Benjamin Wagner is a consultant, creative and founder of Essential Industries, a boutique consulting firm specializing in individual and organizational strategy, transformation, communication and collaboration.
As Essential Industries Principal, Benjamin offers strategic consulting, professional and executive coaching, editorial, marketing and communication services, keynote speaking and workshops.
From his half-decade helping launch Facebook’s Journalism Project globally and his tenure transforming MTV News, to his award-winning PBS documentary, Mister Rogers & Me, Friends & Neighbors podcast, or recent album, Constellations, Benjamin's focus is the essential nature of our shared human experience.
Abbie Kearse: Sweat The Technique
As a writer, reporter and producer for “The Week in Rock” and a wide range of documentaries including “Gangsta Rap: An MTV News Special Report,” Abbie Kearse sat down with some of rock and hip-hop’s biggest legends and tackled some of the most important social issues of the day. In addition to covering monster rock acts…
View Post Michael Alex: Golden Years
Few MTV News staffers had a run like Michael Alex. For sixteen years of MTV News’ heyday, Michael did it all, from producing The Week in Rock and Choose or Loose, to spearheading the launch of MTV News Dot Com, and interviewing all of the greats from The Ramones to The Replacements, Mick Jagger to…
View Post “Friends & Neighbors” Documentary To Premiere
America is suffering a mental health crisis. In 2021, reports of anxiety rose 3x. 53% of US adults and 68% of African Americans said that the pandemic had negatively affected their mental health. Gun violence and hate crimes are up. Adolescent suicide rates have quadrupled. 60% of Americans experience at least one adverse childhood experience.…
View Post John Norris: Material Man
In two decades at MTV News, Correspondent John Norris interviewed everyone from Tupac to Britney Spears, Janet to Elton, Senator John McCain to Vice President Al Gore. He began as an intern, seized the anchor desk in 1992, and went on to quarterback MTV’s “Choose or Lose” election coverage and lead pro-social programming on drug…
View Post Luke Russert: Hero’s Quest
When Luke Russert lost his father, legendary journalist, Tim Russert, in 2008, the then 22-year-old girded himself against grief, eulogized him in front of presidents and politicos, and received condolences and handshakes with a rigid jaw. Months later, he took a once-in-a-lifetime offer to join NBC News. Eight years into his tenure on Capitol Hill,…
View Post Hannah Storm: Little Earthquakes
In sharing her story, Headlines Network Founder Hannah Storm empowers us all to share ours. “If I go into a therapy session, and they’re like, ‘Let’s talk about x,'” she says, “I’m like, ‘And let’s talk about all the other letters in the alphabet.'” The host of the Behind The Headlines podcast, and outspoken mental health…
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