'From the moment his first image from photographer Tom Cullis hit the web, Benjamin Godfre has been causing sensations. The Minnesota native never dreamed modeling would be a part of his future but after becoming the face, not to mention the crotch, of Timoteo, we were all running out to buy our own yellow pair! Of course we all don’t look as good in our skivvies as he does and Ben is smart enough to know it.'
Like most lovers of the male form, the first time I noticed model Benjamin Godfre, he was sporting a pair of tight Timoteos. Back in the late 2000's, Benjamin caused a series of tremors across the net with his his yellow and red undies and with his work with photographer Tom Cullis. Benjamin first appeared on FH in those Timoteos back in 2008, and was a fixture on the site for the next several years. In 2009, Benjamin came in second, just behind Joseph Sayers, in FH's Blog vote poll. (HERE:) (Just behind the fellow Timoteo wearing Joseph Sayers)
Ben by Robert J. Guttke
I interviewed Ben several times over the years, the first, back in 2011, for a feature spotlighting his work with photographer Jon Seneca. (The Serious Case of Benjamin Godfre) I followed up that piece a few weeks later featuring Ben's work with photographer Carl Proctor. (A Thousand Image Later) If you look closely at those two pieces, although there were a few discrete penis peeks, there were no full frontals images included.
Benjamin by Jon Seneca
I had gone back and forth with Ben several times about what images to use. Ben put his marketing and business major to good during this process. He wanted to feature images which evoked interest, but as well, ensure there was plenty left to share in the future. Carl Proctor had sent on a really hot set of Ben in the woods. Many of you may have since the shots from that series which featured Ben in leather hand and leg cuffs. The images had a fetish feel and Carl shot them not only for a specific reason, but for a specific set of eyes.
Although Ben went on to release the full set, at the time of my posts, he was just beginning the launch his new website. Ben had a very specific time line for when and how his images were going to be released. Those of you who checked out the site back in 2011 and 2012 may remember the slow release of images and videos and the build to full frontal shots and more erotic content.
Benjamin by Carl Proctor
Although fans can be fickle, Ben's plan worked, and he amassed thousands of Benjaminions, his name for the huge following of fans who joined the site and looked forward to his constant flow of new images and videos. Ben skillfully connected with his fans in a very personal way, communicating both on-line, and off, calling them, meeting them, and celebrating them on his site
'I LOVE my fans and they mean a lot to me. It’s not even work, it’s play. I like to cultivate relationships and I want to see how huge we can grow as a group! Everyone should be having a blast right along side with me!'
The following year, Ben's penis was no longer in the shadows, and seemed to be everywhere, including my FH interview with photographer Paul Reitz, ((HERE:) I interviewed Ben a third time late in 2012 in in my role as features editor for his cover story in the third issue tMf Magazine. While recently searching the FH archives for images of another model, I re-read some of pieces on Ben and couldn't help but be curious as to what he' sup to.
I remembered my back and forths with photographer Robert J. Guttke, (The Picture Of) about his time working Ben. Robert took some his earliest, and most powerfully memorable images. Robert knew Ben when he was just beginning, before his work with Tom Cullis and Timoteo, and captured a model, and his youthful essence, before the massive changes which occurred after moving from Minnesota for California to make it big.
Benjamin by Dylan Rosser for tMf
Although Ben was initially very patient with releasing material, before long, the site had taken off and the demand for new images and videos was unrelenting. It soon wasn't enough that Ben was revealing every inch of his body, followers still wanted more.... and Ben supplied it. More erotic shoots, more erotic videos, from tickling to sexual interactions with other models, Ben worked at a frantic pace, working with different photographers and porn sites to increase the collection of material on his site. A highlight for me, and many, was the introduction of Ben's younger brother Michael to the site, and the naked skateboarding video's they released.
Benjamin by Paul Reitz
Like with most Internet phenomenons, Ben's site had a slow but steady build followed by a quick fall. It wasn't that he didn't work hard to give his followers what they wanted, it was simply that over time, what followers wanted something, someone, new to follow. Ben remains however, one of the most successful models at putting together a large amount of product, for an equally large following, He worked incredibly hard, to keep their interest, and to have them spend their money, over a relatively long period of time. In some ways, Ben perfected the format of Onlyfans, years before Onlyfans was created.
When I recently checked out Ben's current on-line presence, I was surprised to see that he's is still fairly active on social media. His site is long gone, but he still posts occasionally on Facebook, often to promote his music. Ben seems more active on Twitter, sharing updates, erotic images, and promoting an actual OnlyFans site, which looks to have started this past April. Ben's look has changed, he's a little older, (as we all are) and has more than a few new tats. What hasn't seemed to changed though, is Ben's ability to interact and connect with those who follow his work. Despite how incredibly hot Ben looked without his clothes on, it really wasn't Ben's body that had fans wanting more. In order to sustain interest, even over just the few years that he did, it took planning and that connection with those who fooled. This was something Ben knew and practiced incredibly well.
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