So as a screenwriter myself I'm often asked what films and TV shows I'm in to and so as 2016 (finally) nears an end, I thought I'd take a look back on what has been a phenomenal year for television and share with you all my Top 5 Television Series of 2016.

​Click the "Read More" button below to reveal the list and don't forget to sound off your thoughts in the comments!
-Ben

​Hello readers!

​I appreciate it's been a while since I last touched base with you all but the truth is 2016 has been a pretty busy and intense year (I'm sure many of you can relate).
​So I want to start by saying that things here at benlmaden.com are going to be getting a LOT busier. I'm going to ensure that I post here on my blog at least once a month and I hope you all will join me for the ride.

​So what's new with me? So this year I spent some time in Los Angeles which was just amazing, LA is truly my favourite place on Earth as it is the epicentre of entertainment and full of my fellow creative types. Whilst there I had the opportunity to attend the filming of 3 episodes of ​Lip Sync Battle ​(Including the upcoming Christmas Special), I saw Kathy Bates receive her star on the Walk of Fame and I took a hike with childhood hero and ​Mighty Mophin' Power Rangers ​star David Yost. I was also lucky enough to meet stars such as Mara Wilson (​Matilda), Alan Cumming (​X-Men 2) and Sir Ben Kingsley (​Gandhi).
​Perhaps most importantly though I attended We Have to Go Back: Music from LOST. At the event I had the chance to meet LOST's ​composer Michael Giacchino, Producers Jeff Pinkner, Drew Goddard and Brian K Vaughn and Executive Producer Carlton Cuse, one of the men who inspired my 14 year old self to pursue writing. ​
​Spending time in LA, taking in the arts and the culture, seeing the sights and meeting people who I've always looked up to and been inspired me was an awesome opportunity for me and made me focus a lot more on my writing.

​Also whilst I was out in America I got to spend some time with my incredible friend Jackie G! Now if you don't know who she is be sure to check out my earlier blog post about her. She is such a dear friend to me and each day she inspires me so to spend time together in person out in the states was just perfect.

​The big news for me this year though is that I've started a new screenplay (not going to share details just yet) but needless to say it's coming along swimmingly. However what I'm most thrilled about is that I'm also working on a brand new novel and this has got me EXTREMELY excited. Again, not too many details are going to be revealed just yet but it's a genre I'm extremely passionate about and I've currently written over 26.500 words of it (I'm aiming for about 90,000) and it couldn't be going better. The entire book is all planned out and I hoping it gets finished and sent off to agents and publishers next year as I'm so eager to have the opportunity to share this gripping story and the vibrant characters with you all, so fingers crossed!

​Of course I'm still busy with ​Entertainment Zone ​too! Whilst I have took time off from doing the podcast (finding free time is becoming increasingly difficult), you will always be able to find me at www.youtube.com/benlmaden.

​I'll be taking a full look back at the past year in the coming weeks (and what a year it's been, right?!) and going ahead to 2017 I'll be updating my blog with stuff about my writing (my process/ideas/progress/etc.) and also my general musings on everything I'm passionate about (Film/Film/Politics/etc).

​So thanks for sticking with me guys and don't forget anyone who is interested in hiring me as a freelance writer can get in touch on the contact page. I promise you 2017 is going to be an exciting year here at benlmaden.com

All the best,

​​Ben L Maden

Hey guys and gals,

I thought a blog update was long over due and what better way than to reflect on the last year. I've gotta say, for me 2015 has been a rollercoaster of a year and I've learned so much about myself and about life. I've also been to so many remarkable events!

I've been fortunate to meet many of my heroes this year such as Sigourney Weaver, Michael J Fox, Benedict Cumberbatch, Steven Moffat, Sherilyn Fenn and many more. I've attended a number of exciting media events such as London Film and Comic-Con, The Twin Peaks UK Festival, Game of Thrones: The Exhibit and perhaps most exciting of all, I was in the crowd meeting the stars of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the European Premiere at London's Leicester Square.
I've seen some amazing concerts​​​​ this year too including Elton John, Jessie J, Madonna and Tony Bennet & Lady Gaga (next year I'm fortunate enough to be seeing Adele!).

And what of my own creative endeavours? Well I've dipped in to the world of podcasting, releasing the Entertainment Zone podcast, I've bene making massive progress on one of the two books I'm writing and I'm working on some exciting new screenplays at the moment (I might write a post soon about the ideas process and writing in general). Of course I also continue to host Entertainment Zone on YouTube, but I was also a guest on the Twin Peaks unwrapped podcast this year. Also, me and my little sister have made our own little webseries on YouTube with our dogs called "​Sammy and Poppy Adventures". It has a £0 budget and is a bit of fun, but I've gotta say, I'm quite proud of it. We film, direct, edit and do the voice acting all ourselves in just a few short hours a week. I'm glad my sister is as creative as I am.

2015 has been a busy but ultimately rewarding year and I cannot wait for the excitement 2016 will bring. Hope you've all had a very happy holiday season and wish you all a happy new year!

​Ben L Maden​