Aaron Blanton (born March 6, 1991) is an American producer and director. His work has gained tens of millions of views online, and he has earned a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

, a Telly Award, and an Ambie Award.

Early life

Blanton grew up in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

, where he spent high school acting in and directing plays. He attended the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, where he majored in Cinema Studies and Journalism.

Career

As a student at the University of Oregon, Blanton co-produced the anti-rape PSA ''A Needed Response'', which subsequently went viral after being featured on Upworthy. In 2013, it became the first viral video ever to win a

. Blanton then went on to work on

The Hunting Ground ''The Hunting Ground'' is a 2015 American documentary film about the incidence of sexual assault on college campuses in the United States and the reported failure of college administrations to deal with it adequately. Written and directed by Ki ...

, and the PBS series ''Poetry in America with Elisa New''. What Happened in Skinner wins Best Indie Podcast at the 2025 Ambies

In 2021, Blanton co-created the ARG / fiction podcast '' What Happened in Skinner''. Season 1 was nominated for Best Indie Podcast at the 2022 Ambie Awards. In 2025, Season 2 was again nominated, and subsequently won Best Indie Podcast. The project also incorporated a short film and an

alternate reality game An alternate reality game (ARG) is an interactive networked narrative that uses the real world as a platform and employs transmedia storytelling to deliver a story that may be altered by players' ideas or actions. The form is defined by int ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanton, Aaron 1991 births Living people American directors American producers Peabody Award winners People from Eugene, Oregon