Storyteller | Officiant | Podcaster
Making it memorable
Storytelling is one of the oldest art forms, predating writing. Benjamin’s stories toe the line between funny and uncomfortable such that many audience members aren’t sure they’re “allowed” to laugh. He strives to make everyone think about and feel his fear, shame, and joy. He hopes by showing his own vulnerability, he pushes some listeners to see how rewarding openness can be and consider going beyond their existing comfort zones.
Benjamin also uses his storytelling background to celebrate special occasions as an officiant. His curiosity in all individuals allows him to quickly get to know celebrants, and his experience having had life-threatening illness allows him to appreciate their struggles. He wants to immerse himself in their “why” behind the occasion by finding both the inside jokes and well-known stories that demonstrate their true selves and what the occasion means to them.
Benjamin understands the power individual moments can have, which his why his primary goal is to make each event—and each celebrant no matter their age, religion, sex, or anything else that distinguishes us—feel special. Events in front of four or four-hundred people are equally important.
Featured Storytelling
Benjamin’s story for The Story Collider podcast, as told in front of a live audience at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C.:
Benjamin’s co-best man speech at his brother and sister-in-law's wedding at Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown:
Reviews
“We are so incredibly grateful that Benjamin officiated our wedding. He interviewed us prior to the ceremony to gather stories about our relationship and to learn what mattered to us, and then worked with us through several drafts of the speech in the weeks prior to the wedding. On the day of the wedding, Benjamin’s presence energized the room. He was funny and charming and adorable and he made the ceremony all about our relationship. He had everyone in the room laughing and crying. He made it a really joyful experience because it felt like us. He captured us in his words and the whole room felt it.”
— Denise Sammarco & Shannon Rampe
“Benjamin speaks and writes powerfully about his experience with cancer. When he shared his story with us at The Story Collider, our live audience embraced him and his story immediately, because of his unique voice, his warmth, and his ability to surprise them and charm them despite the seriousness of the subject matter. We were thrilled to share his story with a wider audience on our podcast, and we received a very positive response from them as well. One of our producers selected his story for our 2017 podcast highlights, saying, ‘Tales of survival can provide some of the most poignant reflections on life and the human experience, but Benjamin’s story is different and so much more. Picking up where many such stories end, he takes us along on his post-survival journey, handling the reverberations of his illness with a sense of humor and practicality that gives me such hope. We all experience surprise detours along our road; Benjamin’s story shows it’s possible to re-invent ourselves and persist with style.’"
— Erin Barker, writer and artistic director at The Story Collider
Storytelling Through Podcasts
Find all episodes from Benjamin’s podcasts on the Podcasts page, or learn more about them below.
Benjamin Rubenstein’s Storytells Podcast
Benjamin Rubenstein’s Storytells gives you an intimate listen into some of Benjamin's personal stories, all in soothing bite-size audio on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, JioSaavn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spreaker, or your favorite podcast platform by way of the RSS feed.
Pardon the Interjection Podcast
In the Pardon the Interjection podcast, two cousins in their 30s discuss their life experiences in dating and elsewhere. Benjamin tells stories as Kenny interjects. But here’s the thing: Benjamin struggles diverging from each story because cranial radiation, which he received in his teens to treat cancer, damaged his executive function. All the while, Kenny struggles staying on topic because he was born with a chemical imbalance in his brain that causes severe OCD and anxiety. They are mostly sure they gain insight from these stories and interjections. Episodes coming soon on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS feed, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts!