Career Roadmap
Joshua's work combines: Writing, Television, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Phillips Academy
Bachelor's Degree
English Language and Literature, General
Princeton University
Graduate Degree
Creative Writing
Otis College of Art and Design
Certification
Playwriting and Screenwriting
University of California-Los Angeles
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Producers & Directors:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: English Language and Literature, General
Graduate Degree: Fine/Studio Arts, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I always knew I wanted to be a writer or a storyteller.
2.
At Phillips Academy I felt the world was my oyster.
3.
At Princeton, I learned English Majors don't inherit the earth, bankers do.
4.
I got to San Francisco two years too late to cash in on the Internet Boom.
5.
So I became a bartender for a while, telling myself I'd write something.
6.
Three years later, with mere fragments to show for it, I decided to move to Los Angeles.
7.
The UCLA Professionals Program in Screenwriting gave me a leg up.
8.
And luckily I got hired on "The Hills" where I got a graduate level education in TV.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Parents:
Don't spend more money than you make.
How I responded:
Startup capital is required when building something. To write a novel or screenplay, you must labor "on spec", investing time and energy (i.e. "money") on something that may or may not sell. If that's your passion, how are you supposed to pull it off while also making more money than you spend? Loans, credit cards, dedication/hard work all are important. It's also easy to work too much ... it's a lot harder to maintain meaningful relationships. Our society's values are a bit messed.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Even though you'd look at me and say I "had it all", my family wasn't rich enough to leave me with a trust fund, and society doesn't value a writer or a poet. It's been difficult to "sell" myself in a way that jibes nicely with Capitalism.