Nationality American Name Josh Swade Spouse(s) Lauren Moffatt | Years active 2012–present Occupation Filmmaker, author | |
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Born 1974 (age 40–41) Kansas City, MO Residence New York City, New York, United States Books The Holy Grail of Hoops: One Fan's Quest to Buy the Original Rules of Basketball Alma mater University of Kansas, City University of New York | ||
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.
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Early life and education
Swade was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended the University of Kansas, before transferring to City University of New York.
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. In 2014, +1 Records became a division of Lyor Cohen's 300 Entertainment.
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. 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. Swade co-directed the film with Maura Mandt. 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. There's No Place Like Home premiered on ESPN on October 16, 2012. 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.
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. The 22-minute film, co-directed by Swade and Josh Shelov, premiered on ESPN and Grantland on October 7, 2015.
In May 2015, Swade was hired as executive producer of film and video at Rolling Stone, where he directed and produced films on musicians including Rick Rubin, The Black Keys, Sheryl Crow, Ringo Starr and Willie Nelson. His short film on Rubin, Rick Was Here, was the first Rolling Stone Films production, and was nominated for a 2014 National Magazine Award for Best Video. He has also served as a producer on The ESPYs and NFL Honors award shows.
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.