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Benjamin Jeffrey Steinbauer (born July 28, 1977) is an American film director, showrunner, screenwriter, and film producer. He directed the feature documentary Winnebago Man (2009) and the documentary Chop & Steele (2022),[1] which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.[2] Steinbauer was the director of the episodic television show High Hopes[3] for Jimmy Kimmel's production company. He also directed the PBS show Stories of the Mind,[4] and the CBS documentary series Pink Collar Crimes.[5]
Ben Steinbauer | |
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Born | Benjamin Jeffrey Steinbauer July 28, 1977 Wichita, Kansas, U.S. |
Education | Edmond Memorial High School University of Kansas (BA) University of Texas at Austin |
Occupation | Film director |
Years active | 2001–present |
Early life and education
editSteinbauer graduated from Edmond Memorial High School in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 1995. He then earned a B.A. in Theatre and Film from the University of Kansas in 2001,[6] where he sits on the Professional Advisory Board of KU Film.[7]
While attending college, Steinbauer began his filmmaking career by producing documentaries and music videos for Forty Minutes of Hell, Everest, and The Danny Pound Band.[8] In 2002, he was a camera operator and editor on Bradley Beesley's documentary The Fearless Freaks, that focused on the band The Flaming Lips.[9][10]
In 2004, Steinbauer enrolled in the graduate film program at the University of Texas at Austin.[11] His pre-thesis film, The Next Tim Day, received the Best Documentary Award at Cinema Texas.[12] In 2006, he was awarded a Princess Grace Award for Filmmaking for his graduate thesis film,[13] which developed into the documentary Winnebago Man (2009).[14]
Career
editAfter completing his studies, Steinbauer served as a faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin[15] and was named 'Teacher of the Year' by the Moody College of Communications.[16]
His documentary, Winnebago Man premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in 2009[17] and was theatrically released in the U.S. and Canada in 2010.[18][19] The documentary received praise from Michael Moore[20] and Roger Ebert.[21]
Steinbauer directed the short documentary Brute Force (2012),[22] which premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2012.[23] In 2012, he co-directed Calls to Okies: The Park Grubbs Story (2015) with Bradley Beesley.[24] The short premiered at SXSW in 2015[25] and was a Vimeo Staff Pick.[26] Steinbauer produced and directed the short documentary The Superlative Light (2016),[27] which was shot in both traditional 2D as well as in virtual reality (VR),[28] and premiered at the SXSW in 2016.[29][30] It was also featured in Short of the Week.[31] Steinbauer directed 5 episodes of the PBS series Stories of the Mind in 2016.[32] His 2016 documentary, Slow To Show, was acquired by The New York Times[33] and was a Vimeo Staff Pick.[34]
After Hurricane Harvey, Steinbauer worked with Texas Monthly to make Heroes From the Storm (2017),[35] which was a Vimeo Staff Pick[36] and selected for the U.S. State Department's American Film Program.[37] In 2018, Steinbauer directed eight episodes of the CBS comedic docuseries Pink Collar Crimes,[38] hosted by Marcia Clark.[39] Steinbauer's documentary Siren Song, which he co-directed with Berndt Mader, premiered at the 2019 Austin Film Festival.[40]
Steinbauer's feature-length comedy documentary Chop & Steele, co-directed with Berndt Mader, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022.[2] The film features Howie Mandel, David Cross, Reggie Watts, and Bobcat Goldthwait and was released theatrically by Drafthouse Films in spring 2023.[41]
Steinbauer was the director of the Hulu Original comedy series, High Hopes.
Steinbauer co-owns the production company The Bear, founded in 2007, with writer and director Berndt Mader.[42][43]
Awards and nominations
editIn 2005, Steinbauer was awarded the Princess Grace Award for Filmmaking for his graduate thesis film,[44] which developed into Winnebago Man.[45] Steinbauer was named "one of the best emerging Texas filmmakers of 2009" by Texas Monthly for Winnebago Man.[46] Winnebago Man won Best Documentary at the Sarasota Film Festival,[47] an Audience Award at the CineVegas Film Festival,[48] Audience Top 10 at Hot Docs Film Festival, the Founders Prize at the Traverse City Film Festival,[49] and Best Documentary at the Edmonton International Film Festival.[50] Winnebago Man was also in the official selection for IDFA[51] and Sheffield Doc/Fest.[52] The Austin Film Critics Association named Winnebago Man the Best Austin Film for 2010.[53]
Steinbauer's 2012 film Brute Force won Best Documentary Short at Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival[54] in Birmingham, Alabama, and screened at the New Media Film Festival[55] in Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
edit- Winnebago Man (2009)
- Slacker 2011 (2011)
- Brute Force (2012)
- Documentary Subjects Wanted (2013)
- Calls To Okies: The Park Grubbs Story (2015)
- Slow To Show (2016)
- Stories of the Mind (2016, 5 episodes)
- The Superlative Light (2016)
- Heroes From the Storm (2017)
- Pink Collar Crimes (2018, 8 episodes)
- Siren Song (2019)
- Chop & Steele (2022)
- High Hopes (2022, 6 episodes)
References
edit- ^ Mack, Andrew (March 15, 2023). "CHOP & STEELE Exclusive: First Look at Trailer And Poster For 'Fantastic Fest Presents' Series Doc". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ a b "Chop & Steele | 2022 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Jaden (April 2, 2024). "'High Hopes' Trailer: Budtenders Smoke, Flirt and Try to Stay Sober on the Job in Jimmy Kimmel-Produced Reality Series (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ Sims, Robert. "Interview: Director Ben Steinbauer and co-director Berndt Mader, 'Chop & Steele'". Lights Camera Austin. KOOP-FM. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ Shirley, Ellison (January 1, 2024). "20 Must See CBS Documentaries to Watch outside USA on Paramount Plus". ScreenBinge. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "Alumni News". KU Film & Media Studies. Vol. 10, no. 3. November 2019.
