Ben Younger

Brooklyn-bred screenwriter-director Ben Younger took the long road to filmmaking and still managed to make a successful feature debut by age 27 with "Boiler Room." A jack-of-all trades who worked numerous odd jobs as part of the fast-paced New York hustle, Younger studied political science at the city's public university and went on to work for local politicians. At age 21 he was the campaign manager for a successful New York State Assembly bid, and quickly became disenchanted with politics, looking for the creative rush he had with previous work as a stand-up comedian. Heeding the advice of another political staffer, Younger tried his hand at screenwriting and made two short films "Maestro" and "L & M." Working as a waiter in a Manhattan eatery, Younger struck up a felicitous conversation with a screenwriter that led to important industry contacts on the merits of "L & M." Before landing his feature debut, Younger worked in other behind-the-scenes capacities, serving as a driver for the independent "Walking and Talking" (1996) and working as a grip on the Italian production "New York Crossing" (lensed 1996) in addition to jobs directing music videos and commercials.