Ben Feigin, the founder and CEO of Equation Unlimited, LLC and an Emmy-winning producer on “Schitt’s Creek,” passed away from pancreatic cancer on Monday.
He had reached the age of 47 years. United Talent Agency, where both Feigin and his wife had previously worked, confirmed his death.
As the show’s executive producer, Feigin was instrumental in getting “Schitt’s Creek” off the ground. He is widely regarded as the driving force behind licensing the show on a regional basis and the creator of the unconventional finance model on which the series is based.
Feigin also oversaw the program’s merchandising efforts, including the pop-up immersive experience based on the show and the documentary “Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt’s Creek Farewell.”
Feigin won an Emmy for “Schitt’s Creek” as the best comedy series, a PGA award for “Schitt’s Creek,” and a Golden Globe for “Schitt’s Creek” as the best musical or comedy television series for its final season. For both 2020 and 2021, Feigin won the GLAAD Media Award for outstanding comedy series.
Feigin, a native of Silver Spring, Maryland, attended the University of California in Santa Barbara and afterward went to work for Warner Bros.
After meeting his future wife while working at William Morris, he moved on to careers at UTA, The Collective, and Amblin. As part of Warner Bros., Feigin oversaw the production of hit shows like “Friends,” “The West Wing,” and “ER.”
At the beginning of his career, Feigin was instrumental in facilitating a partnership with AOL, which resulted in the first-ever live-streamed event.
In addition, he played a role in the successful comedic duo Cheech & Chong’s reunion, serving as executive producer on their 2008 feature “Cheech & Chong: Roasted” and their 2010 concert video “Cheech & Chong: Hey Watch This” and brokering the duo’s first merchandise and licensing contract.
After working as a producer for a while, Feigin joined Anonymous Content in 2006, where he established the company’s comedy and enterprise departments.
Feigin has also worked on artistic assignments for Barack Obama and a Grammy Museum exhibition on the Chicano Art Movement.
The University of California, Los Angeles, New York University, and his alma mater, the University of California, Santa Barbara, all hired him to teach classes.
Feigin also kept up an extensive schedule of charitable contributions and volunteer activities, including for StandUp2Cancer, Gilda’s Club Worldwide, the Tony Hawk Foundation, the Creative Coalition, and Laurene Powell Jobbs’ Emerson Collective.
The burial will take place on Thursday at Mount Sinai Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. Supporting Stand Up to Cancer with a donation in honor of Feigin.
Heidi Feigin and their daughter Ellie, 11, are all that remain of Feigin’s family.