“I really was lousy at statistics. And if you wanted to be a clinical psychologist you had to be good at statistics. For me the numbers just didn’t add up,” says Arnie Blum. “I had to beg my professor to give me a D so I could graduate!”
Young Arnie had to find a new direction. But it figured that he’d somehow, some way, find his niche. And, with a little help from his friends, he did.
Today, decades later, having recently relocated from New York City to Palm Springs, Blum, president and creative director of Benefit Films, brings his skill of video storytelling and a dedication to producing exciting and motivating messaging exclusively for local nonprofit organizations.
Now about those friends…
“During my undergrad days at Drake University in Iowa, I roomed with six other guys in a rooming house,” Blum recalls. “Some were studying journalism; a couple others were into music with an eye toward production. Others were studying art and design. It was a creative and crazy group, and I absorbed some knowledge from all of them. I guess I combined their interests and energy into a new direction.”
Exit the clinical psychology idea. Enter a “variety pack” of creative jobs including writing for the university newspaper, helping to report sports events (especially basketball), and as a “rock-jock” at the local AM radio station. Blum was consumed with the excitement of communicating news and new ideas.
That became the pathway to obtaining his master’s degree at the Temple University School of Communications; the sheepskin and resulting contacts earned Blum an ad agency position in his native Baltimore as a writer/producer.
From there Blum was offered a job at a leading ad agency in fast-paced New York City. Those were the “Mad Men” days, and he was on a fast track to advancing consumer awareness for major corporate clients including Pepsi, Coca-Cola, General Electric, American Express, Bank of America and more. Those were good times, filled with valuable learning experiences.
But something in Blum’s heart was ignited when the agency for which he worked was asked to partner with the Ad Council to craft messaging and images for a few nonprofit organizations. He fell in love with using his skill to help others.
“Don’t get me wrong, I loved working with clients and selling their products,” Blum says. “I loved scriptwriting, filming, planning, producing, and editing. The commercial world was full of amazing and crazy people with great ideas, and I ‘sold’ a lot of successful campaigns. But the messages I produced with my team for nonprofit causes were the most rewarding. I loved making a positive contribution to the community. I loved being a change maker. So, I began to focus on doing just that, full time. For me, it wasn’t a difficult call.”
Fifteen years ago, Blum bet on himself, starting his own video production company strictly devoted to working with nonprofits. Busy and popular, he again took a leap of faith as family ties led him to move to Palm Springs in November 2024.
Benefit Films is Arnie Blum, hands-on all the way. Video execution, writing, editing, and delivery all are in his wheelhouse. That soup-to-nuts oversight also enables him to satisfy budgetary and deadline requirements, about which he is laser focused.
“This is a great and beautiful community, a generous one, a welcoming one, with a thriving nonprofit sector,” he notes. “I’m looking forward to helping nonprofits and my fellow Valley residents tell their compelling stories to help promote a change for the better every day.”
Arnie Blum can be reached at (843) 817-7771 or arnie@benefitfilms.org
