Devils Lake has a new resident in town. Hailing all the way from New York City is Andrew Benjamin, 36, who made his way here after 3 long days of driving. Originally from Long Island, Andrew is now a reporter for the Devils Lake Journal. “Newspapers that serve the local community are important in this day when so many people distrust big media,” he said. “I am very happy to be a part of a team that looks to keep the community informed as best as possible.”
After graduating with a journalism degree from Boston University, Andrew was a victim of the recession and struggled to find a job in the industry. Other than small freelance stuff, his luck was drying out. With the help of a friend who was a casting agent, Andrew started out as a background actor (also known as extra) in films and TV. Work started to slowly pour in and he eventually earned his Screen Actors Guild card. Joining the union opened up work as a stand-in, photo double, and stunts.
Some of the projects he has worked on are the “Law and Order” series, “American Horror Story,” “Noah,” “Mudbound,” and a number of Marvel shows just to name a few. During this time, he still continued writing contributing to freelance work for a number of websites and making videos and articles for the combat sports website MMASucka.
Andrew’s career in the film and TV industry took an impasse when both the Writer’s Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA all voted to strike. “With no clear end as to when this strike might end, I thought ‘Why not go back to writing’?” He applied to an opening at the Journal and accepted a position with the paper.
When Andrew is not writing, he is playing video games or training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He holds the rank of blue belt. “Even though I got into jiu-jitsu to lose weight, I credit my coach at 10th Planet NYC, “Sting” Rey, for making me appreciate the competitive side of the sport.” Andrew also hosts a podcast focusing on Japanese MMA called “We Are Rizin” which is available on YouTube.
Though Andrew is still getting accustomed to the new setting, he hopes he can represent the community in a positive way. “The moment I set foot here, I felt welcomed. I look forward to being a part of this hard-working community.”
Email him at abenja1@gmail.com Story ideas are welcome!
