Producer Chris Fenton '89: 'I'm a Proud BUC'
Producer Chris Fenton ‘89 says he has always been a consumer of pop culture, even as a young child.
“A lot of that was shaped by the Mcilvaine sisters (Lucy ‘81, Judy ‘80, Nancy ‘85) who were older than Billy (their brother and one of my best friends at Benjamin) and me. Heck, even Dr. Mcilvaine had a few great 8-tracks in his convertible Cadillac! They’d play all kinds of new hit music or old classics, and it made Billy and I hip to what was cool. Then, in high school it was all about the VCR and watching any movie we could get our hands on. We must have watched ‘Breakfast Club’ and ‘River’s Edge’ 30 times each. That potent combination of constant music and film exposure made me want to be in pop culture. I didn’t know what role was right for me then, but I just wanted to be a part of it,” Fenton says.
Fenton is living out his dream of being a part of pop culture, as he builds an impressive resume of films. His credits range from Comedies, like 2017’s “Father Figures” with Owen Wilson and Glenn Close to Historical Dramas like “Chappaquiddick” about Ted Kennedy’s life and political career featuring Kate Mara as Mary Jo Kopechne, and Jason Clarke as Kennedy.
Fenton says he’s worked with Mara in two films he’s been involved with. The pair crossing paths makes Hollywood a “small world,” as Congressman Tom Rooney ‘89 was one of Fenton’s friends at Benjamin. (Mara is Rooney’s first cousin, once removed).
“Tom (Congressman Rooney) is part of a strong Benjamin group I stay very close to who are all based in the D.C. area - Paul Dean, Howard Ernst, Chip Poncy, Richie Sudder, Greg Cohen. Those Benjamin friends and others have all been helpful throughout my career and I owe that to being a proud BUC,” says Fenton.
Fenton, who received his B.S. in engineering from Cornell University, says getting a movie made is extremely difficult and believes getting into production is exciting by itself.
“Bottom line is I love watching all kinds of movies, so I tend to make movies that I’d like to see myself. Sometimes the ones I most want to make just simply don’t get to the finish line though. And others, well, I’ve had my share of flops as you can see from my resume,” Fenton, with a dose of self-deprecation, says.
Fenton advises those interested in the film industry not to take the plunge unless they absolutely love it.
“Even I would’ve thought twice about it in 1994, but back then, Hollywood was considered the ‘Wall Street of the 90’s’ and opportunities were plenty. Now, disruption from tech and international markets have thrown some of the ecosystem into disarray. That said, chaos breeds opportunity, so you never know. Hollywood is filled with dreams and some people actually get to live that dream.”
Fenton, by all accounts, is one of them.
Main Address & Lower/Middle School
11000 Ellison Wilson RoadNorth Palm Beach, FL 33408
Ph: 561.626.3747
A premier PK3 - Grade 12 independent, coeducational day school with campuses in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Since 1960, The Benjamin School has provided a challenging college preparatory education to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment.