I met Ben Moon years back at Burning Man. He was carrying a five-gallon bottle of urine, and I was not entirely sober.

Since then, I’ve admired his work from respectful a distance, (his IG is worth a stalk). I was very grateful to cross paths with him again for this podcast. This time, he held a kombucha and I was reasonably sober.

Ben is an adventure, lifestyle, and portrait photographer whose vibrant images have graced the pages of Patagonia catalogues for the past 18 years.  In recent years, he has shifted his focus to filmmaking. In 2015, he founded his production company, Moonhouse as a platform for collaboration with friends and creatives to bring a wide range of thought-provoking, impactful and cinematically beautiful stories to life on-screen. As a director, Ben’s unique ability to connect with his subjects paired with the talent and experience for visual storytelling allow him to bring a high level of emotional and visual depth to his films. Surviving colorectal cancer in his 20s inspired Ben to develop a deeper connection to others and the natural world and gradually shifted his artistic focus from capturing the pursuit of adventure to telling nuanced human stories that have inspired and impacted millions worldwide.  Most notably, he told his own story about his journey with colorectal cancer and his special relationship with his dog, Denali in the viral short film, Denali. Ben currently resides on the Oregon coast where, in addition to his film and photo work, he is building a house and just published a personal memoir called "Denali: A Man, a Dog, and the Friendship of a Lifetime" on Penguin Books about his journey with cancer and his life with Denali.

If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. This episode is brought to you by Claude Copywriting Agency. An out of the box way to inbox. You can join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. Send voice memos and hate mail to [email protected] 

Writing by Kyle Thiermann is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe