George Beneman is set to retire at the end of the month after 56 years working at Maryland Public Television. He is currently the longest-tenured employee at MPT.

Beneman was raised in a Reform Jewish home, and the arts always drew his attention and were a major part of his life growing up before he got an education in television and eventually joined the station. He never looked back.

Beneman holds an impressive resume as an award-winning director and production manager. He is a member of several industry technology committees and has overseen the development of MPT over the last half century.

Now, as he approaches retirement, the Reisterstown resident looks back on his career and ahead to what comes next.

Tell me about your upbringing and education.

I grew up in Cumberland, so I’m a native Marylander. I was raised in a Reform family, and the arts were certainly a part of the family. I always loved, with family encouragement, theater, and worked in theater on and off my whole life. I started [at the University of Maryland] in College Park, and I was a business major. I wasn’t a great business major at all, but I spent all my free time, probably too much free time, working in the theater and earning a little money working in the university television studio.

So that was really where I got more training in theater, which I had done in high school, and some community theater, but now I was getting a lot more training and learning about television. And then I left UMD and went to New York University, which was just starting the School of the Arts Theater Program, and that cemented my theater and arts training.

How did you get started at MPT?

My last year in college, I was working at a summer stock theater outside of Atlantic City and that was ending, and I needed to find a job. I was looking into education, but at the same time, we heard that the state was building this new educational television network in Owings Mills, and so I did a little searching and set up an interview and showed up, was hired and never left.

Can you talk about your passion for television?

I took what I love doing, which was dealing with performers. I like that whole team approach. The television idea is all team focused. You can’t have one person do a musical, musical comedy, musical show or drama. It’s a very creative team. I like that it’s all-encompassing, and when you’re working on the project, it’s really sort of a family for that time.

And we have that tradition of family at Maryland Public Television, and you certainly have it in theater when you’re working on a show that you’re doing eight shows a week, and so your whole life is based around the cast. You work with the cast and crew and technicians. So that’s what I love doing and being a part of. I like being around and working with, I would say, smart, creative people.

Can you talk about your decision to step away after 56 years?

MPT is an absolutely wonderful place to work. My boss is retiring, and I’ve worked with five really fine execs and CEOs, and it’s time to give the next generation a chance. It’s time to say goodbye and become an alumnus.

What are some moments from your career that stand out to you?

I started before they actually went on the air. They went on the air in October of ’69 I believe, and I started a few months before that. To me, whatever you’re working on is the most exciting thing at the time. Early on, when I was working in studio and directing, I really liked live production more than prerecorded production.

I loved the big performer shows. We did the live opening of the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and for a number of years, we did a live New Year’s show from Baltimore City and several locations there. I was the lead director for probably the majority of 30-plus years of “Wall Street Week.” A few years ago, we did the Star-Spangled celebration. There’s a lot of things we do. We did a show from the [Baltimore] Basilica. Any kind of live, big productions are great fun.

You spoke about the next generation. How have you worked to assist them over the years?

I’m a big proponent on mentoring. We all got where we are through the help of others. I’m trying to pass it forward so they can go on and be moving up in the ranks of the industry and then bring others up behind them. I’ve had my day. I’ve done very well, and now it’s time to let others lead and, hopefully, I provided some good training for them.

What are you looking forward to in retirement?

I’m looking to spend a little more time at the gym, and I’m looking for a few organizations to be a volunteer. I want something where I can go and help out, but I don’t want any homework. I want to be able to come and do whatever needs to be done for that period of time and then leave. But no reports, no homework.

bhamelin@midatlanticmedia.com