Ben Kempas
Scottish Documentary Institure
Coming from a background in documentary cinematography and award-winning filmmaking, Ben has been focusing on developing and organising campaigns around films in recent years, also recognising how documentaries can influence public opinion and trigger social change.
Clients across Europe and North America hire Ben as strategic consultant or active outreach producer to identify and engage target audiences, create networks and partnerships, produce additional content, organise grassroots events and build action-focused websites.
First as producer of marketing and distribution at the Scottish Documentary Institute and since 2014 with his own company Film & Campaign Ltd, Ben has worked on high-profile projects including Die Kinder der Utopie (20,000 visitors in 170 German cinema screens on a single day of action), Free Trip to Egypt (development of a #PledgeToListen), I Am Breathing (global screening day across 50 countries), Future My Love (‘pay-it-forward’ VOD distribution), Bugs (building BUGSfeed, a story universe about edible insects), and Moving Docs (a pan-European initiative for audience development).
Throughout his work, Ben has been focusing on the best solutions for showing films online, from pioneering VOD self-distribution with SDI to researching remote participation in live events hosted by EDN partners, and most recently, triggered by the Covid-19 crisis, testing different ways of live-producing impact screenings online, with all guests joining remotely.
Ben specialises in adapting NationBuilder campaigning software for outreach work around films like Time Trial, Awake – the Life of Yogananda, Seven Songs for a Long Life, Bikes vs Cars, and for organisations like SDI, Danish Documentary, Auto Images, Meridian Hill Pictures, WG Films, Fathers Network Scotland, or Van Jones’s Magic Labs Media.
From 2002 to 2014, Ben served 12 years as volunteer co-host of The D-Word, building an online community of more than 10,000 documentary professionals.
He is a frequent consultant, speaker and tutor at film industry events across Europe.