Dude, you're getting a mindfulness course

Ever wonder what happened to the Dell guy?

Back in the early 2000’s just a few years after The Big Lebowski, there was another dude, kinda guy. Only this wasn’t The Dude, it was a Gen X slacker stereotype known as Steven as part of the Dell computer campaign.

Who could forget his catchphrase “Dude, you’re getting a Dell.”

The actor’s name was Ben Curtis. And if you saw any of the ads growing up, you might have thought, huh he kinda seems like a typical slacker stoner. That might have been the case because his tenure as the Dell guy came to a swift end after three years because he was busted buying a bag of marijuana.

He also claimed he was blacklisted from the entertainment industry as a result. Looking back from the vantage point of so many states having legalized recreational weed, it must be quite a bitter herb to swallow.

This is my favorite commercial out of all of them. I saw it as a youngin’ and it was burned onto my retinas. Everyone seemed stoned AF here. Including the kid who is so stoned he can’t get off the sofa in the background. When the chubby kid says “Perhaps it’s why it’s America’s…favorite...PC,” might be the only time when reading straight from the brief was acceptable. They are being snarky. 

And also they are stoned AF.

But actor Ben Curtis turned over a new leaf since his arrest days. (Okay I’m done with the pot puns, honest.) Because after a few years doing Off Broadway and indie films, he is now a life coach of sorts.

Head over to The Dude Nation and learn more. Apparently The Dude Nation exists to help dudes who are “reclaiming healthy masculinity and embracing the journey of self-discovery, growth, and connection.

They have a lot of programs and offerings.

Our Programs & Offerings

Dude School Group Program
Ready to dive deep into personal growth? Our quarterly Dude School program offers structured group coaching sessions where you can learn, share, and grow alongside other men on the same path.

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DudeCon Virtual Summit
Mark your calendar for our annual DudeCon, a virtual summit bringing together men worldwide. It’s a day packed with inspiring talks, workshops, and opportunities to connect with like-minded brothers.

Bi-Monthly Open Community Call
We open the floor twice a month for all members to join our community call. It’s an open space to share, ask questions, and connect with the tribe. Whether you need advice, want to celebrate a win, or listen in, this call is your safe space.

The Dude Nation Podcast
Tune into our weekly podcast, where we dive into topics that matter to you. From self-awareness to resilience, our episodes contain insights, stories, and practical tips to help you on your journey. Don’t forget to subscribe and join the conversation.

This is apparently a joint (ugh, sorry!) venture between Ben and Adam Lamb, at least their podcast is. It sounds intriguing but the website is scant on details. Also there’s no About section and Ben doesn’t share his own story which is where I would have started as its a missed opportunity to let people know who you are and why they should care. 

How do you go from a low point in your life and becoming to butt of jokes to overcoming all that and reclaiming your masculinity? I’d also like to know what that means in particular for him. There are a lot of people out there from Jordan Peterson to Joe Rogan to the ManKind Project and even people like Andrew Tate have been overtly or inadvertently staking out this territory for a while. From a mission and purpose standpoint, 

Dude, you need to differentiate.

And from a branding standpoint, the website needs a lot work if they are ever going to be taken seriously. 

Hey Ben, if you are reading, hit me up, I can help.

Ben Curtis appeared in 26 Dell ads in total, and you can find many of them in Adland's commercial archive.
His character is called "Steve".
Dell - Mom, Dad All I want for Christmas (2000) :60 (USA)
Dell - Mom, hey, it's me Steve (2000) :60 (USA)
Dell - Steve / Couch money (2001) :60 (USA)
Dell - Steve / Computer shopping (2001) :60 (USA)
Dell - Steve and friends / DELL4me (2001) :60 (USA)
Dell - Steve as elf / Pink Posey Princess (2001) :30 (USA)
Dell - Steve / Get to Class with Class (2002) :60 (USA)
Dell - Steve - Hallowed Halls (2002) - 0:60 (USA)
Dell - Convertible (2002) - 0:60 (USA)
Dell - Steve - Graduation (2002) - 0:60 (USA)
Dell - Steve - Lost and Found (2002) - 0:60 (USA)
Dell - Paris (2002) - 0:60 (USA)
Dell - Steve - Lecture (2002) - 0:60 (USA)

He also appears at the end of Dell - Interns Day 5 (2002) - 0:60 (USA)