Ben Griffin

Ben Griffin is an actor, director, and writer from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2018, he joined South Dakota-based film company Lausey Films as an executive producer and lead actor for the web series, The Lausey Show (2019). For the show’s first season, Griffin served as an executive producer and the fifth-highest billed actor. In the series’ second season, Griffin’s role was increased as he took the top billed spot. For his role in the second season, he won his first Lausie Award for Best Actor in 2019. The series was cut short due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, and the second season was never finished. During his time with Lausey Films, Griffin performed in various short film roles such as The Creature of Memorial Park (2020) and an unaired The Grooks pilot. In 2021 under the director of long-time business partner Carter Canfield, Griffin starred in The Grooks (2021), a short film following three detectives. Following the success of the short film, a feature film sequel was announced and produced throughout 2022. For the production of The Grooks II, Griffin received his first writing and producer credits. At the 2nd Lausie Award Ceremony, Griffin was twice nominated for Best Actor for both The Grooks (2021) and The Grooks II (2022). However, he lost to his co-star Jacob Rook. Sources say Griffin is aiming to take home the top award during the next award season. In 2024, Griffin came together with Carter Canfield, Sam Foust, and Parker Magnuson to found I29 Entertainment, a film production and distribution company based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Under I29 Entertainment, Griffin directed and released his directorial debut, a short film entitled Le Tragic de Drogue starring fellow co-founder Sam Foust. Griffin currently has various projects in pre-production with I29 Entertainment. Griffin is a one-time Lausie Award Winner, having won for his role as himself in The Lausey Show Season 2. Early sources predict he will pick up nominations for both Best Actor and Best Director in the upcoming awards season.