Josh Greenbaum is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He has won an
MTV Movie Award,
CINE
Ciné film or cine film is the term commonly used in the UK and historically in the US to refer to the 8 mm, Super 8, 9.5 mm, and 16 mm motion picture film formats used for home movies. It is not normally used to refer ...
Golden Eagle and
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
.
He directed the feature documentary ''
The Short Game'', winner of the
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...
Audience Award, which was acquired by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
to launch their Originals film division. He also directed ''
Becoming Bond'' a documentary about
George Lazenby
George Robert Lazenby (; born 5 September 1939) is an Australian actor. He was the second actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service' ...
, which won SXSW's Audience Award in the Visions category as well as the critically-acclaimed ''
Too Funny to Fail'', a documentary about The Dana Carvey Show.
He is also the creator, director and executive producer of ''
Behind the Mask'', which earned Hulu its first ever Emmy nomination.
Early life and career
Greenbaum was born in
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...
. He graduated from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...
and the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...
, earning an
MFA in film from the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8. ...
's School of Cinematic Arts.
He won the
2007 MTV Movie Award for mtvU Best Filmmaker on Campus as well as the
Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award while at USC.
In 2011, Greenbaum directed and co-wrote ''Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division'' for
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a re ...
, a short spoof starring
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...
,
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among '' Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Amer ...
,
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolade ...
,
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama '' Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008).
Penn began his acting career in televis ...
,
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known ...
,
Jack Black
Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), '' Shallow Hal'' (2001), '' Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ' ...
,
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'', for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. H ...
,
Mary Steenburgen
Mary Nell Steenburgen (; born February 8, 1953) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter. After studying at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse in the 1970s, she made her professional acting debut in 1978 Western comedy film '' Goi ...
and
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joi ...
shot for the
Clinton Foundation
The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was e ...
. It premiered at Bill Clinton's "Decade of Difference" party at the
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018.
The Hollywood Bowl is known for its disti ...
.
Film
Greenbaum directed the feature documentary ''The Short Game'', which won the Audience Award at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival and was acquired by Netflix as its first exclusive documentary.
The film was executive produced by
Justin Timberlake and
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. She has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Biel be ...
.
He also directed ''Becoming Bond'', a
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television seri ...
-distributed documentary about the Australian actor
George Lazenby
George Robert Lazenby (; born 5 September 1939) is an Australian actor. He was the second actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service' ...
who portrayed
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 19 ...
in ''
On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', released in 2017.
The film won SXSW's Audience Award in the Visions category and nominated for the festival's Adam Yauch Hornblower Award Nomination.
It was also nominated for a
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ont ...
Audience Award.
Greenbaum also directed ''Too Funny to Fail'' in 2017, a documentary about ''The Dana Carvey Show'', also distributed by Hulu.
Greenbaum made his narrative feature debut directing ''
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar'', released in 2021. The film was written by and stars
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Canandaigua, New York, she was raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, New York. She moved to Los Angeles, where she joi ...
and
Annie Mumolo
Anne Marie Mumolo (born July 10, 1973) is an American actress, screenwriter, comedian, and producer, best known for co-writing the 2011 film '' Bridesmaids'' with Kristen Wiig, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA for Bes ...
, and also features
Jamie Dornan,
Damon Wayans Jr. and
Wendi McLendon-Covey
Wendi McLendon-Covey (née McLendon; born October 10, 1969) is an American actress and comedian. She is known primarily for her work in comedic and improvisational roles. Since 2013, McLendon-Covey has played the role of Beverly Goldberg, a fam ...
.
In December 2021, it was announced that Greenbaum will direct the animated comedy film ''
Strays'' starring Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, and Will Forte.
TV
Greenbaum created and directed ''Behind the Mask'', a
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television seri ...
documentary series about sports mascots and the people in the costumes. The series earned Hulu its first Emmy nomination.
He directed episodes of ''
New Girl
''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Television for Fox that originally aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jessica Day (Zooey ...
'' for Fox, ''
Fresh Off the Boat
The phrase fresh off the boat ''(FOB)'', off the boat ''(OTB)'', are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior, ...
'' for
ABC,
Single Parents for Fox, ''
Bless This Mess'' for ABC as well as two episodes of ''
Deadbeat'' for Hulu and, ''Border Patrol'' featured on episodes of
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy program ...
's ''
Atom TV'', created
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
's ''
Max & Shred'' (nominated for the
Canadian Screen Awards
The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) ...
' Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series in 2016) and directed "Good Debbie Hunting", an episode of
ABC's ''
The Neighbors''. He has written and directed projects for
CBS,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
,
FOX
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
and
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
.
He also served as executive producer and director of ''
The Playbook'' series for Netflix and directed the first episode, profiling
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...
coach
Doc Rivers
Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
After playing for Marquette Universit ...
.
Commercials
Greenbaum collaborated with
After-School All-Stars charity, directing commercials that feature the organization's founder,
Arnold Schwarzenegger. A commercial featuring Schwarzenegger on
Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywo ...
and at
Madame Tussauds Hollywood in character as the
Terminator
Terminator may refer to:
Science and technology
Genetics
* Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription
* Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...
interacting with tourists received more than 25 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
and was awarded the YouTube Ad of the Year.
Awards and honors
* 2017 SXSW Film Festival, VISIONS Audience Award Winner (''Becoming Bond'')
* 2017 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Top 20 Audience Favourites (''Becoming Bond'')
* 2016
Canadian Screen Award
The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) ...
, nominated ''Max and Shred'' best Youth Fiction Series
* 2014 Sports Emmy Awards, nominated — Outstanding New Approaches Sports Programming (''Behind the Mask'')
* 2014 CINE Golden Eagle Film and Video Competition, Golden Eagle Televised Series (''Behind the Mask'')
* 2013 SXSW Film Festival, Audience Award Documentary Feature (''The Short Game'')
* 2013
Hamptons International Film Festival
The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October ...
, Audience Award Best Documentary Feature (''The Short Game'')
* 2013
Maui Film Festival, Audience Award Feature Documentary (''The Short Game'')
* 2013
Nantucket Film Festival
The Nantucket Film Festival is a film festival founded in 1996 which focuses on screenwriting. Board members include Donick Cary, Nancy Dubac, Chris Matthews, Kathleen Matthews, Ben Stiller, and Tom Scott.
History
The Nantucket Film Festiva ...
, Best Feature, Audience Award 2nd Place (''The Short Game'')
* 2012
The Webby Awards
The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include ...
, Best Comedy Long Form or Series (''The Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division'')
* 2007 MTV Movie Awards, MTV Movie Award Best New Filmmaker (''Border Patrol'')
* 2007 Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award, Red Ribbon Award
* 2007 Emmy Awards (Rocky Mountain), Documentary – Topical (''Mwana Wako Ni Mwana Wanga - - Your Child Is My Child'', Park City Television)
* 2005 Emmy Awards (Rocky Mountain), Sports Program, Editing – Programs, Documentaries and Magazines (''Endurance 100'', Park City Television)
Selected filmography
* 2023 – ''
Strays'', director, producer
* 2021 - ''
Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar''
* 2020 ''
The Playbook'', “
Doc Rivers
Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
After playing for Marquette Universit ...
”, director, executive producer
* 2019 ''Bless This Mess'', "The Estonian Method", director
* 2018-19 ''
Single Parents'', "The Beast!", "The Shed", “Raining Blood!”, director
* 2017 - ''Too Funny to Fail''
* 2017 - ''Becoming Bond''
* 2017-19 ''
Fresh Off The Boat
The phrase fresh off the boat ''(FOB)'', off the boat ''(OTB)'', are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior, ...
'', "The Vouch", ”Where Have All The Cattleman Gone?“, “Legends of the Fortieth“, director
* 2016-18 ''
New Girl
''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Television for Fox that originally aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jessica Day (Zooey ...
'', “Helmet”, "The Hike", "Rumspringa", "Tuesday Meeting", "The Curse Of The Pirate Bride", director
* 2015 ''Arnold Pranks Fans as the Terminator'' (short), writer, director
* 2013 – present, ''Behind the Mask'', executive producer, creator, director
* 2013 '' The Neighbors'', "Good Debbie Hunting", director
* 2013 ''The Short Game'', director, producer
* 2014-16, ''Max & Shred'', creator, writer
* 2011 – ''Ricky and Ravi (Are in Between Jobs)'', creator, director, writer
* 2011 ''Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division'' (short), director, writer
* 2007 ''Border Patrol'' (short), executive producer, director, editor writer
* 2007 ''Sole Mates'' (short), writer, director, producer
* 2007 ''The Morning Routine'' (short), writer, director, producer
* 2007 ''The Beginning and the End'' (short) writer, director, producer
References
External links
*
Home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenbaum, Josh
Living people
Alumni of the University of Oxford
American male screenwriters
Cornell University alumni
Film directors from California
Film directors from New York (state)
People from Saratoga Springs, New York
Screenwriters from California
USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)