Joshua Benjamin Ruben (born June 30, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, director, and producer. He formerly worked for

CollegeHumor Dropout, incorporated as CH Media and formerly known as CollegeHumor, is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles that produces content for release on its streaming service Dropout (streaming platform), Dropout as well as YouTube. Dropou ...

and continues to appear in Dropout original shows.

Early life and education

Ruben was born in Washington, D.C. He grew up in

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, New York, Kingston. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The popula ...

, with two half-siblings, one of whom is the singer-songwriter

Rachael Yamagata Rachael Amanda Yamagata (born September 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist from Arlington, Virginia. She began her musical career with the band Bumpus before becoming a solo artist and releasing five EPs and four studio album ...

. He acted in youth theatre and aspired to become a comic actor. He graduated from Onteora High School in 2001. He worked at a gas station before being accepted into the New Actors Workshop in New York City at age 19.

Career

Unable to get an agent in his first years in New York City, Ruben worked as a film

extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

and at

Best Buy Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was r ...

. With childhood friend

Sam Reich Samuel Dalton Reich ( ; born July 22, 1984) is an American media executive, writer, producer, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his work with Dropout (formerly CollegeHumor), of which he is now the CEO, including hosting the series '' G ...

and others, he formed the comedy group Dutch West, which made sketch comedy videos for the internet. Thanks to his work with the group,

hired him as a staffer, and he wrote and directed hundreds of its "Originals" short videos. He has appeared on the Dropout game show '' Game Changer'' and its spinoff '' Make Some Noise'', both hosted by Reich, and is credited as an executive producer on the latter series. Ruben moved to Los Angeles in 2016. He drew from his CollegeHumor

401(k) In the United States, a 401(k) plan is an employer-sponsored, defined-contribution, personal pension (savings) account, as defined in subsection 401(k) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Periodic employee contributions come directly out of their ...

to write, produce, and direct '' Scare Me'', a comedy horror film shot at Cooper Lake outside of Woodstock. Starring Ruben as an aspiring writer staying in a cabin in the woods, it premiered at the

2020 Sundance Film Festival The 2020 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 23 to February 2, 2020. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 4, 2019. The opening night film was '' Miss Americana'' directed by Lana Wilson and produced by Morg ...

. His next film, '' Werewolves Within'', based on

the video game ''The Video Game'' is an American television game show that aired from 1984 to 1985. It was created by JM Production, and debuted shortly after the cancellation of their earlier game show ''Starcade''. ''The Video Game'' was taped at Six Flags Mag ...

, was also shot in the area in the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

. It premiered to critical acclaim at the

Tribeca Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

in June 2021. He directed ''

Heart Eyes ''Heart Eyes'' is a 2025 American romantic comedy slasher film directed by Josh Ruben and written by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon (who also produces), and Michael Kennedy. The film stars Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding as a pair of cow ...

'', a

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...

, and he is set to direct the sci-fi horror film ''Green Bank''.

Filmography

* '' Scare Me'' (2020) * '' Werewolves Within'' (2021) * ''

Death to 2021 ''Death to 2021'' is a 2021 mockumentary produced by Netflix. A sequel to '' Death to 2020'', the special features a series of fictional characters discussing US news in 2021, including the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine misinformation and Big Tech ...

'' (2021) * ''

'' (2025)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruben, Josh Living people 1983 births People from Woodstock, New York Film directors from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state) Comedians from New York (state) Film producers from New York (state) American television directors CollegeHumor people American horror film directors American comedy film directors American male web series actors 21st-century American male actors American impressionists (entertainers) American male comedians