Fuelled by coffee and spicy noodles, Ben taught himself how to create short film animations for fun and crowbarred it into his projects over the course of his Computer Graphic Design degree at the University of Waikato.
He then honed those skills while on work experience at HGB, and impressed the team so much, we had to offer him a full-time role (it had nothing to do with the fact he is Kylie’s nephew – honest).
Outside of animation, Ben is a rock / metal enthusiast – extreme genres such as death metal (melodic, progressive and death-doom!?) – are a favourite, and he is an amateur guitar player; although plays down his ability as an axe-man, due to his self-proclaimed “lack of dexterity”.
Ben is also a fan of almost anything typically considered nerdy; most notably RPGs and anime, and unknowingly has earned cult status at HGB by introducing the office to new uses of words like “redundant” and “imminent”.
How did you come to join the HGB team? Nepotism
What is something not many people know about you? I like fishing, but also hate the taste of fish, which makes the activity a bit redundant…
What are you known for in the office? My dry humour…
Let’s go back a few years… what was your favourite subject at school? Computer Science.
What is one thing you couldn’t live without? Coffee.
You’re going on a teddy bears’ picnic, where are you going to? Back indoors, the outside world is a horrible place…
What’s one achievement you couldn’t be prouder of? I have never done something to be proud of…
Living or dead, if you could choose one person to have dinner with who would it be? Thomas Giles (the frontman of my favourite band).
Would you rather: be attacked by a grizzly bear, or a shark – explain why? Bear, simply because dying on land just sounds mildly more pleasant.
If you were a wizard, what would your patronus be? A Raven, apparently, according to some Google quiz I found once.
Last but not least, if you could choose one ice cream flavour to eat for the rest of your life what would it be? Does Sorbet count…? In which case Mango Sorbet.
