Staff Spotlight: Ben Hill, Festival Director

Who are you and what do you do?

Hello, I am Ben your friendly cruise director for HFF13. I started planning the Fringe with my friends in 2007 right after we moved to LA. After unpacking our shirts, we realized that LA didn’t have a Fringe. Then we reserved a domain name. The rest is history.

As Festival Director and Board Chair, my job is to make sure the HFF happens every year. I work on promotion, development, production, participant support, ticketing, special events, partner relationships and strategic planning. It’s a 365-days-a-year, 17-hour-a-day job.

I also spend a lot of time developing the Fringe website and mobile apps. Both of those projects have been active since 2007. I write the code, develop the spec and sing the songs.

What inspired you to start a Fringe here?

The place itself inspires Fringey thought patterns. As we aren’t shackled by a dominating commercial theatre scene, we have a lot of opportunity to define LA as a hotbed for emerging theatre. It really helps that this also happens to be the truth.

I’ve also seen firsthand the effect of Fringes in other cities. Edinburgh (the grandmother of all Fringes) is an inspiring creation; one of the wonders of the world. If you love HFF and want more, buy your plane tickets to Scotland today. Every fringe lover needs to take that pilgrimage.

Why a Fringe in LA? Isn’t LA a 365 day Fringe?

Good question. Fringe Festivals serve a specific purpose. They act as an incubator for new talent, an event with international recognition and a banner celebration for the theatre community. Of course there’s fringe-like action occurring all year round; that’s one of the many aspects that makes LA such a dynamic artistic city. For these few weeks, that dynamism has a time, a place and a big spotlight. That makes it special.

Any suggestions for first time Fringers?

Take risks. This goes for both your on-stage creativity and your personal scheduling. Don’t just see shows that seem to fit your normal patron profile, push yourself. Leave that safety zone behind. One of the big benefits of HFF is that shows are generally short and mostly inexpensive allowing you to enjoy a high volume and disparate assortment of works.

Build community. Most involved in the Fringe are looking to expand their horizons: To see shows, make friends and influence people. See someone else with a Fringe Button? Talk to them, ask them what they’ve seen, make a friend. New friends turn into great future partners if the spark is right.

Don’t be a jerk. We laugh about that line but it’s serious. This isn’t the place to be self-involved, petty, dismissive or rude. Those types tend to sit alone in the corner. The fringe is a place to be generous, kind, helpful and filled with mirth. Embrace those moments of fringe miracles and pay it forward, you’ll be happy you did.

Would you rather fight a hundred duck-sized horses or a horse-sized duck?

I am thinking I could take a horse if it came down to him or me; and a duck is a pretty goofy and lovable bird. I think I could talk my way out of it. I have no interest in fighting a hundred anything.