Ben Holt Fun Facts
Best Meal I’ve Ever Had
A €4 bowl of Paella on some random beach in Nerja, Spain
Favorite Place to Travel Solo
Washington, D.C. It’s the perfect city to get sent to for work by yourself. A million free museums that are all walkable
Ideal Weather
If you have ever met me, there’s a good chance you thought “Wow! that guy is really sweaty!”. I run hot as they say. Give me anything between 40-90 without humidity and my soul is happy.
Favorite Music and Movies
My playlist has everything from Biggie to Beethoven on it. There are few genres I don’t like at least a few songs from. My top 5 movies are: Boogie Nights, Goodfellas, Shawshank Redemption, Gangs of New York, and A Muppet Christmas Carol
Musical Prowess
I am not a musician but I dabble with a few instruments. My main strengths revolve around theme songs on the piano including Pirates of the Caribbean, various Mario and Zelda songs, Charlie Brown, Still DRE, Runaway by Kanye from Westworld, and a cover of Never Going to Give You Up.
Celebrities I’ve Met
Luke Wilson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joe Jonas, Ingrid Michealson, Kid Rock. They were all weird (except Giannis, that man can do no wrong)
Childhood Dreams
Growing up I wanted to be either a firefighter or a ninja turtle (as seen below). I briefly was a firefighter, but sadly never accomplished the reptilian pursuit of being a ninja. There’s still time though!
Brew City Benjamin
I would consider myself a “generalist”, or someone who is competent in several fields or activities. While I received a degree in History and Political Science from UW-Milwaukee, my career has mostly revolved around marketing, fundraising, and creativity.
I’ve written award winning radio jingles, put on “fan camps” for the NFL and Bud Lite, raised millions of dollars for social housing projects, written newsletter publications for non profits, created entertainment”escape rooms” from scratch, traveled all over the country to represent companies at conferences, met with billionaires for philanthropic purposes, was a volunteer fire fighter and EMT, and have spent time on various committees or boards. It’s been a strange path in many ways but I have loved every minute and enjoyed the perspective my various experiences have offered.
My life motto is “It’s Chaos, Be Kind”, something I take very seriously. My favorite thing in the world is a good conversation and pride myself on being open to as many new experiences as possible. I am passionate about underserved communities, the city of Milwaukee, and being a small part in bettering the world so my niece and nephew don’t grow up in a dystopian hellscape.
Work History
Associate Director, Grand Avenue Club
2021 – present
Grand Avenue Club is a downtown Milwaukee nonprofit that serves adults in Milwaukee County experiencing mental illness. “Staff” and “members” work as “colleagues” together to run the organization, top to bottom, building trusting, personal relationships.
We focus on the pillars of employment, education, and enrichment, helping members achieve whatever individual goals they strive to reach. I highly encourage people to come see the club in person and I’m happy to schedule a tour, just reach out. We’re on the corner of Water Street and Michigan, about 2 blocks from the Public Market.
Director of Philanthropy, Silver Spring Neighborhood Center
2019 – 2021
The Silver Spring Neighborhood Center (SSNC) serves thousands of individuals and families from every stage and age of life in Northwest Milwaukee. I handle the marketing, fundraising, donor relations, grant writing, and overall development. Services include a food pantry, adult education programs, workforce initiatives, the Elaine Schreiber Child Development Center, Opportunity Youth programming, and Youth Services
Impact Investments Officer, Cardinal Capital Management
Feb, 2017 – Dec, 2019
Cardinal Capital Management, Inc. is a national housing developer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with more than 8,500 units of housing across Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado and Arizona. I led the fundraising initiatives to get these projects in the ground. Many of our projects were hybrid and niche housing, including projects for underserved populations such as veterans, chronic homelessness, blind/deaf populations, Native Americans, Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD), and low-income folks.
Director of Marketing, Escape Chambers & Immerse Branding
Jul, 2016 – Feb, 2017
Escape Chambers was an entertainment company in a variety of forms with locations in Madison, Milwaukee, Des Moines, and Las Vegas. Our primary focus was “escape rooms” but we also had virtual reality arcades, laser tag, a restaurant, private events, “rage rooms”, and an “experiential marketing” company called Immerse Branding.
I handled media, marketing, advertising, and content for Escape Chambers and it’s subsidiary brands in all locations (EC Virtual Reality, EC Tactical Laser Tag, Immerse Branding, and Rage Chambers)
Account Executive & Marketing Advisor, Entercom Communications
(Radio Stations: 105.5 Triple M, 103.7 KISS FM, 105.1 The Mix, 94.9 WOLX, 105.7 The Fan, 99.1 The Mix)
Oct, 2014 – Jul, 2016
Entercom is a national syndicate of radio stations. I worked for both Entercom Madison and Milwaukee. I was a radio advertising sales rep who differentiated himself by writing the jingles himself. If you’d like to see a sample of my work, including my “Golden Addy” winning Golden Chicken Jingle, please check them out here!
Brew City Benjamin 