Ben Wheeler portrayed in a frame from Mickey Duzyj’s short film Confessions of a Jumbotron Addict. ~Photos courtesy of Mickey Duzyj.

By Eliot Josti

Yahoo x Nonfiction Hotlist, a series of small documentary films, recently picked up a story by filmmaker Mickey Duzyj centered around Somerville’s own Ben Wheeler.

Before making the film, Duzyj had known Wheeler for about ten years prior, describing him as a “Kramer,” the iconic eccentric neighbor from Seinfeld.

“He always had the best stories about new jobs and experiences. He is a charming out-of-the-box thinker, and I love to have him as a friend in my life,” said Duzyj.

The first interview with Wheeler happened during the pandemic. Duzyj was missing the rush and excitement of live events such as concerts and sports, and wanted to honor the energy and crowds during a time when it was missing.

It all started when Wheeler first got onto the Jumbotron. After dancing with high energy and a quirky style, the fans grew wild. He realized that it wasn’t the spotlight that mattered. It was the effect he had on the crowd’s energy.

“I think that it all starts with Ben having a really generous spirit. You can look at these people as just wanting to see their face on a big screen, but he wants to get people together. I saw him single-handedly start a wave at Fenway Park,” said Duzyj.

The filmmaking process started with just the audio, and expanded to something more.

“My filmmaking always includes animation to some degree. All of my films have been hybrid, this one in particular, because I started it during the pandemic. I only had the audio interview. The pragmatic reason to be fully animated was having it be stylized.”

The film was then picked up by the Yahoo x Nonfiction Hotlist.

“The collection honored individuals and stories that display an idiosyncrasy in humanity that, right now in the world with AI, we feel we are living in this cold time. These films are the opposite of that,” said Duzyj. “I feel our intentions were very clear. These kinds of stories are good medicine. These things are still happening and humanity in this life-affirming way.”

Wheeler, now a city councilor in Somerville, uses his energy and spirit to give back to the community,

“In the world today we are all afraid to stick our necks out and do something. Ben shows that if you do that, it can be a great way to connect with other people,” said Duzyj.