Josh Ruben | |
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 Ruben in 2012 | |
| Born | Joshua Benjamin Ruben June 30, 1983 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Website | www |
Joshua Benjamin Ruben (born June 30, 1983) [1] is an American actor, comedian, director, and producer. He formerly worked for CollegeHumor and continues to appear in Dropout original shows.
Ruben was born in Washington, D.C. [2] He grew up in Woodstock, New York, with two half-siblings, one of whom is the singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata. [2] [3] He acted in youth theatre and aspired to become a comic actor. [3] He graduated from Onteora High School in 2001. [3] He worked at a gas station before being accepted into the New Actors Workshop in New York City at age 19. [3] [4]
Unable to get an agent in his first years in New York City, Ruben worked as a film extra and at Best Buy. [3] With childhood friend Sam Reich and others, he formed the comedy group Dutch West, which made sketch comedy videos for the internet. [3] [4] Thanks to his work with the group, CollegeHumor hired him as a staffer, and he wrote and directed hundreds of its "Originals" short videos. [3] [4] 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. [5]
Ruben moved to Los Angeles in 2016. [3] He drew from his CollegeHumor 401(k) to write, produce, and direct Scare Me , a comedy horror film shot at Cooper Lake outside of Woodstock. [3] [4] Starring Ruben as an aspiring writer staying in a cabin in the woods, it premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. [4] His next film, Werewolves Within , based on the video game, was also shot in the area in the Hudson Valley. [3] [4] It premiered to critical acclaim at the Tribeca Festival in June 2021. [6] [7] He directed Heart Eyes , a romantic comedy slasher film, [8] and he is set to direct the sci-fi horror film Green Bank. [9] [7]