- ^ "Professional Advisory Board". film.ku.edu. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Free State Film Festival Featured Films by Alumni" (PDF). Department of Film & Media Studies. Vol. 2, no. 8. May 2012. p. 19. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Beaudoin, Jedd (May 10, 2019). "Laces Loose: Creative. Naïve. Inspired". KMUW-FM. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ Gerhard, Susan (August 2, 2010). "'Winnebago Man' Hits the Road". SF360. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "RTF at SXSW 2016". Radio, Television and Film. University of Texas. February 2, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "County Lines for March 12 2009". The Daily News. Galveston, TX. March 12, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "Award Winners". Princess Grace Foundation-USA. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Verini, Bob (April 30, 2014). "Variety's Mentor of the Year: Paul Stekler Champions Cinematic Risk-Taking". Variety. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Olsen, Mark (July 18, 2010). "Indie Focus: 'Winnebago Man'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Weisberg, Sam (April 29, 2013). "Ben Steinbauer and Jack Rebney". Screen Comment. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "2009 SXSW Film Festival Announces Complete Line-Up". /Film. February 2, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (July 9, 2010). "'Winnebago Man' a peculiar stalking documentary". Reuters. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Brody, Richard (August 28, 2020). "Winnebago Man". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Kimberly (July 24, 2009). "The Love Connection: Michael Moore hearts Austin and two of its funniest filmmakers, Bob Byington and Ben Steinbauer". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "The Best Films of 2010". Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2012. Andrew McMeels Publishing. December 6, 2011. p. 677. ISBN 9781449408138. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Winnebago Man director Ben Steinbauer on his new music film". MusicFilmWeb. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "BRUTE FORCE". SXSW Schedule 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ "Call of doodie- new film reminisces about the lost art of prank calling". Oklahoma Gazette (35): 59. August 27, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Calls to Okies: The Park Grubbs Story SXSW 2015 Event Schedule". SXSW Schedule 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ CALLS TO OKIES: The Park Grubbs Story. The Bear. February 27, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2024 – via Vimeo.
- ^ The Superlative Light - Trailer. The Bear. March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2024 – via Vimeo.
- ^ Renovitch, James (March 11, 2016). "Making VR Look Good". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ "The Superlative Light - SXSW 2016 Event Schedule". SXSW. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Interview: Ben Steinbauer, director, "The Superlative Light"". Lights Camera Austin. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "The Superlative Light". Short of the Week. December 14, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ Stories of the Mind (TV Series 2016– ) - IMDb. Retrieved February 11, 2025 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ Steinbauer, Ben (July 13, 2016). "Opinion Slow to Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ SLOW TO SHOW. The Bear. April 4, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2024 – via Vimeo.
- ^ "Heroes from the Storm: Stories of the Texas Spirit After Hurricane Harvey". Texas Monthly. December 19, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "Vimeo Staff Picks on Vimeo". Vimeo. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Heroes From The Storm". American Film Showcase. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Ben Steinbauer Commits Some Pink Collar Crimes: Winnebago Man director on his new CBS true crime show". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Dehnart, Andy (July 27, 2018). "How Pink Collar Crimes is trying to reinvent the true crime series". reality blurred. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "Texas Films at the 2019 Austin Film Festival". gov.texas.gov. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Carey, Matthew (March 11, 2023). "Drafthouse Films Acquires Documentary 'Chop & Steele' About "Legendary Showmen" Who Created The Found Footage Festival; Sets April Double Feature Release". Deadline. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "Team". The Bear. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "Studio". The Bear. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ "Film News: And the rest ..." The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "The strange story of 'The World's Angriest RV Salesman'". MPR News. September 24, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Action Heroes - The best emerging Texas filmmakers of 2009". Texas Monthly. April 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Mitchell, Wendy (April 5, 2009). "Sarasota's top prizes go to The Maid, Winnebago Man". ScreenDaily. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Wendy (June 17, 2009). "Revenant takes CineVegas audience prize". ScreenDaily. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Kimberley (August 4, 2009). "Making Good in Michigan". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ "Winnebago Man". Kino Lorber. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
- ^ "Winnebago Man (2009)". IDFA Archive. IDFA. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ MBI (May 9, 2013). "Fav docs of Sheffield Doc/Fest's programmer". The Knowledge Online. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ "2010 Awards". Austin Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "2012 Awards". Sidewalk Film Center & Cinema. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "2012" (PDF). New Media Film Festival. Retrieved November 10, 2019.