B E N S W E A T
D O C U M E N T A R Y
THE RUNDOWN
Ben Sweat was born and raised in Clearwater, Florida. Drafted into the Major League Soccer after college, he bounced around several teams before securing a spot at New York City Football Club. 20 months later, he received a first-ever call up to the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT). They were getting ready to play a series of friendlies, the first of which was at Raymond James Stadium—20 minutes from Ben’s hometown. I was responsible for creating a documentary to capture this incredible moment.
Just as this was Ben Sweat’s first time ever putting on the USMNT jersey, this was my first time ever creating a documentary. I flew down to Florida in late 2018, tasked with creating this documentary solo and to bring Ben’s inspirational story to life.
Each element of the documentary was meant to capture the inspirational nature of Ben’s story and the relentless, hard-working nature of New York City. While Ben Sweat was not a New Yorker in any sense of the word, I wanted to translate the strength that one finds when they embrace NYC as their home. Ben Sweat’s constant drive to better himself, determination to never quit and passion to inspire others made him as much of a New Yorker as anyone. This was not just a story of Ben Sweat’s call-up to the USMNT for me — It was a tale of how much we all can accomplish if we put our minds to it.
B L E N D I N G
T W O W O R L D S
I knew that the story I was to tell was much more about “Why” this moment was so important, rather “What” the moment was. Many players get called up to the USMNT, so the act of playing for one’s national team was not something I wanted to focus on. Instead, Ben Sweat was heading to none other than his own hometown to see his childhood dreams come to fruition in front of those that saw him grow up and face all of his previous obstacles.
I spent 3 days in Florida interviewing Ben Sweat, his family, friends and old coaches. I also visited nearly every location in Clearwater that marked a point in Ben Sweat’s growth as a footballer and person—his old high school stomping grounds, his University locker room, places where he and his high school sweetheart, now-wife used to go on dates, and more. Between cab rides, I brushed up on Ben Sweat’s history, rewatched previously studied documentaries and reviewed my planned storyboard to ensure everything was on track.
In most of the interviews I filmed for NYCFC, we asked our players about their footballing achievements, their playing styles and what they wanted to accomplish during the season. In my interviews for this documentary, I focused on the less glamorous side. The sacrifices that Ben Sweat made to reach this point. The points when he was about to quit and why he didn’t. What his family and wife went through watching him pack his bags each year to move to a different team in a different state. I wanted to get everyone’s perspective on the similar questions and to get the bottom of what it takes to reach a momentous point like representing your nation for the first time in your own hometown.
During the game I situated myself in Ben Sweat’s fan section. Before the game, there were rumors that Ben Sweat was unlikely to play and would simply sit on the bench (an accomplishment in and of itself). However, with 10 minutes to go in the game, I saw the USMNT head coach wave to Ben. I immediately worked to film both the moment when Ben Sweat stepped foot on the field to represent his country and his family’s tearful reaction to seeing his dreams come to life.