Benjamin M. Birney is the vice president of administration and in-house counsel at Manhattan Institute. In these roles, Birney oversees legal, human resources, technology, accounting, finance, and operations.

Prior to joining Manhattan Institute, Birney was a member of the founding team at BroadwayHD, a streaming service dedicated to recording and streaming theatrical productions from Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, and other venues.  In this capacity he helped produce the first-ever livestream of a Broadway show, “She Loves Me,” in 2016, for which BroadwayHD received multiple Telly Awards and a W3 Award.

Birney also has extensive experience as a software developer and in private legal practice.  His legal experience before BroadwayHD focused on computer forensics in the civil and criminal defense context, as well as international trade projects.  He has also been a lead engineer on several large enterprise software development projects, and has composed and produced multiple musicals in New York City, including “Sophia’s Fall,” a selection in the 2008 New York Musical Theater Festival.