Photo by Perry Hodgson
Working as an executive producer on a movie is a dream come true for Ben Pieper.
The general manager of Point Productions, LLC earned that title in Alicia Oberle Farmer’s “Rite of the Shaman,” which is set to hit theaters on May 27.
Pieper, a Park City resident who made a name for himself as a sports photographer, knew about Farmer and her husband, John, through his Facebook network that he replenished while on the East Coast during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
“As I was strategically rebuilding Facebook and networks, farmers were one of the names that kept coming up,” he said. “I had the idea that when I get back from Massachusetts I’ll meet everyone I’ve been in contact with.”
Through a touch of chance, Pieper also built a network of actors through his filming work, and one of those actors was Park City actor and author Trish Walker, who knew the farmers.
“When I first met Ben, I wanted them to meet, because they are so inspiring,” she said. “It’s been one coincidence after another ever since.”
Walker, the producer of “The Shaman Ritual,” had worked as an additional assistant on the farmers’ first feature film, “Salt City.”
“I was at the point where my son Kyle was going into his senior year, and (thinking of) where I’m going to go in Park City next,” she said. “I answered the cast’s notification for Yellowstone and sat down with the cast and crew. Since then, four years ago, I’ve become very interested in movies, so this has been my innovation. So the opportunity to be a producer and have Ben teach me a little bit has been an amazing journey.”
Pieper knew he wanted to be in the movie right after Walker introduced him to the farmers.
“When Trish brought me the project, I think she thought I’d donate a head injury session, but I went to the big project,” he said. “I loved ‘Shaman.’ That sounds very interesting to me. (So) without knowing much about it, I slipped and it was a journey myself in how much fun I would have to do.”
Pieper is also drawn to the messages conveyed in the film.
“It’s a movie that makes me happy and deals with bullying, and the biggest message is to find your voice,” he said. “It’s something I like, because I’m redefining my presence in Park City, finding my voice through headshots and selfies and wanting people to look confident in front of the camera.”
Pieper has run Point Productions in some form for the past 25 years, cutting his teeth as a sports photographer. He said he worked at USA Nordic for a while, and had the honor of participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
“Sports photography and the entire city of Park City have a welcome message for Jans Winter for learning how to get up after a fall,” he said. “Being divorced and dad single and seeing my girl jumping through it, I got into sports photography and all that magic.”
One of his first assignments was a ski jump shooting at the Utah Olympic Park for USANA Health Sciences.
“I’ve done a lot of work for USANA over the years, and they work with a lot of athletes,” he said.
Pieper Point Productions formed before anyone really knew what a digital media service was.
“If it was about the camera, the internet, or the media, I wanted to be able to do that,” he said.
After getting busy with sports photography, Pieper got involved in the first Park City Songwriter Festival in 2019 as a sponsor.
“I did all the artists’ portraits, and it was something special to connect with the Park City music scene,” he said.
Pieper, who graduated from Boston University’s School of Communication in 1997, has always been interested in cinema.
“I’ve been playing with my big big VHS and GE camcorders from the first edition, enjoying making funny movies,” he said. “I used to do a lot of editing, taking old home movies and photos of people and making them, as my ex-wife says, ’emotional content.
The coronavirus pandemic has reignited Pieper’s love for the movie that put him on the back burner for a few years. He also re-examined his craft with photography.
“I learned from Peter Hurley, one of the best headshot photographers in the world, and he has helped me rethink my work,” Pieper said. “I am starting to get interested in things that really matter to me, and I (now) spend more time with my clients. I find that I am able to connect differently with people in front of the camera. As I used to be fast and furious from a distance.”
Pieper, who now sees Point Productions as a cross between Kinkos and Delta Air
Airport Lounge Lines, has been busy jotting ideas for some new projects.
“I’ve been mixing up pages of morning notes, audio files, and concepts created by my daughter, an aspiring Photoshop artist,” he said. “I want to get my Photoshop skills back, and I want to help more local photographers who don’t have access to something like this.”
Point Productions is also working on a new podcast that brings Pieper together with his daughters.
“There is a reason for me being in Park City and a reason for not leaving Park City at all,” he said. “I’ll keep my nose down and keep working through what I need to, and I hope all relationships find their way to the good place we need to be.”
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