Aaron Blanton

Aaron Blanton
Blanton at the 2013 Peabody Awards, with Samantha Stendal and Kelsey Jones
Born
Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Oregon
OccupationProducer • Director
AwardsPeabody Award
Ambie Award
Telly Award
Signal Award

Aaron Blanton is an American producer and director. He is known for his 2013 anti-rape video A Needed Response, and his 2021 alternate reality game and fiction podcast What Happened in Skinner. His work has won awards and garnered tens of millions of views online.

Early life and education

Blanton grew up in Eugene, Oregon, where he spent high school acting in and directing plays. He attended the University of Oregon, where he majored in cinema studies and journalism.

Career

A Needed Response

While a student at the University of Oregon, Blanton co-produced the anti-rape PSA A Needed Response, which subsequently went viral after being featured on Upworthy.[1][2] Blanton filmed the video in his living room with friend Samantha Stendal to express their frustration with CNN's coverage of the Steubenville High School rape case. The video quickly amassed over 10 million views on YouTube. In 2013, A Needed Response became the first viral video ever to win a Peabody Award, while Blanton and Stendal became two of its youngest ever winners.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

What Happened in Skinner

In 2021, Blanton created the alternate reality game and fiction podcast What Happened in Skinner with co-showrunner Katrina Braun. The series gained attention for its innovative format and low-budget production.[9] Its creators, a group of five friends, produced the show at home in their spare time, relying on virality instead of a marketing budget to bolster the show's success.[10] Season 1 was nominated for Best Indie Podcast at the 2022 Ambie Awards.[11] In 2025, Season 2 was again nominated, and subsequently won Best Indie Podcast.[12] Season 2 was also honored with a Bronze Signal Award. [13] The project also incorporated a short film and an alternate reality game.[14][15]

Other Projects

Blanton was a cinematographer for the Oscar-nominated documentary The Hunting Ground, and the PBS series Poetry in America.[16]

He is also a co-creator of The Ghoulish Sanctuary, an immersive Haunted Mansion-inspired vacation rental near Walt Disney World Resort. [17][18][19]

Recognition and awards

Blanton's work has gained tens of millions of views online, and he has earned a Peabody Award, a Telly Award, and an Ambie Award.[2][20][12]

References

  1. ↑ Oregonian/OregonLive, Yuxing Zheng | The (March 30, 2013). "University of Oregon students' anti-rape video goes viral". oregonlive. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Two College students' Anti-rape video "A Needed Response" goes viral". CNN. March 28, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  3. ↑ Jacobs, Peter. "University Of Oregon Students' Viral Anti-Rape Video Wins Peabody Award". Business Insider. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  4. ↑ "A Needed Response". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (April 2, 2014). "'House Of Cards', 'Scandal', 'Breaking Bad', 'The Bridge', 'Key & Peele', 'Orphan Black', 'Orange Is The New Black' Win Peabodys". Deadline. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  6. ↑ Edition, Inside (March 27, 2013). "Steubenville Response Video Goes Viral". Inside Edition. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Anti-rape video in response to Steubenville trial coverage goes viral". NBC News. March 27, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  8. ↑ "University of Oregon film student's anti-rape video goes viral, attracts 1.2 million YouTube views". New York Daily News. March 26, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  9. ↑ Sancton, Julian (March 8, 2022). "'What Happened in Skinner' and the Art of Podcast World-Building". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  10. ↑ "What really happened in Skinner". www.uoalumni.com. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  11. ↑ Chan, J. Clara (February 16, 2022). "'Song Exploder,' '9/12' & More Among 2022 Ambie Awards Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Porter, Rick (April 1, 2025). "Ambie Awards Winners, Presenters Make Case for Truth and Facts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Winners". Signal Awards. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  14. ↑ Dunn, Lindsey (July 18, 2021). "North Bend Film Festival: Ninjababy & Skinner 1929". Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  15. ↑ Sancton, Julian (March 8, 2022). "'What Happened in Skinner' and the Art of Podcast World-Building". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Aaron Blanton | Director, Producer, Cinematographer". IMDb. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  17. ↑ Admire, Carlie (June 11, 2025). "Offbeat overnights - Fort Myers Florida Weekly". Fort Myers Florida Weekly -. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Of Submersive Art Spas and Ghoulish Sanctuaries". The No Proscenium Podcast. August 2, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  19. ↑ Greenberg, Chloe (October 25, 2023). "This Orlando Airbnb is a love letter to Disney's Haunted Mansion, and it's open now". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  20. ↑ "43rd Annual Telly Awards winners announced". shots Magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
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