Heavy/Hallmark Benjamin Ayres in Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' 2023 hit "Miracle in Bethlehem, P.A."
One year ago, actor Benjamin Ayres had no idea that 2023 would wind up being such a milestone year for him. But his fans and Hallmark Channel colleagues have rallied around Ayres over the last several days, celebrating a string of huge year-end achievements.
On December 31, Ayres marked the first anniversary of his Romance University initiative, an idea he came up with in late 2022 that has already raised $20,000 for various charities and went viral on TikTok over the last month. Meanwhile, days before the one-year anniversary, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries announced that Ayres’ final movie of the year, “Miracle in Bethlehem, P.A.,” had achieved record-breaking ratings.
“It was wild. It was a great, great year,” Ayres told Heavy recently, adding that he’s been “so grateful” for all the support he’s received from fans and colleagues alike.
Jonathan Bennett Calls Benjamin Ayres an ‘Activator’ With ‘No Fear’
Ayres, who’s starred in over 15 Hallmark movies since 2016, decided on a whim in December 2022 to make a few buttons with a “Hallmark University” crest he designed using the nearly 200-year-old Harvard University logo as his inspiration. At a get-together with Hallmark colleagues who’ve become fellow experts in making successful rom-coms, he handed them out for fun and was surprised by how much his famous friends loved the concept.
So, Ayres previously told Heavy, he made a few hoodies for his Hallmark pals and brought the buttons and sweatshirts to Christmas Con that month, where they were quickly snapped up by fans. By December 31, Ayres had partnered with a merchandise supplier and launched what he initially thought would be a one-time sale, with proceeds going to women’s shelters in Canada.
That effort alone raised over $4,000 and inspired Ayres to fully commit to the idea of building a “Romance University” online community of generous rom-com fans he’s dubbed “alumni.” Ayres, now widely considered the “Chancellor” of Romance University, has since expanded the merchandise line to include hats, shirts, candles, blankets and giftware. In December 2023, he held his first two in-person fan events featuring panels and meet-and-greets with some of Hallmark’s biggest stars, whom he affectionately calls “professors.”
Ayres told Heavy he has leaned on some of his Hallmark colleagues for help along the way, including Jonathan Bennett, who is often tapped to serve as the emcee or host of Hallmark-related events.
“Take the world by the horns, just do it — that’s his attitude,” Ayres told Heavy, adding that he hopes they’ll collaborate on future events together. “I just appreciate his friendship and his guidance.”
“There are people in life that are what I call ‘activators’ and then there are people that sit around and wait for things to happen,” Bennett told Heavy on December 28. “Ben Ayres is an activator. And I think the key to success and the key to longevity in this business, and just in life, is activation.”
“I just cannot say enough about how proud I am of Ben,” Bennett continued. “I think we all get scared to activate and I love that Ben has no fear and just went for it.”
When Ayres posted on Instagram that he and his family were celebrating a year of Romance University by delivering their latest donation to Toronto’s Street Haven women’s shelter, multiple Hallmark stars left heartwarming comments.
Nikki DeLoach wrote, “AMAZING!!! It’s just so so cool. You’re the best, bud. Love you ❤️”
Erin Cahill commented, “Ben, this is wonderful! ♥️”
During an Instagram Live session to celebrate Romance University’s first anniversary, Victor Webster — who has a Romance University hat named after him, the Webster Woolie — appeared during a pre-recorded segment to tell Ayres he is “full of amazing ideas” and how happy it makes him to see the community he created is thriving.
Benjamin Ayres’ Mini Movie Goes Viral & Christmas Movie Breaks Records
During one of the live events Ayres coordinated for Romance University, fans were able to hear from a panel of stars and tour the Hallmark backlot at Martini Town in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Ayres offered a higher-priced VIP ticket to fans who wanted to experience filming a movie scene on the set, directed by him and starring Antonio Cupo. To their surprise, the behind-the-scenes video went viral on TikTok and has amassed over 35 million views over the last four weeks.
“Now I’m like a TikTok guy,” Ayres joked to Heavy, adding, “I could not have asked for a better collaborator than Martini. That studio was unbelievable. And then I got this incredible publicity out of it!”
Meanwhile, Ayres also filmed multiple movies for Hallmark throughout the year, including “Miracle in Bethlehem, P.A.,” which premiered on December 21 as the last Hallmark Christmas movie of the season.
On December 30, he and his co-star, Laura Vandervoort, shared a Hallmark press release announcing that the film “broke ratings records for the network, becoming the #1 most-watched premiere of 2023” on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and the second most-watched movie in the channel’s history.
Ayres told Heavy he’s looking forward to what could be an “even busier, more exciting” 2024 that already includes two new movies — January’s “True Justice” and February’s “Love & Jane” — as well as new events and, he hopes, online classes from Romance University.