Ben Brodsky capturing the perfect shot, using Dual Studios’ XR wall. Photos: Dual Studios
Minnetonka High School grads—and identical twins—turn their passions for film and business into a thriving production studio.
When Dual Studios’ video producers—and identical twins—Ben and Sam Brodsky graduated from Minnetonka High School (MHS) in 2013, they didn’t know exactly what careers they wanted to pursue. It turned out that their interests and activities had been providing some clues all along.
Ben says his early interest in photography, including classes at MHS, ignited what would become an all-consuming passion for film. And both brothers played tennis with Minnetonka Tennis Club and made a run at a state championship, something that would hone both their individual strengths and their combined power as a team of two.
The Brodskys attended the University of Kansas, where Ben was initially an engineering major, and Sam studied marketing and entrepreneurship. But engineering, for Ben, was not meant to be. “I was too passionate about my hobby, which was photo and video,” he says. “So I just dropped engineering, and thank God there was a film school,” he says with a laugh. In addition to taking classes, he worked in multimedia for school’s online newspaper and magazine, the University Daily Kansan, and experimented with early GoPro cameras, sports photography and other technology.
Sam and Ben Brodsky
Meanwhile, Sam’s entrepreneurship classes dovetailed with Ben’s video projects. “Look at all these creatives running around and charging no money,” Sam remembers thinking. “How can I organize them?” He realized quickly that providing marketing and business support to Ben’s productions was a perfect fit.
Upon graduation in 2017, the Brodskys moved back home and set up their video production business “in our parents’ basement,” they’re fond of saying. Dual Studios (arriving in 2023 as a rebranding of Brodsky Studios)—the name a nod to both their twinship and their complementary personalities—was born. Within six months, business was solid enough to move to an office/apartment in St. Paul, and they opened their dedicated studio space in spring 2023.
Now, with more than seven years of experience on their CVs, Sam and Ben have worked on documentaries, short films, video advertisements and other projects for an impressive book of client brands and celebrities, from Breitling luxury watches to Justin Bieber to Coca-Cola. “We love working with people, and that’s what makes us tick,” Sam says. “Whether we work with an international brand or small mom-and-pop shop, it’s the creativity of those companies that excites us.”
The rise of Dual Studios hasn’t been without setbacks. Sam says COVID-19 cut their business in half overnight, and then the brothers faced something truly terrifying: A 2022 car accident that landed Ben in the ICU with a traumatic brain injury, plus months of rehabilitation and recovery in the aftermath. “Now, we’re getting back on our feet, and it’s full speed ahead,” Sam says.
The resilience that’s seen the Brodskys through challenges is the resilience they encourage all young people to find. To current high schoolers and recent grads, Sam recommends they just keep at it. “If you have something you enjoy doing, put 120 percent of your energy into it,” he says. “Just start creating.” For aspiring filmmakers, specifically, he says, “Grab a camera or even a smartphone. The best way to understand yourself and how to operate in the industry is to learn by doing—and by mistake.”
Dual Studios
360 Toronto St., St. Paul; 612.388.3596
Facebook: Dual Studios
Instagram: @dualstudios.co
