For a long time I’ve told other people’s stories through a lens. Brands, artists, films, campaigns. This summer, Ghana Plug turned the camera around and asked me to tell mine. Their feature, “Ghanaian Creative Zed Benson Redefines Modern Filmmaking With a Multi-Disciplinary Global Career,” came out in June 2026. It seemed right to make that conversation the first post on this blog.
So this is the story behind the story.
Starting over at the other end of the world
In 2009 I left Ghana for China. It was my first time abroad, and I’d be lying if I said it was easy. The language, the food, the weather, the way people worked. Everything was new, and some days it was overwhelming. What carried me through was a simple picture in my head: me as a filmmaker and as someone who builds things.
I studied at the Beijing Film Academy and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Looking back, the classroom was only half the education. The other half was learning to adapt, to communicate across cultures, and to stay curious when nothing was familiar. That skill has shaped every set I’ve worked on since.
Saying yes to everything
My first real job after school was at Road Pictures. I came in as a graphic designer, but I didn’t stay in that box for long. I picked up photography, then editing, then production. Whatever needed doing, I wanted to learn how to do it. That hunger eventually got me promoted to Creative Director.
It also put me in rooms I never imagined as a kid in Accra. I worked on promotional campaigns with Alibaba Pictures, Warner Bros., Sony and Twentieth Century Fox, on releases including Avengers, Justice League, Tomb Raider and Alita: Battle Angel. Working at that scale taught me how big creative operations really run. Strategy, timing, teams spread across countries, and a lot of detail nobody in the cinema ever sees.
From there I joined Uniway Communications as Assistant Entertainment Director, and later ME Production as a Director of Photography, shooting ads and commercials for well-known brands. Each step stretched me in a different direction.
Building something of my own
At some point, working for others wasn’t enough. I co-founded Dreamteam, an entertainment company, and we put on events I’m still proud of: the Soulja Boy China Tour, the Iyanya Club Tour, and summer parties that people still message me about. Events taught me about pressure in a way film never had. There’s no second take on a live night.
Then the world stopped
COVID-19 changed everything. After almost ten years in China, I came home to Ghana. At first it felt like an interruption. Now I see it as a turning point.
Back in Accra, I could see the talent all around me. I could also see what was missing: the equipment, the visual identity work, and the support that creatives elsewhere take for granted. So I started building it.
ZEDSTUDIO helps brands find and shape their visual identity. Cinetek provides production equipment so filmmakers here can shoot at the level their ideas deserve. Both come from the same belief: the stories coming out of Ghana should look as good as they are.
Two lenses
In the interview I said that I’ve learned to see the world through two lenses. I meant the two homes that made me, Accra and Beijing. I also meant the two sides of my work: the artist who wants to tell a beautiful story and the builder who wants to create the conditions for others to tell theirs. I don’t think I could keep one without the other.
That’s also why my career looks like a list of job titles: designer, photographer, marketer, producer, actor, filmmaker, distributor, creative director. People sometimes ask which one I really am. Honestly, they’re all one practice. Every skill feeds the others, and every project teaches me something I take to the next one.
What’s next
The grind continues. I’m working across film and photography, collaborating with musicians and creatives at home and abroad. This blog is where I’ll share more of that: behind-the-scenes notes from shoots, lessons from the business side, and the people and projects inspiring me.
A big thank you to the Ghana Plug team for taking the time to tell my story with care. You can read the full feature here.
Let’s make something that travels.
— Zed