Today we’d like to introduce you to Benn Wiebe.
Hi Benn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story and the story of Safe in our World are very symmetrical. Safe in our World came about when several folks within our global games industry decided enough was enough and realized more needed to be done to nurture healthy safe spaces for people who make games. So they pushed a mandate to shift the culture of this global industry that engages 3 billion people daily, and Safe in our World was born. Now we have over 130 companies joining us in our #LevelUp program where we ask them to make certain commitments around mental well-being, get teams trained up as mental health first aiders, and work to ideate on projects that can go beyond a company’s own workforce and impact the trajectory of the industry culture. My own journey started by working in films and tv, largely on stories I had no vested interest in, or that held no greater weight than to possibly be entertaining or at the bare minimum, shocking. I quickly realized that by giving my time and energy to projects like Real Housewives, and other related projects, that I was more or less feeding toxins to the masses. So I reconciled that there is both an opportunity and responsibility we have as storytellers to recognize vast perspectives, and to do right by those perspectives to champion people’s stories. Especially people whose voices have largely gone unheard. And thus began my own journey that brought me to Safe in our World with a mission to challenge the status quo, to challenge people and companies to do better by their teams, and commit to making it a priority to leave this place better than we found it, Which to me means being good to our environment, the life around us, and to each other.
When I grew up, I was bullied, to an excessive extent. I was taught to be kind, to turn the other cheek. And it has always seemed a natural instinct to be that. But kindness is a trait many never fail to undervalue. At the apex, my number one abuser is now in prison. So I know for a fact that being on the receiving end of such aggression from others has led me to fiercely defend people’s stories. Because I felt in a way that if few people cared about mine, then I would do everything I could to help others tell theirs. It is what has taken me to live in all 4 corners of the United States, in multiple countries around Europe, and produce film festivals across 16 countries for example. My work journey has led me on a long and winding road to end up where I am now, to be a leader for the charity Safe in our World, while running HF Productions as Vice-Chairman, and serving as an Advisor to several social impact organizations, including Treun House Atelier, Young Entertainment Activists, Think Film, Global Brain / New Zero World, Global Environment Media. And when it comes to this journey of mental health, I know my own mental health is a massive work in progress with many broken pieces I am constantly trying to put back together. But we aren’t puzzle pieces. It doesn’t always go back together again. Which is why we need each other. We need community. And within that, we have only one thing to give up: dominion. We are not kings or queens here. We are stewards. Guardians of this place. So if I can instill that idea into people’s outlook, perhaps kindness will inevitably rue the day. And the mission of improving mental health priorities and infrastructure in communities like the gaming industry will have been realized. That is why I am here.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road is long and narrow, and often treacherous. No, it has rarely been smooth. Across entertainment, from fashion, to film, to games, it is a group of industries that are talented at exploiting the many. Packaging hopes and dreams and glamour to the masses is an easy thing to weaponize. So as quickly as it took for me to dig deep into the inner workings of these industries, I figured out that you can instead buy a lot of credibility both on a moral level and a business one, by rejecting the old adage of ruthless capitalism. Steamrolling over others is not the only way. That’s why every organization I get involved with now, especially at inception, has a social impact mandate included in its business plan, and looks at tangible ways to accomplish what we need to without exploiting every resource we require to make what we want to make.
At Safe in our World for instance, the hardest part is getting companies to realize that simply engaging together on the mission of mental health with our charity does not mean it lets those companies who have caused a lot of harm and damage off the hook. It takes time. It means putting real muscle into the game to not only repair damage. But to become a leader in the conversation on driving solutions. To change the culture going forward, and share that not just internally, but across your industry. So I often will say to the organizations that are stepping up to the plate, that we are here to fight that battle with you. But you have to stand fast and be committed all the way or not at all. And so far we are making great progress, but the challenge is getting to the root of where leaders reconcile that business can thrive while also prioritizing empathy and compassion. With HF Productions, on a bootstrapped startup model, one of the biggest hurdles has been how do you keep a company designed around running physical live film events from collapsing during a global pandemic. And the fact that we have navigated those high seas and come out thriving is a testament to the mission we are on. By not over-leveraging all capitalistic options, we established a strong infrastructure that prioritizes genuine showcasing on a global scale rarely seen in our industry. You may see a film from Texas in English next to a film from The Philippines in Tagalog, next to a French film, next to a Norwegian film, next to a Peruvian film. With subtitles of course, but that’s the game of breaking down the barriers that keeps people siloed off from experiencing the stories of other places, other people, other cultures. We set out this way also to prove our mission was not a money grab. So in my perspective, taking a step back from trying to squeeze every angle for the sake of growth is more than worth it to build that credibility. Because eternal growth is not why we are here, that’s unsustainable. We are here to not just spotlight esteemed and propped up stories people know well, or from specific regions, but to prioritize people’s stories that haven’t had the same opportunities to be propped up, Some who have never been heard ever before in such a public way. That’s why we also run film events with the United Nations like the SDGs in Action Festival as part of the High Level Political Forum, or SONY’s Picture This with the UN Foundation, and with NGOs like Global Girl Media. People here in Austin have been some of the most positive when it comes to supporting these kinds of stories I prioritize. It’s why winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at SXSW in 2020 for “Beautiful Something Left Behind” has meant so much. It’s a story of grieving children and bereavement told completely through the point of view of children. So it means a lot to have such a strong community that recognizes this kind of work.
