Ben Katzman is a veteran of Boston music, a Survivor finalist, and now, a philanthropist.
The man behind BUFU Records and Ben Katzman’s DeGreaser — a rock project that shredded across Boston in the 2010s — has released a coloring book to benefit Californians affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. And as of print time (January 17), it has already sold out.
Katzman’s “Survibing” coloring book brims with “doodles and quotes” that reference popular past competitors from Survivor. (No, that’s not a typo — “survibing” is an on-brand portmanteau of “survivor” and “vibing”). It’s fitting theme for Katzman, who was a finalist last year during the reality show’s 46th season.
Katzman announced the new merch earlier this week on Instagram, stating that he would use profits from the coloring book to donate to “various local charities, orgs, and gofundmes whos [sic] goals haven’t been met yet.”
“Moved to LA only days before the fires broke out,” he writes. “I am safe right now but there are plenty of people I know who have lost their homes. I know the ‘Survivor’ community goes HARD so I decided to make a coloring book with some of the legends of seasons past.”
This isn’t the first time that Katzman has released art with a Survivor spin; his 2024 record Tears On The Beach featured past show competitors like “Coach” Benjamin Wade and Tim Spicer.
There’s no word yet if Katzman will release another batch of coloring books, but folks who missed the chance to chip in can still contribute to other organizations helping Californians who have been impacted by the wildfires, including MusiCares’ Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort, the SoCal Fire Fund, and the PLUS1LA Fires Fund.
Check out Katzman’s post below.