to all corners of the globe capturing stunt unit footage for Alcon’s Point Break reboot. He worked with some of the premier action sports professionals in the world in some of the most beautiful and treacherous locations on Earth to create a memorable document of this once-in-a-lifetime production.