Personally, my struggle is in believing that any of this makes a shred of difference. Because its easy to take a route that exploits many for the benefit of a few. It’s easy to destroy. It takes time to create, and build, and nurture something good. And when we’re being honest I know I can admit it’s challenging to think that by doing things the right way that somehow people, in the end, don’t care, and the status quo will always be what it is. But every movement that has ever succeeded in the history of humanity has been a people’s movement. They started with grassroots. They started by believing that enough people do care that it is worth it. Even if the outcomes of the efforts are not realized until far down the line. We plant the seeds. So every time I feel the doubt, that saboteur coming out on my shoulder, I am reminded that many have fought to build great creative things in the hope that we can make this place better.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a social impact specialist, particularly around entertainment and the arts. My work and my mission are about championing people’s stories and getting organizations to become allies. Because it’s competition not conquest, and it’s a collaboration, not competition. That is the lens in which I view the journey that I am on. I specialize in disruption. Entertainment based organizations bring me in when they are ready to be challenged by new questions, in order to drive new solutions, and especially those that are in need of damage control to launch initiatives that can repair the chaos. I am known for special projects like launching Vice’s Change Incorporated, launching Sybo Games into the Playing for the Planet Alliance, launching Count Us In into impact campaigns with Netflix, launching the initial call to action for the UNFCCC’s Entertainment Climate Accord. I serve as a Board Advisor for Treun House Atelier, Climate Crisis Hub, Think Film, Young Entertainment Activists, Global Environment Media, Global Brain / New Zero World, SIE Society.
My core work is at the games mental health charity Safe in our World and as Vice Chairman & Executive Producer of HF Productions. Safe in our World, by its very name, is what I have never felt living in this place. I have never truly felt safe anywhere in this world, so I sense a strong compulsion to want to work towards restoring that, for myself and for others. We work with game companies, in an industry that reaches 3 billion people every day, to drive better solutions on how we address everything from stress and burnout, mental illness, carers, representation, public health options, suicide prevention, ultimately to reach an endgame where we help shape a culture shift that prioritizes empathy and compassion as core values of successful business. And by embracing that, the culture shift will intrinsically trickle down to the messaging and environments being created and nurtured for players as well. At HF Productions, our mission is similar. We run a series of film festivals across several countries, from Greece, Indonesia, Australia, Italy, to the North Pole in Svalbard, to the US, all in a mission to amplify and spotlight people’s stories. And we prioritize the unheard voices. People whose stories have been sidelined for far too long. That’s why we have been instrumental in running film events like SDGs in Action with UN DESA at the High Level Political Forum, or SONY’s Picture This with the UN Foundation. I think both of these roles I currently focus on sum up the mission I am on and will continue to push until the end. It is why I am here.
I am proud to say that the road I have been on has led me to make decisions, and turn down certain opportunities, challenge others, that could have easily put me “ahead in the race”. But at what price? At the cost of my own integrity, my own soul and value? No. I have long believed there is a right way to do things when it comes to treating people well, fighting for everyone while we attempt to make great things, and to do right by that process and by people. We turn the other cheek, we fight for moral reasons, we battle poverty not poor people, and we aspire to attain knowledge and understanding not use inferiority fears as a weapon. I do feel that sets me apart from others, because I have not come across many in this journey who have had my back in that. A lot of actions taken by many are performative, and it dilutes the impact of those on-the-ground willing to make hard commitments to pursuing better outcomes. It’s a lonely journey in many ways, to try to repair the damage that so many have done over so much time. It takes so little of us to destroy, to attack, to tear down. And it takes everything we have to create, nurture, build, and put aside petty differences that in the end shouldn’t change anything about the base infrastructure of life. That through kindness, care, and collaboration, we can all thrive in this mysterious adventure we are on, on this rock in space. Even if it breaks me, I will keep going because it’s needed. And because it isn’t about me. There are way more people out there who should be built up and supported. I aim to be an instrument to aid in that mission.
What does success mean to you?
I can tell you it isn’t money. And it isn’t power. Those who crave power often are the worst at wielding it. What I am after is far and fundamentally different. To see a world that can change, not stand still. To see people across nations and denominations be able to tell their stories side by side without barriers. To see us give up, the only thing we really have to give up. Dominion. When we finally can give that up, I will sense we have reached a form of success. The reality is that we do not own this world. We did not create it. We did not build it. We did not shape its design. We did not give ourselves life. Thus we reserve no right to destroy it. No right to destroy each other. When we can further embrace the mantra to take only what we need. To breathe, and take time, and reconcile that conquest has laid waste to our purpose here. Then I will feel we have achieved something.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.safeinourworld.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bennupm/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SafeInOurWorld/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SafeInOurWorld
- Other: https://bennwiebe.wixsite.com/bennwiebe/
