About Bennett Graebner

Current Focus

Bennett Graebner currently serves as a creative consultant for The Bachelor franchise after 17 years as its executive producer. While maintaining this role, he is returning to his screenwriting roots and focusing on original screenplay development, bringing a unique perspective to romantic comedies informed by years of observing real relationships unfold on camera

Bennett remains active in the entertainment industry through consulting work, script development, and leveraging his extensive network built over two decades in Hollywood.

The Path Here

Growing up in Buffalo, New York, Bennett discovered his love for visual storytelling through photography, setting up a darkroom in his family's basement during high school. After graduating from City Honors School, he pursued English Literature at Vassar College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, then earned his MFA in film from USC's School of Cinematic Arts.

In the late 1990s, Los Angeles meant grinding it out as a young screenwriter. He wrote his first script after graduate school, and it landed at Paula Wagner's desk at Tom Cruise's production company. Wagner immediately put the script into development, signaling a promising start to his screenwriting career. Over the next decade, he penned approximately fifteen screenplays and gained experience developing projects for major studios from Paramount to Disney to Universal and working with accomplished producers like Mike Lobell (Striptease, It Could Happen to You) and Cary Brokaw (Closer, The Player).

In 2002, through a friend who worked in reality television, Bennett reluctantly agreed to a low-level position on ABC's The Bachelor. He'd never watched the show and planned to stay three weeks maximum. What he discovered changed his perspective entirely. Reality television, when approached with the same rigor as scripted content, demanded identical storytelling skills. Bennett's approach revolutionized the franchise, transforming The Bachelor from a dating show to a cultural phenomenon.

The Bachelor Years

As an executive producer of The Bachelor, the franchise achieved unprecedented success and cultural impact. The shows generated $86 million in advertising revenue in 2017 alone, establishing themselves as cultural phenomena that consistently pierced the zeitgeist over 21 years. Bennett's creative vision helped launch multiple successful spin-offs, including The Bachelorette (2003), Bachelor Pad (2010-2012), Bachelor in Paradise (2014), The Bachelor Winter Games (2018), The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart (2020), The Golden Bachelor (2023), and The Golden Bachelorette (2024).

The franchise's international expansion also flourished during Bennett's tenure, with The Bachelor format successfully adapted across numerous countries worldwide. Bennett consulted with producers of international versions, including the Canadian Bachelor, the Swedish Bachelor, and the French Golden Bachelor.

Among the franchise's most successful innovations was The Golden Bachelor, which Bennett helped launch in 2023. The senior-focused spin-off attracted over 9 million viewers for its finale and achieved the franchise's highest ratings in nearly four years.

Bennett's innovative approach to integrating social media with traditional television viewing created new standards for audience engagement in reality TV. The shows consistently ranked number one among the coveted 18-34 demographic, with The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise holding the top two spots during summer programming. The franchise's success also extended beyond television with The Bachelor Live On Stage tour, bringing the experience to audiences across 63 cities nationwide.

Beyond Televison

Bennett's interests extend far beyond the screen. An avid runner since his early days, he has explored cities worldwide through morning runs, from the beautiful streets of Prague and Stockholm to more challenging routes in Buenos Aires. Photography remains a lifelong passion that began with a darkroom setup in his family's basement during high school. Though he admits the digital age has changed the experience, he continues capturing moments and memories through his lens.

His approach to storytelling research is unconventional yet effective. Bennett reads extensively in the contemporary romance genre, consuming authors like Emily Henry not just for entertainment but to understand evolving relationship dynamics and cultural touchstones. This immersion in the genre he now writes for keeps him current with the voice and concerns of his target audience.

The values instilled during his Buffalo upbringing continue to influence Bennett's professional approach. Growing up in a city known for its work ethic and authenticity, he maintains those principles even after decades in Los Angeles. Buffalo has produced notable entertainment figures, including Wolf Blitzer and Christine Baranski, and Bennett's hometown recognized his contributions by honoring him as a distinguished alumnus.

Having spent two decades navigating both the creative and business aspects of entertainment, Bennett brings a rare combination of artistic vision and commercial understanding to his work. His ability to connect with mass audiences while preserving genuine human emotion positions him uniquely in an industry that often struggles to balance both objectives.

Quick Facts

Never Watched Before Working On It Watched The Bachelor for the first time the day before starting work on it.
4 AM Runner Attacked by Wild Dogs Daily four-mile runs at 4 AM once led to a wild dog attack in Fiji.
High School Darkroom Enthusiast Built a photography darkroom in his family's basement as a teenager.
Romance Novel Research Reads 20+ contemporary romance novels every six months for screenwriting research.