Josh Golder
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Josh Golder | |
| Born | March 1, 1982 Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, Personal Growth Filmmaker |
Joshua Golder (born March 1st, 1982) is an American personal growth film maker, entrepreneur, and founder of the Dream brand. He initially became known through his ongoing work with Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.
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[edit] Biography
Josh Golder was born on March 1st, 1982. He was raised middle class in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and he attended Falmouth High School.
[edit] Crohn's Disease
At the age of 14, Golder was suddenly diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a chronic, recurrent inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract.
[edit] Schooling
In high school, Golder was five feet nine inches tall and only weighed 93 pounds due to his disease. He missed nearly 2 years of high school due to Crohn's and rarely left his home due to sickness and anxiety. During his time away from school, Golder began to get involved with various Crohn's and Colitis organizations. Golder did manage to return to high school for a full senior, which concluded with him being recognized as a "Rising Star" of Massachusetts by the Cape Cod Times for his involvement with a charity Crohn's disease golf tournament.
In 2000, Golder attended the University of Delaware. Unfortunately, Golder had to leave school due to his illness. In 2001, in an effort to finish college, Golder attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst. However, his lack of control over Crohn's disease prohibited him from attending classes and ultimately ended his opportunity to graduate with a degree.
[edit] Career
[edit] Cutting Edge Fitness
In 2002, as a result of a business plan he wrote while at UMass, Golder founded a small fitness studio in Newton, Massachusetts called Cutting Edge Fitness. Golder's fitness studio flourished and received extensive media attention from the Boston Globe[1], Fox News, Family Circle, and other regional and national media. It was the early success of Cutting Edge Fitness that inspired Golder to make a difference on a much larger scale.
[edit] True Guts
In 2005, Golder began a passion project to create a documentary film on the struggles with living with Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, a film he titled True Guts. Golder and a friend then traveled to 11 states in nine months interviewing and filming various individuals with Crohn's and colitis. True Guts was completed in summer 2006.
After a local film festival opening[2], Golder began speaking and showing the film around the country in locations such as the University of California Berkeley, Hartwick College, and Oklahoma City. The most often remembered part of the film is the ending in which Golder says,
"Whenever you get an opportunity to do something that will lead to a better, more rewarding life, make sure you jump on it one hundred percent."
True Guts was recognized for its impact on the medical world. In 2007 it was awarded best Educational Medical Film at the Freddie Awards of medical films.[3]
[edit] World Crohn's and Colitis Day
Inspired by fans' reactions to his film, on May 23rd, 2007 Golder created World Crohn's and Colitis Day, (WCCD). The day was celebrated worldwide generating awareness for Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Golder created WCCD as a way to bring people affected by the disease together, as well as friends and family members of those individuals, and even those who knew nothing about either disease in order to increase awareness of them. [4]
[edit] Dream
In late 2007, Golder embarked on a new project: he founded the Dream brand, a "feel good" life improvement brand with the goal of releasing films, books, and online communities all geared around individuals working together realize their dreams.[5] These efforts have been seen throughout the US and as far as Africa. Dream has garnered early media attention through the Jordan Rich's radio show, The Boston Globe and Daryn Kagan[6].
[edit] Awards and Recognition
1999: Rising Stars of Senior Class (Cape Cod Times)
2006: Letter of Appreciation (former President George H. W. Bush)[7]
2007 Freddie Award (Best Educational Entry of the Year)
2007 Freddie Award (Best Inflammatory Film of the Year)[8]
[edit] Works
[edit] DVDs
- True Guts (2006)
- Dream (2008) (in production)
[edit] References
- ^ Sege, Irene (11-25-2002), “Slow Train”, Boston Globe: C1,C4
- ^ 2006 Feature Documentary - WHFF. Woods Hole Film Festival (2006). Retrieved on March 05, 2008.
- ^ The FREDDIE Awards: Founders' Awards. MediMedia (2007). Retrieved on March 05, 2008.
- ^ First Annual World Crohn's and Colitis Day May 23. PR Newswire (2007). Retrieved on March 05, 2008.
- ^ Castellanos, Dalina (2007). Film Shoots to Make Dream Happen for 2 Tucson Women. Tuscon Citizen. Retrieved on March 05, 2008.
- ^ Kagan, Daryn (2008). Overcoming Obstacles. Retrieved on March 05, 2008.
- ^ Bush, George H.W. (2006). Letter of Appreciation from George Bush. Retrieved on March 05, 2008.
- ^ The FREDDIE Awards: Inflammatory Diseases. MediMedia (2007). Retrieved on March 05, 2008.
