We recently connected with Josh Soskin and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Josh thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Every time I’ve taken a risk it’s paid off. EVERY time. In particular I’m reminded of when I wanted to make the leap into proper comedy commercial directing. I had done a few smaller corporate things but I hadn’t cracked into the big leagues. I I wanted to get signed by a proper production co. and a friend of mine at an agency said I’d need to do really creative “spec” work. At that very moment my wife heard about these spec competitions with a company called Mofilm. They would offer 8000 dollars and a trip to Tribeca film festival for whoever made the best commercial for Microsoft. We did NOT have a lot of money at the time. Not broke. But very limited savings to speak of. I got struck with an idea – I wanted to make a spot about a kid stuck in detention, who, using Microsoft tools, makes a song out of the sounds of boredom. I wrote it up and we poured almost exactly 8000 dollars into the spot and went and made it. It was terrifying. Because we needed that money – and we were banking in making it all back! We enlisted all our friends and favors and stretched the money to make 8k look like 100k. And — WE WON. We got the 8k back, but more importantly it kickstarted my career. I got an agent at CAA actually after that spot and went and made TWO MORE spec spots, the exact same way and won both! Then, finally, having made ZERO money from the risks, I got signed by Station Film (a proper production co) and voial, my career got going. Oh, btw, when things sort of stalled, I did the same thing (again) writing a commercial for Match.com and spending a bunch of money I didn’t have — and ended up selling the spot to Match and re-invigorating my career. So the point is – the risk stuff works.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a writer, director, and photographer. I wear a lot of hats as they say. Art wise, I started as an actor in college. But in my early 2os I developed Alopecia (an autoimmune condition which took ALL of my hair) which rocked my boat to the point of pretty much shattering it. I hit the reset button on my life after dealing with pretty severe depression. And THAT led me other forms of art as an outlet. I wrote a lot of poetry and music and played in bands. And then post-college I found myself working at a TV network doing journalism and suddenly I caught the filmmaking bug full on. I quite the job and moved to Europe to start working as a freelance director with my wife who produced and together we formed a company which would later become Ladybug Films. Art saved me, changed my life, made my life — all that stuff. I write to tell stories and I direct to turn those stories into moving images. Sometimes nothing in my life exists except for photography. Which I feel taps me into the beauty of the moment and the cultures and worlds through which I move. At other times, my photograph brain turns off and I focus soley on a script I’m writing. It depends. Right now I’m in development on what will be my first feature film ( “The Rooster Prince”). The film is in line with my life philosophy I suppose — turning the most painful event of my life (losing my brother to bipolar/suicide) into a story that captures that emotions and transmutes into something we could both be proud of. Now I just need a famous actor and a few millions dollars :)
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think, for me, its that moment when you sit there with something you tangibly MADE and get to look back at the process and realize it was all worth it. That you grew, that you learned, and that this thing you’re now holding ( a photograph, a film, a script in my case) went from a tiny idea in your brain to something tangible that can live and breathe and make other people feel something. That’s an incredibly powerful phenomenon. Perhaps one of the greatest things we do as humans. And it lasts! (in theory).
Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
I’m not gonna lie. I think they’re stupid. Or maybe I’m stupid? But for now I’ll call them stupid. Do they actually get people looking at work in a way that enhances the experience? Definitely not. Do they bring this together? Quite the opposite. The last thing we need right now is the digitialization of the art experience — our last bastion of analogue realness, our last hope to get together in a room and feel something. That and it messes up the environment.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joshsoskin.com
- Instagram: @joshsoskin
- Twitter: Josh_soskin