How Eddie Benhin turned his passion into his profession

By Jayden Dill

Eddie Benhin discovered he had intuitive social media skills as a teenager. From developing Instagram accounts to producing content for his sports blog, Benhin had a knack for multimedia storytelling.

But Benhin encountered a typical high school student dilemma in grade 11 — he didn’t know what to do after he graduated. Little did he know that Carleton University’s Bachelor of Media Production and Design (BMPD) degree program would turn his passion into his profession.

“I had never heard of it before,” Benhin said. “I joined the program … and from then on, I was hooked. I loved it. It was exactly what I wanted to do.”

Benhin enrolled in BMPD’s inaugural year back in 2018. While he and his classmates were the “guinea pigs,” Benhin praised the program for its versatility and skill-building courses.

The BMPD program provides students with skills to present innovative stories relevant to the 21st century, which is something Benhin excelled at.

From taking introductory media production courses to advanced augmented reality, videography, photography and journalistic writing classes, Benhin added a new set of tools to his arsenal. He became a “jack of all trades” for media production, a common trait amongst BMPD students.

“It was difficult because I’ve never [tried some of those skills before], but they are good skills to learn,” Benhin said. “When you’re in it, it’s like, ‘why am I doing this,’ but now we have all these things to bring to the table.”

Benhin used material from a podcasting course to help with his capstone project — a year-long experiential learning course for BMPD students.

The podcasting course, led by professor and former CBC radio host Nana aba Duncan, taught Benhin compassionate and ethical journalism.

“It was a fantastic class,” Benhin said. “It was all about how to form questions, how to research tough subjects and make sure you’re being compassionate but still getting the information and displaying it properly … I can now use that moving forward, whether it’s for 613 Sports or if I’m interviewing people. It gave me more confidence and knowledge.”

613 Sports, a sports blog Benhin co-created, produces content about local Ottawa sports. The blog has grown in recognition amongst sports lovers.

“We were getting 20 thousand, 30 thousand views by the end of the year,” Benhin said. “Even some sports [team] owners around the city knew about the blog.”

Through Benhin, volunteers produced content for the sports page and elevated their portfolios. Some volunteers now work for the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group and other newspapers, according to Benhin. 

Benhin is set to graduate from the BMPD program in June and is looking to freelance for various companies and small businesses. He encourages all Carleton students to use our capital advantage and network as much as possible, something that’s helped his career.

“Networking is the biggest thing at Carleton,” Benhin said. “You never know who you are going to meet. They could also help you later on.”