Josh Swade
Josh Swade (born 1974) is an American documentary filmmaker and author. His film One & Done, about basketball player Ben Simmons, premiered on Showtime in 2016. He previously directed the 2012 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary There's No Place Like Home, and wrote the corresponding book, The Holy Grail of Hoops: One Fan's Quest to Buy the Original Rules of Basketball. He has also directed and produced several ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts, and several short films on popular musicians.
Josh Swade | |
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Born | 1974 (age 46–47) |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Kansas City University of New York |
Occupation | Filmmaker, author |
Years active | 2012–present |
Spouse(s) | Lauren Moffatt |
Early life and education
Swade was born in Kansas City, Missouri.[1][2] He attended the University of Kansas,[3] before transferring to City University of New York.[4]
Career
Music
Following his graduation, Swade worked in A&R at Maverick Records, before co-founding the record labels Young American Recordings in 2005 and +1 Records in 2008.[5][6] In 2014, +1 Records became a division of Lyor Cohen's 300 Entertainment.[7]
Filmmaking
In November 2010, Swade read a New York Times story that James Naismith's original rules of basketball would be auctioned off on December 10, 2010.[2][8] The ensuing 2012 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary There's No Place Like Home follows Swade, a lifelong Kansas Jayhawks fan, on his attempt to win the auction so that the rules could be housed at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, where Naismith coached and taught for the majority of his career.[4][8][9] Swade co-directed the film with Maura Mandt.[10] University of Kansas alumnus David Booth and his wife paid $4,338,500 for the rules of basketball, setting a record for the highest sales price for sports memorabilia, according to Sotheby's, which conducted the auction.[11] There's No Place Like Home premiered on ESPN on October 16, 2012.[12] In 2013, Swade’s book The Holy Grail of Hoops: One Fan's Quest to Buy the Original Rules of Basketball was published, with an afterword by University of Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self. It was based on the events in There's No Place Like Home.[4]
In 2014, Swade began work on #BringBackSungWoo, a 30 for 30 Shorts documentary which follows Sung Woo Lee, a South Korean longtime fan of the Kansas City Royals.[13][14][15] The 22-minute film, co-directed by Swade and Josh Shelov, premiered on ESPN and Grantland on October 7, 2015.[16]
In May 2015, Swade was hired as executive producer of film and video at Rolling Stone,[17] where he directed and produced films on musicians including Rick Rubin, The Black Keys, Sheryl Crow, Ringo Starr and Willie Nelson.[18][19] His short film on Rubin, Rick Was Here, was the first Rolling Stone Films production,[20] and was nominated for a 2014 National Magazine Award for Best Video.[21] He has also served as a producer on The ESPYs and NFL Honors award shows.[17]
In 2015, production began on One & Done, a feature documentary co-directed by Swade and Mandt for Showtime. The film chronicles the life of Australian basketball player Ben Simmons, focusing on his lone year at Louisiana State University and culminating in his selection as the top pick in the 2016 NBA draft. The film premiered on Showtime in November 2016.[22][23][24]
Filmography
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | There's No Place Like Home | Co-director | ESPN 30 for 30 feature |
2013 | Arthur and Johnnie | Producer | ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts |
2014 | Rick Was Here | Director | Rolling Stone Films, short film |
2015 | Willie Nelson and His Famous Guitar: The Tale of Trigger | Producer | Rolling Stone Films, short film |
The Big Come Up | Director | Rolling Stone Films, short film | |
#BringBackSungWoo | Co-director | ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts | |
Tiger Hood | Producer | ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts | |
Sheryl Crow: Live at the Bluebird Café | Director | Rolling Stone Films, short film | |
Ringo Starr: Photographer | Producer | Rolling Stone Films, short film | |
Major Lazer Take Kingston | Producer | Rolling Stone Films, short film | |
2016 | One & Done | Co-director | Showtime feature |
Becoming: Ben Simmons | Producer, executive producer | Disney XD episode | |
Billy Corgan: Babyfaced Heel | Producer, executive producer | Rolling Stone Films, short film | |
Bibliography
Books
- The Holy Grail of Hoops: One Fan’s Quest to Buy the Original Rules of Basketball (Sports Publishing, New York, NY, 2013), afterword by Bill Self
Articles
- "A Love Letter To The Nike Air Max 1…" Nice Kicks, March 26, 2017
References
- Richard Sandomir, “Naismith’s Papers Fetch Record $4.3 Million,” New York Times, December 10, 2010.
- Rustin Dodd, “Review: ‘There’s No Place Like Home’, the quest for Naismith’s Rules,” Kansas City Star, October 13, 2012.
- Nicholas Hirshon, “University of Kansas grad David Booth scores original basketball rules for $4.3M at memorabilia sale,” New York Daily News, December 11, 2010.
- Bill DiFilippo, “For The Holy Grail of Hoops, There’s No Place Like Home,” SLAM, July 30, 2013.
- Rustin Dodd, “A look at the new documentary on Naismith’s Rules,” Kansas City Star, August 23, 2012.
- Jonathan Cohen, “Eno, Young American, ‘Dukes of Hazzard’,” Billboard, May 5, 2005.
- Colin Stutz, "+1 Records Becomes Official Label Partner of Lyor Cohen's 300 Entertainment," Billboard, November 5, 2014.
- “30 for 30 doc There’s No Place Like Home earns standing O at premiere,” ESPN Front Row, October 16, 2012.
- Pete Beatty, “A Complete Ranking of ESPN’s ’30 for 30’ Films,” Vulture.com, October 1, 2013.
- Will Eidam, "'There's No Place Like Home'," Austin Chronicle, October 16, 2012.
- Richard Roth and Whitney Hurst, “Basketball ‘bible’ auction sets sports memorabilia record,” CNN, December 11, 2010.
- Adam Friedgood, “ESPN 30 for 30: A Review of ‘There’s No Place Like Home’,” Bleacher Report, October 16, 2012.
- Reeves Wiedeman, “Good-Luck Charm,” The New Yorker, November 3, 2014.
- “Royals superfan Sung Woo Lee will be back in Kansas City for Game 1 of the World Series,” MLB.com, October 16, 2014.
- Andy McCullough, “Filmmaker says Sung Woo Lee will return to KC for the World Series,” Kansas City Star, October 16, 2014.
- "30 for 30 Shorts: #BringBackSungWoo," Grantland, October 7, 2015.
- Todd Spangler, “Rolling Stone Hires Josh Swade, Former ESPN Producer, as Head of Video,” Variety, May 19, 2015.
- D. Patrick Rodgers, "Watch Rolling Stone's Early-Days Black Keys Doc The Big Come Up," Nashville Scene, May 13, 2015.
- Ivan Foley, "ESPN film has ties to KC, The Landmark," Platte County Landmark, September 20, 2015.
- "Dawn of Def Jam: Watch Rick Rubin Return to His NYU Dorm Room," Rolling Stone, October 16, 2014.
- Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke, "The Finalists for the National Magazine Awards Are…" New York Observer, January 15, 2015.
- Erik Pedersen, "Showtime Preps Docu On Ben Simmons, NBA's Likely No. 1 Draft Pick," Deadline Hollywood, June 21, 2016.
- Lamarco McClendon, "Showtime Grabs Documentary on Rising Basketball Star Ben Simmons," Variety, June 22, 2016.
- Gary Parrish, "76ers rookie Ben Simmons' year at LSU exposed in Showtime's 'One & Done'," CBS Sports, November 4, 2016.
External links
- Josh Swade at IMDb