[2][5] In the early 1960s, Blank studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California and received his master's degree.

In 1967 he founded his own production company, Flower Films, with the release of God Respects Us When We Work, but Loves Us When We Dance, a short colorful document of Los Angeles' Elysian Park Love-in.

During Mardi Gras in late February 1968, Blank, Barry Feinstein and others were in New Orleans as part of the original “underground filmmakers”[7] crew of Easy Rider which produced the acid trip segment of that movie, but was replaced afterwards by a more experienced crew.

[8][3] His company, Flower Films, was based in El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California.

[10] Blank was the first documentary filmmaker to earn the Edward MacDowell Medal in 2007, a national honor given to one artist a year.

[12] Two months prior to Blank's death, the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival announced that Blank had been accepted to receive its 2013 Outstanding Achievement Award along with a retrospective of his work at the festival, which took place from April 25 to May 5, 2013.