Benjamin Bronfman
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Zachary Bronfman (born August 6, 1982), is an environmentalist
, entrepreneur
, and musician
. Bronfman is currently a Strategic Advisor & principal of Global Thermostat and Algae Systems LLC. He was a member of rock
band The Exit
(going by the name Ben Brewer), and he is currently a member of the music collective, Teachers, and co-founder of the Green Owl record label
. He is the son of actress Sherry Brewer and Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
, CEO of Warner Music Group
.
The eldest of his parents’ three children, Benjamin is engaged to musician and activist, Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam
, better known under the stage name, M.I.A. The couple had their first child, Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman, on February 11, 2009.
and then lived in London
briefly during his father’s tenure as managing director of Seagram Distilleries
Europe. The family returned in 1984, once he became President of Seagram’s U.S. marketing division. His mother is African American
and his father is a Jewish Canadian.
Benjamin attended The Collegiate School
in New York City, graduating in 2000. He enrolled in Emerson College
in Boston
, Massachusetts, where he studied Politics and Law before leaving school frustrated by the election of 2000 and the outcome of Bush v. Gore
.
economist, Graciela Chichilinsky, he embarked on a project to reduce the atmospheric concentration of Carbon Dioxide
. In 2007, he became associate managing director of Global Thermostat, Chichilinsky and fellow Columbia Professor, Peter Eisenberg’s technology firm focused on developing a technology for direct air-capture of carbon dioxide. The firm recently completed construction of its first pilot plant at The Stanford Research Institute. He was integral in convincing his father to invest in the firm, and thus the subsequent appointment of Edgar Bronfman Jr. as chairman. In 2010, Benjamin Bronfman was named Strategic Advisor of Global Thermostat. On November 13, 2010, Bronfman presented Global Thermostat’s vision and process as a speaker at the TedxBrooklyn Conference at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
In 2010, Benjamin also became a principal and advisor at Algae Systems, LLC, a third-generation bio-fuel company founded by Matthew Atwood that takes waste water from cities (using CO2 captured by GT) and generates Jet-Fuel and Diesel.
, an indie/punk/reggae rock band he started with Gunnar Olsen and Jeff DaRosa
in 2000, while he attended Emerson College
. During this time period, he went by Ben Brewer, using his mother’s maiden name to avoid unnecessary associations between the band and his father. In 2007 shortly after the official announcement of The Exit’s breakup, Bronfman founded Green Owl, an independent record label distributed by Warner Music Group, created to be the first environmentally conscious sustainable record label and apparel line.
In 2010, he started a music project known as Teachers. The first single, “Gold”, debuted on the website of the music editorial, The Fader
, on July 12, 2010. Ben and Teachers worked with Kanye West
and co-produced his recent single, "Monster." featuring Jay-Z
, Nicki Minaj
, Rick Ross
and Bon Iver
.
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
, entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. Bronfman is currently a Strategic Advisor & principal of Global Thermostat and Algae Systems LLC. He was a member of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Exit
The Exit
The Exit is a New York City-based band indie/punk/reggae group, formed in 2000. The band's music blends '80s dub and reggae with '90s punk and indie rock. The band's members include Ben Brewer on lead guitar and vocals, and Gunnar Olsen on drums. Jeff DaRosa was formerly the band's lead vocals and...
(going by the name Ben Brewer), and he is currently a member of the music collective, Teachers, and co-founder of the Green Owl record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. He is the son of actress Sherry Brewer and Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
Edgar Miles Bronfman, Jr. , is the Chairman of Warner Music Group. He previously served as CEO of the company from 2004 to 2011. In May, 2011, the sale of WMG was announced; Bronfman would continued as CEO in the transaction. In August 2011, he became Chairman of the company as Stephen Cooper...
, CEO of Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
.
The eldest of his parents’ three children, Benjamin is engaged to musician and activist, Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
, better known under the stage name, M.I.A. The couple had their first child, Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman, on February 11, 2009.
Early life
Bronfman was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and then lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
briefly during his father’s tenure as managing director of Seagram Distilleries
Seagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
Europe. The family returned in 1984, once he became President of Seagram’s U.S. marketing division. His mother is African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and his father is a Jewish Canadian.
Benjamin attended The Collegiate School
The Collegiate School
Collegiate School is an independent school for boys in New York City and is one of the oldest schools in the United States. It is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and is a member of both the New York Interschool and the Ivy Preparatory School League.-History:Collegiate was founded in the...
in New York City, graduating in 2000. He enrolled in Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts, where he studied Politics and Law before leaving school frustrated by the election of 2000 and the outcome of Bush v. Gore
Bush v. Gore
Bush v. Gore, , is the landmark United States Supreme Court decision on December 12, 2000, that effectively resolved the 2000 presidential election in favor of George W. Bush. Only eight days earlier, the United States Supreme Court had unanimously decided the closely related case of Bush v...
.
Environment and Technology
Bronfman became interested in progressive environmental technologies & geo-engineering in 2007. Teaming with Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
economist, Graciela Chichilinsky, he embarked on a project to reduce the atmospheric concentration of Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
. In 2007, he became associate managing director of Global Thermostat, Chichilinsky and fellow Columbia Professor, Peter Eisenberg’s technology firm focused on developing a technology for direct air-capture of carbon dioxide. The firm recently completed construction of its first pilot plant at The Stanford Research Institute. He was integral in convincing his father to invest in the firm, and thus the subsequent appointment of Edgar Bronfman Jr. as chairman. In 2010, Benjamin Bronfman was named Strategic Advisor of Global Thermostat. On November 13, 2010, Bronfman presented Global Thermostat’s vision and process as a speaker at the TedxBrooklyn Conference at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
In 2010, Benjamin also became a principal and advisor at Algae Systems, LLC, a third-generation bio-fuel company founded by Matthew Atwood that takes waste water from cities (using CO2 captured by GT) and generates Jet-Fuel and Diesel.
Music
Bronfman was lead singer and guitarist for The ExitThe Exit
The Exit is a New York City-based band indie/punk/reggae group, formed in 2000. The band's music blends '80s dub and reggae with '90s punk and indie rock. The band's members include Ben Brewer on lead guitar and vocals, and Gunnar Olsen on drums. Jeff DaRosa was formerly the band's lead vocals and...
, an indie/punk/reggae rock band he started with Gunnar Olsen and Jeff DaRosa
Jeff DaRosa
Jeffrey DaRosa is a rock multi-instrumentalist. Growing up in Watertown, Massachusetts and Somerville, Massachusetts , DaRosa later moved to New York, where he joined The Exit...
in 2000, while he attended Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
. During this time period, he went by Ben Brewer, using his mother’s maiden name to avoid unnecessary associations between the band and his father. In 2007 shortly after the official announcement of The Exit’s breakup, Bronfman founded Green Owl, an independent record label distributed by Warner Music Group, created to be the first environmentally conscious sustainable record label and apparel line.
In 2010, he started a music project known as Teachers. The first single, “Gold”, debuted on the website of the music editorial, The Fader
The Fader
The FADER, or FADER, is an United States-based music/culture/fashion magazine that covers hip-hop, reggae, independent rock, pop and dance music from around the world.-Overview:...
, on July 12, 2010. Ben and Teachers worked with Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
and co-produced his recent single, "Monster." featuring Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
, Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...
and Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a Grammy nominated folk band founded in 2007 by American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was...
.