|
Benji arrived in China in July of 2006 to begin his
career in the Chinese Entertainment world as an American, Chinese-speaking
Pop Star and TV personality.
Since then, he has been seen in all areas of the China entertainment
world including as a guest judge on Dragon Satellite TVs new hit
reality TV singing competition My Hero; as an MC host for
a Shanghai Online press conference; a model for print advertising, and
as a performer with the acclaimed Jazz Du Funk Dance Studio for the Formula
1 Races held in Shanghai. Between these events, Benji also found time
to work as a professors assistant and guest presenter for the Executive
MBA financial accounting courses at the #1 ranked China Europe International
Business School (CEIBS). Benji is currently a contestant on Dragon Satellite
TVs reality show The Winner (www.100winner.cn). As
such, Benji is truly forging his own path and making waves in the Chinese
entertainment world as the first American to ever be in the finals of
a national reality TV show. Benji is essentially a self-taught, fully
literate, fluent Mandarin speaker, having first attended a 3-month language
training center in 2001.
In the summer of 2004, Benji arrived in China for his first time for
a 10-week internship with the finance department of a Fortune 500 corporation
in Tianjin, China. It was during this internship that Benji fell in love
with the Chinese pop music culture.
In 2005, as president of the internationally-acclaimed Brigham Young
University Young Ambassadors, Benji led the song and dance troupe on
a 30 day tour of China, performing in the most prestigious theaters in
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Tianjin, and Beijing. Numerous
television producers and performing agents recognized Benjis unique
performance abilities and potential as a fluent-Mandarin-speaking, Caucasian-American,
and encouraged him to consider a career in the Chinese entertainment
industry. Benji recognized this as the window of opportunity to combine
the two loves of his life: China and performing, and he became determined
to follow his dream.
Upon returning home from tour, Benji informed his family and school that
he would not be finishing his Masters of Accounting from the #2 ranked
program in the U.S., but would instead be moving to China to pursue his
dream as a Chinese-singing pop star and TV personality.
Benji has a Bachelors of Accounting from Brigham Young University.
|