The pancreatic cancer battle of Ben Feigin, the mind behind the hit CBC TV comedy series Schitt’s Creek, has ended tragically. The critically acclaimed filmmaker reportedly passed away on Monday at his Los Angeles home. UTA, the talent agency where he worked at the beginning of his career, confirmed his death to the press. Although Dan Levy is more often mentioned in connection with Schitt’s Creek, it was really Feigin’s commercial savvy that led to the show’s creation and subsequent success.
Feigin was the show’s driving force during its creation and early production when he licenced the series on a non-exclusive basis to numerous overseas areas to raise money for the project. Feigin conceived of the many profitable spin-off ventures for the show, such as the Netflix pop-up immersive experience documentary Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt’s Creek Farewell (which quickly sold out) and the international tour with LiveNation (which made a fortune for all involved). While acting as executive producer for all six seasons of Schitt’s Creek (from 2015 to 2020), Feigin was an integral part of the show’s consistent popularity. Feigin’s efforts were just as critically acclaimed as those of the show’s other cast and staff members.
After the series finale of Schitt’s Creek, he was honoured with three prestigious awards: a Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy Television Series, a PGA award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television for a Comedy, and an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 2020 and 2021, he also won the GLAAD Media Award for outstanding comedy series. Feigin attended the University of California, Santa Barbara after being born in nearby Silver Spring, Maryland. Starting out as an agent trainee at William Morris, he rose through the ranks to become a major player at Warner Bros., where he oversaw the production of such hits as Friends, The West Wing, and ER.
While working for agencies like UTA, The Collective (of which he was a founding member), Anonymous Content, and Amblin Entertainment, he represented A-list talent and launched successful spinoffs. He started Equation Unlimited in 2016 and was its CEO up until his untimely passing. After 25 years apart, Ben Feigin reunited the iconic comedic team Cheech & Chong by negotiating a lucrative arrangement that brought them back into the spotlight. Heidi Feigin, a talent agent at UTA whom Feign met during his time in the William Morris mailroom, and their daughter, who is 11 years old, are among those who will miss him. Our hearts go out to the producer’s loved ones at this time. To put it another way, he was 47 years old. We shall never forget the creative brilliance that was Feigin, and his legacy will go on forever. Schitt’s Creek is now complete and can be viewed in its entirety on Hulu.