Ariel Benjamin (they/them) is a lighting designer who has worked regionally and internationally in theatre, dance, opera, and broadcast television.

For over a decade, Ariel was a staff lighting designer for The Lighting Design Group in NYC and worked for such clients as: CNN, Bloomberg, MTV, NY1, SNY, and CNBC.

After transitioning back to a freelance career in 2024, Ariel is currently the lighting director for the Tamron Hall Show on ABC since its launch in 2019 and the senior lighting designer for Yahoo! NY Studios. Most recently, they were part of the lighting design team to launch the new studio for Good Morning America in June of 2025.

Ariel received their MFA in Theatre Design from the University of Maryland ('11) and their BA in Theatre Arts from SUNY New Paltz ('08). They are a member of USA 829 and NABET and a proud native of Brooklyn, NY.

Drama (2011)
PEARSONWIDRIG Dance Theatre
Photo by Zachary Z. Handler