Biography
Josh Dinner's professional career began in 2004 at The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum-a historic outdoor ampitheatre in Topanga Canyon known for hiring blacklisted actors during the Red Scare. For the radio play Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas, Josh was promoted from intern to Assistant Director.
Months later in the hills of Hollywood, film director Randal Kleiser (Grease, Blue Lagoon) hired Josh to aid in special event videography, extensive workspace organization, and experiments with new digital technology. While there, Josh almost threw away a piece of construction paper with silver glitter writing that read "Randal You're A Star" which turned out to be given to Mr. Kleiser by his USC roommate, George Lucas.
In 2005, Josh documented the National Critics Conference, a historic gathering of American art critics associations, with future plans to produce a film that incorporates the footage of Norman Lear's keynote speech and the discussions about art in the Age of Information.
In December 2005, Josh earned a B.A. from the USC School of Cinema-Television and dialed into a collection of interests including the philosophy of Michael Foucault, artwork of Alex Grey, music by The Arcade Fire, and the films of Stan Brakhage and Norman McClaren.
In July 2006, Josh was hired as a Post-Production Assistant by creator Silvio Horta for the one hour ABC television show "Ugly Betty" and contributed to the 2006 Golden Globe Win for Best Comedy Series. In 2008, the writer's strike shut down operations all across Hollywood. Work on "Ugly Betty" was postponed indefinitely. Josh waved goodbye to the show and began to craft a portfolio of future projects for Earthrise Pictures with business partner Chris Godwin.
In 2012, Josh partnered with Collins Avenue for "American Colony: Meet The Hutterites" where he served as Co-Creator and Executive Producer for this one-hour docu-series on North America's oldest rural faith-based communal society. NatGeo ordered ten episodes of the show from the sizzle reel alone, which Josh shot and produced with colleagues Trever James and Luke Rold. "American Colony" showcased the lives of residents on King Colony Ranch in central Montana and became the #2 new show for NatGeo that summer.
Following the success of his first network show, Josh went to work crafting a new series about the second most dangerous job in the world
* logging and tree care. He produced, shot, and edited a sizzle reel
and in the winter of 2012, Ping Pong Productions optioned "Extreme Tree Care" - a docu-series about a fast-growing company outside Napa Valley, California that deals exclusively with technical hazardous removals around million dollar homes and estates. Ping Pong Productions re-positioned the show as an urban version of Ax Men but after a 9 month option on the property, they did not garner a network sale.
Josh spent the next 6 months as a Development Editor and Talent Producer for Discovery Studios where he worked closely with the Director of Development, Director of Talent Development, and Executive Producers to craft pitch materials and video packages.
Today, Josh continues to develop new shows for television and film as an independent producer.
