Mike Benson is co-founder and managing director of non-scripted and scripted indies Chalkboard and Clapperboard, which are partner companies of Glasgow-based Storyboard, headed by Natalie Humphreys. These three companies form the UK arm of iZen Group, an independent, producer-owned content group with production companies in the Middle East and Spain.

Since launch, Clapperboard has produced over 25 scripted series and 100 hours of television,including critically acclaimed ratings winners The Teacher, The Holiday, The Ex Wife, The Cuckoo, and Maxine for Channel 5 and The Castaways and The Serial Killer's Wife for Paramount+. It was shortlisted for Best Production Company in the Edinburgh TV Awards 2022 and Best Independent Production Company at the Broadcast Awards 2024.

Non-scripted label Chalkboard won the prestigious Edinburgh TV Festival’s Small Indie of the Year award in 2020 in recognition of its diverse range of commissions across regions and broadcasters. Chalkboard also won a Broadcast Award for BBC factual series Murder, Mystery and My Family and a BAFTA nomination for Channel 4’s Life Behind Bars: Visiting Hour.

Benson began his career as a development executive at the BBC and Shine TV, now part of the Banijay group of companies.