International production company Stink Films has brought director Josh Ruben aboard its U.S. roster for commercials and branded content representation.
Drawing from his unique perspective as a writer, performer, and director, Ruben has turned out work that is immersive and youthful, moving deftly across genres and playing upon classic comedy tropes to build vividly realized worlds populated by unforgettable characters. Ruben’s comedy horror film Werewolves Within was an official selection of the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and premiered in theaters on June 25, 2021.
Forging his career in the early days of internet comedy, Ruben has created memorable and memeable original content and comedic films for CollegeHumor, Funny or Die, Youtube, and more. After moving to New York City at the age of 18 to hone his craft under the instruction of Mike Nichols, Paul Sills, and George Morrison, he partnered with Sam Reich and friends to form sketch comedy group Dutch West. CollegeHumor took notice and soon approached them to create original content for their site. Ruben is one of the founding members of CollegeHumor’s “Originals” team, directing the majority of the thousands of shorts, amassing views well into the billions.
He has directed sketch pieces for The Late Late Show with James Corden, episodes of Tru TV’s Adam Ruins Everything, and myriad commercials for clients such as GEICO, Sling TV, Lay’s, Columbia, TurboTax, and DiGiorno. Ruben directed (and cameoed) in all 10 episodes of Funny or Die and Spotify’s narrative podcast series, “The Last Degree of Kevin Bacon,” starring Bacon as himself.
Ruben’s debut feature film Scare Me, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in alongside Aya Cash and Chris Redd, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Scare Me is now streaming on SHUDDER and is available on-demand. Werewolves Within is his second feature film, now playing in theaters and for streaming on VOD. Based on the Ubisoft online game of the same name, the horror/comedy stars a roster of comedic talent including Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, Michaela Watkins, Michael Chernus, and Harvey Guillén.
Stink founder Daniel Bergmann said, “I am particularly excited about signing Josh because of his unique directorial talent and ability to create special worlds cast with intriguing characters. Josh has an amazing sense of comedic timing and undeniable wit. His films hold your attention from the first second to the last.”
Ruben said, “I started in the commercial world and sort of left to pursue features. When the folks at Stink approached me, I couldn’t resist coming aboard. The quality of their work is inimitable. They’re filmmaker-forward. I’m stoked to chart new territory alongside Daniel and the Stink team.”
Ruben was previously represented in the U.S. ad market by Honor Society.
