User:Jkrow/Benjamin Bronfman

Benjamin Zachary Bronfman (born August 6, 1982), is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and musician. Bronfman is currently a Strategic Advisor & principal of Global Thermostat and Algae Systems LLC. He was formerly the guitarist & lead singer for the New York-based band, The Exit and is currently a member of the music collective, Teachers, and co-founder of Green Owl. He is the son of actress Sherry Brewer and Edgar Bronfman, Jr., CEO of Warner Music Group.

The eldest of his parents’ three children, Benjamin is engaged to musician and activist, Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, better known under the stage name, M.I.A. The couple had their first child, Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman, on February 11th, 2009.

Early Life
Bronfman was born in New York City and then lived in London briefly during his father’s tenure as managing director of Seagram Distilleries Europe. The family returned in 1984, once he became President of Seagram’s U.S. marketing division.

Benjamin attended The Collegiate School in New York City, graduating in 2000. He enrolled in Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied Politics and Law before leaving school frustrated by the election of 2000 and the outcome of Bush v. Gore.

Environment and Technology
Bronfman became interested in progressive environmental technologies & geo-engineering in 2007. Teaming with Columbia University economist, Graciela Chichilinsky, he embarked on a project to reduce the atmospheric concentration of Carbon Dioxide. In 2007, he became associate managing director of Global Thermostat, Chichilinsky and fellow Columbia Professor, Peter Eisenberg’s technology firm focused on developing a technology for direct air-capture of carbon dioxide. The firm recently completed construction of it's first pilot plant at The Stanford Research Institute. He was integral in convincing his father to invest in the firm, and thus the subsequent appointment of Edgar Bronfman Jr. as Chairmen. In 2010, Benjamin Bronfman was named Strategic Advisor of Global Thermostat. On November 13, 2010, Bronfman presented Global Thermostat’s vision and process as a speaker at the TedxBrooklyn Conference at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.

In 2010, Benjamin also became a principal and advisor at Algae Systems LLC., a third-generation bio-fuel company founded by Matthew Atwood that takes waste water from cities (using CO2 captured by GT) and generates Jet-Fuel and Diesel.

Music
Bronfman was lead singer and guitarist for The Exit, an indie/punk/reggae rock band started by he, Gunnar Olsen & Jeff DaRosa in 2000 while he attended Emerson College. During this time period, he went by Ben Brewer, using his mother’s maiden name to avoid unnecessary associations between the band and his father. In 2007 shortly after the official announcement of The Exit’s breakup, Bronfman founded Green Owl, an independent record label distributed by Warner Music Group, created to be the first environmentally conscious sustainable record label and apparel line.

In 2010, he started a music project known as Teachers. The first single, “Gold”, debuted on the website of the music editorial, The Fader, on July 12th, 2010. Ben and Teachers worked with Kanye West and co-produced his recent single "Monster" featuring Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and Bon Iver.