# benurwand.com


## Posts

- [Hello world!](https://maroon-tiger-308993.hostingersite.com/hello-world/): Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

## Pages

- [About](https://maroon-tiger-308993.hostingersite.com/about/): About I’ve always followed curiosity wherever it leads. That path has taken me through film archives in Berlin, classrooms at UC Berkeley, and the Society of Fellows at Harvard. I grew up in Sydney, Australia, and moved to the United States to pursue a PhD in history at UC Berkeley. While completing my doctorate, I made a discovery in a Berlin archive that changed my life: evidence of Hollywood studios cooperating with the Nazi regime. That research became my first book, The Collaboration: Hollywood’s Pact with Hitler (Harvard University Press), and it launched my career as a historian and author. […]
- [My Book](https://maroon-tiger-308993.hostingersite.com/my-book/): My Book When I was doing my PhD at UC Berkeley, I made a surprising discovery at the Bundesarchiv in Berlin: every night before going to bed, Adolf Hitler watched a movie — and his opinions were always recorded. In the image below, you can see his verdict on Tarzan, the tenth film on the list: “Bad [schlecht].” As I sifted through these files, I found something even more shocking: a letter from the head of Twentieth Century Fox in Germany addressed to one of Hitler’s adjutants. He asked whether Hitler would share his views on the role of American […]
- [Contact](https://maroon-tiger-308993.hostingersite.com/contact/): Contact Thank you for your interest. I’d love to hear from you. For rights, reprints, or appearances: → The Wylie Agency For college essay coaching: → Real College Essays For my children’s music: → The Ben Band For everything else, feel free to reach out using the form below.
- [Blog](https://maroon-tiger-308993.hostingersite.com/blog/): Welcome to My Blog I’ve written for years about film, history, and politics — but here, I focus on the college essay. This space is a place to share thoughts on writing, reflection, and the challenges (and surprises) of telling your story well.
- [College Essay Coaching](https://maroon-tiger-308993.hostingersite.com/college-essay-coaching/): College Essay Coaching from a UC Berkeley Educator and Published Author If you’re a high school senior, you’ll benefit from help with the most challenging part of your college application: the essays. Most students spend years on their grades, extracurriculars, and test scores, leaving their essays till the last minute. But if you’re applying to college this year, the essay is the one part of your application still under your control — and it can make or break your chances of being admitted to a top school. That’s where I come in. Through my college essay coaching, I help students […]
- [Press Coverage & Appearances](https://maroon-tiger-308993.hostingersite.com/press-coverage-appearances/): Press Coverage & Appearances TV Interviews Radio / Podcasts WNYC – On the Media: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/316688-collaboration ABC – Late Night Live: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/latenightlive/hollywood-and-hitler-part-2/5057210 KCRW https://www.kcrw.com/people/ben-urwand Crime & Justice with Dan Schorr https://ivy.fm/podcast/crime-and-justice-with-dan-schorr-328283 WBEZ – Worldview https://www.wbez.org/worldview/2013/10/04/new-book-takes-on-hollywoods-dealings-with-nazi-germany BBC Radio 4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b051j5tb Public Appearances 2015 July 2, German Historical Museum, Berlin 2014 January 23, JCCSF, with Greil Marcus, San Francisco, CA January 26, Temple Isaiah / UC Riverside, Palm Springs, CA February 19, Pforzheimer House, Harvard University, MA December 9, Westchester Reform Temple, NY 2013 October 2, Cape Ann Community Cinema, Gloucester, MA October 10, Jewish Literary Festival, Washington, D.C. October 15, Free Library, […]
- [Home](https://maroon-tiger-308993.hostingersite.com/): Ben Urwand — Author. Scholar. College Essay Coach. I’ve always been drawn to uncovering hidden truths. As a historian, I spent years in archives piecing together the surprising relationship between Hollywood and Nazi Germany in the 1930s. That research became the basis for my book, The Collaboration: Hollywood’s Pact with Hitler (Harvard University Press), which received national and international media attention and challenged long-held assumptions about Hollywood’s “golden age.” I’m equally passionate about teaching. While completing my PhD at UC Berkeley, I taught hundreds of students and supervised 30 seniors on their honors theses. I was later elected to the […]


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