John M. Bennett

John M. Bennett’s one of those producers with a wild range—his work kind of bounces all over the place, but in a good way. He’s the guy behind "Trauma," where soldiers come back from Afghanistan, trying to stitch their lives back together after everything they’ve seen and done. There’s no sugarcoating it—these folks are wrecked, inside and out, and the show digs into that raw messiness. Then you switch gears and he’s rolling out "The Clapper," which has Ed Helms, Tracy Morgan, and Amanda Seyfried clowning around—oh, and Dito Montiel in the director’s chair. Totally different vibe, but somehow Bennett’s name pops up again. He’s also the force behind "Alex & Ali," a documentary that’ll hit you right in the feels. It’s about a Peace Corps volunteer who falls in love with an Iranian guy back in the late ‘60s. Decades go by, the revolution messes everything up, and they’re torn apart—until, out of nowhere, they find each other again in Turkey 35 years later. Tearjerker, total award magnet. Let’s not forget "Playback," a supernatural thriller with Christian Slater—creepy stuff, distributed by Magnolia Pictures. Or "Coming & Going" with Rhys Darby, which had its moment on TNT. Then there’s "The Betrayed," a twisty MGM flick with Melissa George. Bennett doesn’t shy away from the heavy stuff either—he produced "22 Years From Home," about a Sudanese lost boy finally seeing his family again after more than two decades, and "Standing Silent," which digs into child abuse in the Baltimore Orthodox Jewish community and actually led to a conviction. Oh, and he directed "Brothers In Arms," a short film that ended up getting all sorts of international attention. Basically, if there’s a tough story to tell, Bennett’s probably somewhere nearby, rolling up his sleeves.