Jeff Benedict ’91 screens Emmy-winning film and offers storytelling advice

Two days before winning an Emmy for his Netflix documentary "Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food," Jeff Benedict '91 returned to Eastern Connecticut State University on Sept. 24 to lead a storytelling workshop and screening of the film.

Storytelling workshop

The masterclass took place at 2 p.m. in the Student Center Theatre. Benedict reviewed the "process of taking something you create and turning it into something you watch on screen." He also detailed the differences between writing a book and producing a film.

"When you write a book, you control everything," Benedict said. Of course, there are minor exceptions; Benedict said that when an editor suggests adjusting the wording of a passage, "nine times out of 10, I change it.

Benedict discusses "Poisoned" at the afternoon storytelling workshop.

"(Writing a book) is like being in the wilderness," said Benedict. "Making a film is the complete opposite, and you lose control right away." He highlighted the importance of retaining specific rights to a film. "With 'Poisoned,' I sold the unscripted rights to Netflix," he said.

Benedict then led an exercise in which he read the first page of two of his books, "Poisoned" and "The Dynasty: New England Patriots," and then showed the opening minutes of the films created from each book. "I want to show you how different a book can look on screen," he said.

This exercise led Benedict to discuss the process of making each book and film marketable. He arrived at the concept of "Poisoned" by "point(ing) to an activity that everyone in the world does," which is eating food, he said.

The first passage in the book reads from the point of view of a mother, which Benedict said was intended to make it more relatable across his target audience. This was far different from his approach to the film.

Rather than focusing on the 1993 Washington State E. coli outbreak as the book did, the "Poisoned" documentary took a wider view and covered several recent outbreaks. This perspective shift created a "more hard-hitting film that focuses on what's going on now," said Benedict.

"The hooks you have to use are different," he continued. His recommendation when writing books is to "make them as visual as you can." When making a film, he said, "make an emotional connection with the viewer who can, in two seconds, flip to something else."

Similarly, when adapting "The Dynasty" to a docuseries format, Benedict knew he would need to make it relatable and interesting to more than just fans of football or the Patriots.

"If the only people who watch this are Patriots fans," said Benedict, "it's a colossal commercial failure."

Film screening and Q&A

The screening occurred at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall, followed by a Q&A session facilitated by Carolyn Lumsden, lecturer of communication at Central Connecticut State University and Benedict's former editor at the Hartford Courant, where she served for 26 years.

Benedict answers questions after the film screening in the Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall.

The screening started with an introduction from Eastern President Karim Ismaili, followed by Benedict's opening remarks. Benedict expressed pride in Eastern, mentioning that he earned additional degrees from other institutions.

"I don't talk about those other schools," said Benedict, describing interactions with other professionals. "I'm proud of this school."

The full film was then shown. The documentary follows Bill Marler, a prominent foodborne illness attorney who has represented victims of outbreaks since 1993. Marler and others shed light on environmental and economic factors leading to foodborne illness upsurges.

In the Q&A session, Benedict described his role as executive producer for the film as it contrasted with his role on his Apple TV docuseries, "The Dynasty: New England Patriots," which he served as executive producer in a more extensive capacity.

"A producer can be someone who just puts money into a film," said Benedict. Given that "Poisoned" and "The Dynasty" were being produced at the same time and "you can't be in two places at once," Benedict chose to be in one and leave it up to his colleagues at the other.

"I did the meetings and the Zooms, but my role was more distant than it was for 'The Dynasty,'" said Benedict. "The commitment to making films and books is a lot of time."

Benedict closed the evening by highlighting the importance of solid relationships in the workplace. Often, that comes down to being a team player: "You can't get everything you want," said Benedict. "No one wants to play with a ball hog."

Benedict emphasized the importance of building meaningful connections in the professional world: "You're building relationships with people who are in the same profession as you."

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