Tom Bentey

Tom Bentey is a Jersey boy made good. Bentey grew up in Edison, NJ and spent his summers at the Jersey Shore. While studying English at Rutgers, he acted in several student films and plays. That experience changed the course of his career. Bentey went on to act in numerous NYC plays and independent films. After three years of acting in other people's productions, Bentey became interested in writing a script of his own. To hone his script writing and film making skills, he enrolled in the Masters of Arts program in Media Studies at The New School. Bentey developed an idea about a journalist at the Jersey Shore into a feature-length screenplay. Concurrently, he began studying the Meisner acting technique at the Wendy Ward Studio. This gave him the impetus to act in and direct the film he'd written, "At the Jersey Shore." To gain directorial and behind-the-camera experience, Bentey worked as a production assistant for City Squirrel Films in New York, as a director for programs broadcast on the United Nations' website, and as a freelance associate producer for News 12 New Jersey/Cablevision. By the summer of 2009, Bentey was ready to start shooting the script he'd been refining since 2005. "At the Jersey Shore" was edited during the fall of 2010 and premiered at the 2011 Sonoma California International Film Festival and received a great response there. At the 2011 Jersey Shore Film Festival, it won "Jersey's Best Feature" and the "Audience Award." In addition to being shown at prestigious film festivals across the country, "At the Jersey Shore" is had a nationwide roll out in 2012. The film is currently available on Cable Video on Demand, iTunes and Amazon. Tom Bentey formed the production company Suburbanite Productions, LLC to make "At the Jersey Shore." As a result of the overwhelmingly-positive response to his first film, he hopes to develop other independent film projects. Bentey still lives in New Jersey and continues to spend summer weekends at the Jersey Shore. Tom is also a college professor at Raritan Valley Community College and Montclair State University in New Jersey.