Chapter One · The Origin
Before the Camera,
The Farm
Benjamin Watkins spent nearly 15 years as a farm hand in Central Minnesota before he graduated high school — up before dawn, responsible for living things, accountable to an operation that didn't stop for anyone. That foundation of grit, integrity, and community has never left him.
Storytelling wasn't a career plan. It was simply how he made sense of the world around him — the people, the seasons, the quiet weight of rural life where every neighbor had a history worth knowing.
"Communication isn't about noise — it's about change. When stories are told well, they don't just reach people. They move them."
Benjamin Watkins · Founder, All Things Possible
Chapter Two · The Education
Stage, Screen,
and Craft
Benjamin earned an Associate of Arts in Speech and Theatre from Ridgewater College, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance from Minnesota State University, Mankato — where the discipline of live performance taught him that story isn't just what you say; it's what the audience feels in the room with you.
He later earned his Master of Fine Arts in Motion Picture and Television — Producing and Directing with a 3.986 GPA, Magna Cum Laude, earning a place on the President's Honor List from 2012–2014. He describes this degree accurately as the equivalent of an MBA focused on media — covering project leadership, contract negotiation, budgeting, distribution, crisis communication, and the full arc of production strategy.
He also completed formal training at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School — where psychological operations, media relations, and market research converged into a discipline that continues to shape his approach to audience strategy today.
Chapter Three · The Service
Where Messaging
Couldn't Fail
After 9/11, Benjamin enlisted as a 37F Psychological Operations Specialist in the U.S. Army Reserve. In 2003, he deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom, assigned to Camp Bucca — one of the largest Coalition detainee facilities of the conflict — in coordination with the 800th Military Police Battalion.
There, he led a 12-member multimedia and communications team, producing culturally adapted messaging and information campaigns designed to influence perceptions, build trust, and support mission objectives. He also trained allied PSYOP personnel from the United Kingdom and Germany in influence operations, psychological targeting, and multimedia delivery.
He completed the Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC) and was promoted to Sergeant E-5. Every lesson he absorbed — about audience psychology, message architecture, medium selection, and effect measurement — lives in the DNA of All Things Possible today.
Chapter Four · The Career
1,500+ Productions.
22 Years.
Over more than two decades, Benjamin has produced over 1,500 video and digital campaigns for nonprofit, public sector, and mission-driven organizations — including Emmy Award-winning work for PBS, campaigns for the March of Dimes and African Women's Alliance, and immersive storytelling for veterans' organizations, public health initiatives, and educational institutions.
He led full-cycle production operations on 1,300+ commercial and in-house video projects — collaborating with business owners, CEOs, and marketing teams to craft campaigns aligned with brand messaging and measurable business outcomes. He managed over $500K in equipment inventory, produced training videos with a 90% close rate for major contracts, and implemented production workflow improvements that cut pre-production time by 40%.
He also drove demand generation strategy that contributed to a 40% company growth rate in a single quarter, generated 24+ qualified leads per month, and scaled a digital community from 20 members to over 2,500 — contributing to a 110% increase in national digital engagement.
In immersive media, he produced 20+ VR/360° experiences in a single year and has since built a portfolio of 100+ immersive productions across 50+ clients — pioneering virtual familiarization tours that transformed how communities and organizations tell their stories at trade shows, on smartphones, and across digital platforms.
Chapter Five · The Classroom
Teaching the
Next Story
For over 12 years, Benjamin has taught at the university level — covering storytelling, video editing, motion picture production, 360° VR, and media communication. He has served as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for curriculum development, ensuring programs kept pace with industry standards, emerging technology, and real-world professional demands.
He brings agency-level insight, nonprofit campaign experience, and military communication discipline into the classroom — mentoring students in career strategy, portfolio development, and the kind of purpose-driven creative thinking that translates into professional impact.
