Stanislaus State alumnus Ben Hoover describes himself as a problem-solver, always motivated to complete a task. With more than 200 projects under his belt through his web, video and marketing company, Fog Light Media, that work ethic is evident.
Nevertheless, there may be no project bigger for Hoover than what is premiering Thursday, Nov. 13, at the State Theatre in his hometown of Modesto — a documentary centered on one of society’s most complex issues.
Hoover, MBA ’19, served as the principal video producer and editor of the new documentary “Homeless in Modesto II.” It is a sequel to a 2018 film directed by retired Modesto Junior College microbiology professor Richard Anderson, which gave viewers a glimpse into the lives of homeless individuals in Modesto and explored the available resources in the area.
“Homeless in Modesto II” examines how the local homeless experience has evolved since then and highlights ongoing support programs and new housing projects.
Hoover knows he and his colleagues can’t solve the issue, but he believes they can help.
“We had to be really creative with how to structure all this content in the way that the average person with no familiarity with the homeless situation could understand and comprehend it, because there are so many moving parts,” he said. “Even with this production, there are always updates, always the feeling that something may be missing just because homelessness is such a big, dynamic issue.”
Hoover called his involvement in the project a “full-circle moment” dating back to his time as a Warrior.
The 2018 film also debuted in front of a capacity crowd at the State Theatre, and Hoover, who had just begun pursuing his Master of Business Administration, was there to capture the evening’s events.
“Richard and I stayed in touch, and he graciously asked me about a year ago if I could help with the project, to join his team in filming,” Hoover said.
By that time in 2024, Anderson, alongside executive producers Eric Caine, publisher of the Valley Citizen, and Frank Ploof, co-founder of homeless support nonprofit SHARE — had already gathered video and audio from the previous three years.
“That was really the biggest challenge, trying to get everything to flow,” Hoover said. “Richard captured a lot of really great content from 2020 to 2023, and it needed to get out there and be shared with the community.
“The content was spread across several different hard drives and hard discs; it was shot on several cameras with different audio sources. Because it was filmed across different time periods, certain pieces of content were outdated. With the help of Eric and Frank, we had to look at how to organize it all in a way that really made sense and flowed.”
Hoover’s father, Dave, later joined as an editing assistant and production advisor.
Tackling tough subjects was nothing new for Hoover.
While attending Johansen High School in Modesto, he was involved in the school’s video production program led by technology teacher Brad Cornwell. There, he directed a short film for the California Highway Patrol’s Every 15 Minutes program, a campaign for high school juniors and seniors that encourages them to make smart decisions before getting behind the wheel. The program’s name reflects the harrowing statistic that, at the time of its inception, someone in the United States died every 15 minutes due to drunk driving accidents.
“We received about 3 million views on YouTube, and it really seemed to have a huge impact on a lot of high school students,” Hoover said. “At that age, many kids don’t understand how their body will respond to drinking or how it will impact their decision making.”
From 2011 to 2015, when he was enrolled in Stan State’s international business and marketing undergraduate program, Hoover worked as a video producer for Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), where he produced 50 videos. He founded Fog Light Media in 2013.
Hoover finished the capstone courses for his MBA in Manly, Australia, graduating at the top of the cohort with a 4.0 GPA. Since then, Fog Light Media has primarily served nonprofits such as the Stanislaus Community Foundation, United Way of Stanislaus County, Opera Modesto, Modesto Chamber of Commerce and the Blue Zones Project of Tuolumne County. During the past few years, Hoover has also helped the United Way modernize the online presence of its 211 resource directory that connects community members to essential health and human services in their area.
As he pursued his master’s and expanded his business, Hoover was commissioned by friend and classmate Marnye Henry to produce a documentary on mental illness called “Madness Revealed.”
“The documentary was a real candid sharing of stories about several individuals who experienced a lot of different mental health challenges.” Hoover said. “Marnye had been involved in mental health advocacy work, so for her, it was a vision to create a documentary that could communicate some of the challenges individuals face to the community at large.”
As part of his role under the Fog Light Media banner, Hoover also contributed to the project’s marketing, just as he is doing now for “Homeless in Modesto II.”
Hoover credited Professor of Management Athinodoros Chronis and his “Principles of Marketing” course for teaching him how to properly plan and implement a marketing campaign, which includes quantifying and measuring the creative aspects of marketing and understanding how marketing decisions can impact consumer behavior. He also said Professor of Management Jarrett Kotrozo and his business policy course taught him how to effectively run a business, manage projects, meet deadlines and give public presentations to audiences of all varying backgrounds.
The unhoused community is similarly disparate. As the first “Homeless in Modesto” film showed, each individual who was interviewed ended up on the city streets due to different circumstances and had different ways of navigating their situations.
“Stanislaus State is an incredibly diverse community, and traveling internationally, learning different cultures and languages, it opens your eyes to the world around you,” Hoover said. “Using those experiences to help do what I do now is so enriching and humbling.”
All proceeds from the 6 p.m. showing of “Homeless in Modesto II” at the State Theatre will benefit Family Promise of Greater Modesto, supporting families experiencing homelessness in the region. Tickets can be reserved at www.thestate.org.
Following the premiere, “Homeless in Modesto II” will be available for viewing alongside the 2018 film at www.homelessinmodesto.com.
A variety of events and activities that further bring attention to hunger and housing insecurity will take place at Stanislaus State from Nov. 17-21 as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. More information, as well as resources for campus community members, can be found on the Basic Needs website.
