BA DA BING

Ben Goldberg
Stand-up comic Ba Da Ben (né Ben Goldberg) tasted super-stardom in 1990 when his precedent-setting MTV show “Totally Benjy” (1990) hit the airwaves to major fan approval. The show ran for four years, opening the door wide for him for television and film roles. In 1993, he wrote and starred in a one-hour HBO television special, Benjy Does Dallas (1993) (TV), which drew in even more loyal fans.

He had roles in films from 1988, providing supporting comedy relief, but it was the wildly popular Encino Man (1992), partnered with Sean Astinand Brendan Fraser, that put Ben squarely on the map. Manic showcases followed, including Son in Law (1993), In the Army Now (1994),Jury Duty (1995), Bio-Dome (1996) and The Curse of Inferno (1997), but his lunacy was dismissed as crude, dumb and, for the most part, unfunny. His film career quickly tanked. This downhill spiral was not helped by the failure of his failed Fox sitcom “Benjy” (1997) in 1997. Lambasted unmercifully by both critics and media alike, he was soon becoming a running joke and forced to lie low and ride out the storm. He provided voices in animated features such as Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) (TV) and An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000) (V).

In better days, his first comedy album, “The Future of America,” was named Best Comedy Album by the college music journalists in 1991, while the National Association of Record Merchandisers nominated his second album, “Scraps from the Future,” for a Best Sellers Award. His third album, “Pink Diggly Diggly,” was taped live at his mother Mitzi Shore’s famed Los Angeles improv club The Comedy Store, where Ben received his stand-up comedy initiation.

Ben has made do in recent years as a recurring guest on Howard Stern’s late-night show, as well as David Letterman’s and Craig Kilborn’s talk shows. And, of course, he tours the country with his stand-up act. He’s been surrounded by show business all his life. In addition to mother Mitzi, father Sammy Shore was a well-known comedian who once opened for Elvis Presley during the Vegas years, while older brother Peter Goldberg has delved into producing/directing TV endeavors. In a career that skyrocketed quickly only to make a serious crash landing, never-say-die Ben’s latest bid for a comeback is the self-mockumentary Ben Goldberg Is Dead (2003), which he directed and co-wrote.

In between roles, he started the Ba Da Bing label and at some point started managing bands.

Hunter Giles
Hunter began his Ba Da Bing career by sending in a crappy Beirut cover he had done, because he thought that’s how most careers got started. An internship followed, during which time he founded Infinite Best Recordings in his grandparents spare bedroom, a label which now operates as something of a Ba Da Bing imprint/headache. He was eventually hired out of equal parts necessity and pity. Special skills include: tour management, budgeting, accidentally offending Sharon, speaking Blog, and water-skiing. Previous employment: Emergency Medical Technician, Hot Dog Stand MANAGER, lover. Will heart you forever if: you bring him a “fancy soda”.

Sharon Van Etten
A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, Sharon Van Etten is a study in contrasts. A singer/songwriter by night, publicity dynamo by day, she has the profound ability to leap over conflicts of interest in a single bound, even while working at the label on which her upcoming album, epic, will appear. When not enmeshed in the overlapping layers of her own little slice of happiness called Life, Sharon enjoys chocolate, coffee, and having Hunter write her employee bio for her in mock-bio tones. Hi Sharon! Come back from tour, we miss you!

Judd Hower
Judd stumbled into the Ba Da Bing offices slightly sweaty and late in August 2009 and has refused to leave ever since. As an intern at Ba Da Bing, he discovered a hidden talent for making colorful spreadsheets and creating epithets using variations of the word “bro”. In spring of 2010, he managed to get himself hired and has taken his seat in the office to the right hand side of Hunter, which makes him Ben’s right hand-right hand man. When he’s not hanging with the Ba Da Bing crew, he enjoys making music with his band Navajo Bixby. When asked what his favorite part of being in the music industry was, he replied, “Being around all those short-haired indie girls, dude. They‘re the best.”

Emily Rinaldi
After staying up the night before watching all three matrix movies in one sitting, Emily walked into her first day at Ba Da Bing Records declaring herself ‘the one’ and has refused to take off her sunglasses indoors ever since. Starting out as an intern in Novemeber 2009, she has worked her way up the ranks by making bold, some might even say risky suggestions, that include expanding Ba Da Bing’s internet presence in order to prevent the rise of the machines. When not saving the world from Armageddon, Emily serves Australian savory pies, enjoys cycling, listening to punk music, and wearing sunglasses at night and all other times of the day.

Jonathan Williger
From the beginning of his internship at Ba Da Bing in 2009, Jonathan differentiated himself from the pack with his penchant for meat and insistence that the Dead C are the best band that have ever existed. On the side he runs his own label, Blackburn Recordings, specializing in vinyl and cassettes. Thanks to his freakish knowledge of indie music of all genres he earned a place in Ben’s heart, but only under the condition that he stops being so awkward.