H. Jon Benjamin is most widely known for his roles as Archer of Archer (left) and Bob of Bob's Burgers (right)
Social Planning and Events Committee Film has brought writers, directors, actors and producers to campus before for its annual speaker event, but never a voice actor. This year, that changes with the arrival of H. Jon Benjamin, one of the most recognizable voice actors of our generation.
Best known as the lead voice on “Bob’s Burgers” and “Archer,” Benjamin is set to speak at Penn on March 22 at 8 p.m. at the Harrison Auditorium. The event will consist of a 60-minute conversation moderated by cinema studies professor Scott Burkhardt, followed by a 30-minute student question and answer session.
Last year, SPEC Film planned on bringing Anderson Cooper to speak, but the event was cancelled because of Cooper’s “contractual obligation” to cover the Baltimore riots. In previous years, SPEC Film has also brought in Vince Gilligan, Zach Braff and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
“We wanted something different this year ... SPEC is looking for diverse things and things people maybe haven’t come into contact with before,” College senior and SPEC Film Director Eugene Wolff said. “Voice acting is kind of this niche part of the industry.”
Benjamin not only plays Sterling Archer in “Archer” and Bob Belcher in “Bob’s Burgers,” but he has also recently appeared in “Master of None” and “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.” ”[Benjamin] is very multitalented and kind of a renaissance man … he recently also released a jazz album,” Wolff said.
With experience in writing and producing, Benjamin brings a broad overview of the industry as a whole, and SPEC Film believes that this event will not only touch upon what it is like to be a voice actor but also the advent of online television.
“The transitional shift from traditional media to the online web series is something [Benjamin] has been really involved in,” Wolff said.
His shows, while popular on network TV, really spread and blew up because of Netflix. “Master of None” and “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” are also Netflix original series themselves, and their popularity reflects the changing nature of how people watch TV.
“He’s definitely been at the forefront of this revolution,” College junior and SPEC Film director Tim Bloom said.
“People might not recognize [Benjamin] immediately from his voice or his name, but once they realize who he in terms of ‘Archer’ and all the shows [he’s in] they’ll be excited,” College senior and SPEC Film director Sabina Spigner said.
Ticket sales start on Monday and are available online for $5 for Penn students and $10 for the public.
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