Ben Mezrich
Bestselling Author of "The Accidental Billionaires & Bringing Down the House".
BEN MEZRICH has created his own highly addictive genre of nonfiction, chronicling the amazing stories of young geniuses making tons of money on the edge of impossibility, ethics, and morality.
He has authored twelve books, including the wildly successful Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, which spent sixty-three weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, and sold over 2 million copies in fifteen languages. His latest book, The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal – debuted at #4 on the NY Times Bestseller list and spent 18 weeks on the list in hard and soft, and made bestseller lists in over a dozen countries. The book was adapted into the movie The Social Network- written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher- and was #1 at the box office for two weeks, won Golden Globes for best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best score, and was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning 3 including best Adapted Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin. Mezrich and Aaron Sorkin shared a prestigious Scripter Award for best adapted screenplay as well.
While writing these true stories, he has been afforded access to worlds seldom talked about. During his research for Bringing Down the House, he taped $250,000 to his body and smuggled it through airport security with some of the most notorious card-counters in the world, getting to taste the lifestyle of the Las Vegas high roller upon arrival. While writing Ugly Americans, he visited exclusive ‘Japanese Only’ underground sex clubs in Tokyo and juggled roadblocks and run-ins against the Japanese mafia.
Now, Mezrich is Hollywood’s next big thing. Sex On the Moon, Mezrich’s twelfth book, is being developed by the same producers and studio as The Social Network, and is on the fast track to becoming another #1 box office smash. Both of Mezrich’s other New York Times Bestsellers, Ugly Americans and Rigged, have been optioned for the big screen as well.
Mezrich has appeared often on TV, including a stint on Court TV with a series titled ‘High Stakes with Ben Mezrich.’ The show utilized his unique contacts to explore the culture of young, highly educated millionaires and their clandestine hobbies. Mezrich also hosted the ‘World Series of Blackjack’ for GSN and has several scripted and non-scripted TV projects in the works.