Conversations with Benjamin Harmon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Harmon.

Hi Benjamin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello, my name is Ben and I run a local event company that showcases strange and fascinating people and places in and around Los Angeles. I started this venture in early 2024 with a friend (Desserin). At that time she ran a film photography darkroom in the valley and I was talking with her about doing events in collaboration with the darkroom. I had suggested maybe doing a city photo walk in DTLA or maybe somewhere in the valley, or possibly even doing a nighttime astronomical photo workshop. I have been a photographer on the side, as a hobbyist, for more than 20 years at that point. She asked if I had any experience teaching photography or running events and I told her that I had taught photography at a camp a few years back and that I used to work with a company called Atlas Obscura, in which I put together and led events showcasing the weirdness of LA. She was familiar with AO and that led her to propose an entirely different idea. “What if we started a company similar to what the LA chapter of AO did?” See AO dissolved all of it’s city chapters after a business deal they forged with AirBnb a number of years ago. And because I was an independent contractor who created the content, they didn’t own any of the ideas. I had forged many great relationships by getting out there and exploring LA. The deeper I dug, the more I discovered. There is whimsy and wonderment in every neighborhood in this city, but we felt that no one was really showcasing that, at least in the way we wanted to. We really wanted to create something that got people out of their house, out of their neighborhood, and out of their comfort zone. We are both very curious humans and we wanted to create a club that could potentially connect like-minded (and not like-minded) curious humans all over this urban sprawl. And so Curio Club LA was founded. I think most importantly, we wanted to introduce others to the things that made us stop and go “wait, what?!” I love it when someone lights up like a string up sparkly xmas lights; it’s so rewarding to share in an awe moment with another human, especially if they’re a total stranger. Beyond that we want Curio Club to connect Angelenos; we hope to create community through curiosity and discovery. I think so many of us get caught up in the day-to-day and this city can really beat you down, if you let it. We hope to be that respite, that escape from the mundane. We love LA and all that it has to offer. It’s a complicated place and not always easy to navigate or find your tribe, but by getting out there and meeting all the incredible and fascinating people, from every walk of life, every background, and being introduced to strange and cool new places injects new meaning, purpose, perspective and intrigue into life. And so today, we offer (on average) an event a month. Each one is totally different from the previous month, though some we’ve repeated a few times over the past couple years. We try to keep costs reasonable so that we can get attendees from all income brackets. We really want to be as all-inclusive as possible while providing experiences and content that feels exclusive and is in the sense that if you set out on your own to do what we provide you probably wouldn’t be able to. We have worked to really connect to people and places and create these relationships so we can share a slice of something really unique with anyone who wants to join us. We also have some free events we do: a hike to a cave or even a BTS tour of a museum. This venture is about sharing what we love, meeting new people, building relationships, and connecting others.

**I realize this is a bit verbose. Obviously edit where you see fit. And if you want something a bit different, I’m happy to revise.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey has been mostly smooth, though we haven’t made any money really. Again that’s not the goal, but unfortunately it is necessary to move forward and progress slowly. Speaking of it’s been a very slow momentum forward, I think mostly just because it’s just the two of us and we both have full-time day jobs and then we each have several other creative endeavors and practices on the side. All that said, we have steadily continued to create new content (with some repeat events) and we have slowly been building a larger audience/following. Some of our events always sell out and others only sell a handful of tickets, but that’s all part of the process. I think we are learning more and more what sort of events or experiences people really want; anything with a hands-on portion or a larger-than-life story seem to usually attract a lot of people. We’ve noticed events with animals are very popular. The struggles have been keeping up consistently with posting, developing a membership part, which we really wanna do at some point, and overall just figuring out how best to grow… where to put our time and energy. We recently had our website overhauled and it looks much better and is easier to use and more engaging. Now we need to tackle our SEO and just figure out how best to get our name out there. At least we are not in the hole financially.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I DO a lot! haha. I play guitar in a band called Indighost. I spin vinyl records/deejay once a month at a great bar in Eagle Rock called The Fable. I, of course, run Curio Club LA with my partner Desserin Pereyra. I am an amateur photographer who gravitates toward city street photography and landscapes, as well as documentarian-style narrative photography (www.benjaminharmon.com). During the pandemic I got really into collaging and have continued to do that; I had a solo show in November of 2025 showcasing a large body of collage work.

During the day I work with neurodivergent kids as a behavioral therapist and I often incorporate a lot of my creativity and artistic practices into my sessions.

I don’t if i’m known for anything specific tbh… maybe starting things and not finishing them (haha), but I’ve gotten much better at that. I am most proud of my photography and Curio Club LA, as well as my work with children. I think what sets me apart from others is my sense of adventure and my “let’s just do this and see what happens” approach to many things in life. Also, I think my ability to find something interesting in everyone and every place sets me apart from most. My background in the arts and psychology have shaped me into a uniquely weird, goofball, with a never-ending drive for the strange and enigmatic.

How do you think about luck?
I’ve had the good fortune or luck of meeting so many incredibly fascinating, passionate, and kind humans during my time here in LA. And that has led to so many great relationships and a vast network of interesting friends. And because I know these people I can host an event about fancy pigeons, or Neon sign making, or a collection of Cold War art. Every time I lead an event I meet several new people with stories, insights, and weird recommendations. I’ve always been kinda an odd ball in some sense, so it’s really comforting to be in a place filled with quirky characters who just wanna nerd out about bugs, the LA river, outsider art, or the best spot to catch some Ethiopian jazz.

Contact Info:

• Website: CCLA: www.curioclubla.com AND for photography: www.benjaminharmon.com
• Instagram: CCLA: https://www.instagram.com/curio_club_la/ AND my personal acct: https://www.instagram.com/arbitrary_aperture/ AND the band I’m in: https://www.instagram.com/iindiighost/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/803537808074000

Image Credits
the hiking photo – Jacquie Waldman
the photo of me taking a photo – James Cottle
main photo of me (soft focus) – Shannon West
photo of me playing guitar – Miranda Calderon