Ben DeJesus
American documentary filmmaker, television director, and producer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ben DeJesus is an American documentary filmmaker, television director, and producer.[1][2][3]
Ben DeJesus | |
|---|---|
| Born | Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
Life and career
DeJesus was born in Trenton, New Jersey. Raised in nearby Ewing Township, New Jersey, he attended Ewing High School and studied theater and journalism at Rutgers University.[4] After working as a stage actor, he obtained an internship at MTV, where he became an associate producer and writer on several seasons of MTV Cribs.[4] In the early 2000s he founded Diamante Pictures and directed music videos for artists including Don Omar, Aventura, Fat Joe, and N.O.R.E..[5]
DeJesus directed and produced the PBS documentary Tales from a Ghetto Klown (2013).[6] He later directed Great Performances: John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway (2018) and American Masters: Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage (2019).[7][8] He also served as a producer on the Broadway production Latin History for Morons (2018) and directed episodes of the Disney Channel series Bunk’d.[9] He co-founded the production company NGL Studios and later established Casa NoHo Studios.[10]
In 2023, DeJesus began directing and executive producing the MSNBC series Leguizamo Does America.[11] In 2024 he co-created and executive produced the three-part PBS series American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos.[12]
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Contribution | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Tales from a Ghetto Klown | Director and producer | Documentary |
| 2017–2019 | Bunk’d | Director | 2 Episodes |
| 2018 | Great Performances: John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway | Director | Documentary |
| 2019 | American Masters: Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage | Director and producer | Documentary |
| 2021 | American Masters: Lights, Camera, Acción | Producer | Documentary short |
| 2023 | Leguizamo Does America | Director and executive producer | Documentary series |
| 2024 | American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos | Co-creator and executive producer | Documentary series |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Work | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Nominated | Tony Awards | Best Play | Latin History for Morons | [13] |
| 2019 | Won | Imagen Awards | Best Documentary | Great Performances: John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway | [14] |
| 2020 | Nominated | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series | American Masters: Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage | [15] |
| 2022 | Won | Imagen Awards | Best Short Film | American Masters: Lights, Camera, Acción | [16] |
| 2024 | Nominated | Cinema Eye Honors | Outstanding Anthology Series | Leguizamo Does America | [17] |
| 2025 | Won | Imagen Awards | Best Special or Television Movie | American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos | [18] |
