Jacob Interviews…withjosh.com Host Josh Skinner Part One

Since he was 11 years old, actor, withjosh.com host and songwriter Josh Skinner has been all over the entertainment industry.   Recently this triple-threat sat down with me for a series of interviews.

Jacob Elyachar: You started your show business career when you were 11-years-old as a children’s radio host.  Why did you start that early?

 

Josh Skinner:  I kind of fell into it.  I grew up in Hawaii after my dad moved us there where he was a minister but he also ran a Christian radio station.  One day, I was in the station, they asked me to be the guest host of a children’s weekly radio show and that one guest appearance ended up being a three-and-a-half year run and it was statewide.  Even though it was small, it did pretty well and gained a following and it changed my life.

 

During that same time…I booked my first T.V. show for ABC, which it was odd because I did not live in Los Angeles, I lived in Hawaii. So it all came together and prepared me for where I am supposed to be today.

 

JE: You moved to Los Angeles to in 1999.  Was it a hard transition for you?

JSK: Absolutely.  I was trying to escape Hawaii because I had Rock fever and I love Los Angeles and love everything about entertainment. I left when I was 18 and I think any huge transition especially if you are moving 2500 miles away and luckily I had some family here. But I lived by myself and I had to get a job and I had to realize that Hollywood and those dreams come knocking on your door that you have to really fight for it.

 

JE: Could you tell me about your acting career?

JSK: I came to L.A. thinking I was going to be an actor because I had done T.V. and film in Hawaii.  I think that everybody as a child wanted to be something cool like an astronaut or own your own business.   I wanted to be an actor…I thought for sure that it’s what I was supposed to do and then as time went by here in L.A, I realized I was given those opportunities and at this time of my life, it was not what I wanted to do.

 

I filmed a movie with Chris Pine, the late Tom Bosley and Bruce Davidson, who was nominated for an Academy Award and I worked with him on a short film that I produced and I was working with all of these people, being able to go to red carpet events and did all that but I never had the success that I had wanted but I had the experiences that I wanted.  It’s kind of like an oxymoron-when you realize that you are living the dream but you don’t have the success that you wanted as a kid, you realize that is not what life is about.   It wasn’t about becoming the famous actor; it then turned into it was about the quality of work.

 

A red carpet event or seeing your face on the movie screen does not define you as an individual and I think in my early 20s, I had to make that transition form going yeah I love acting and it is great to play someone else and it is an amazing experience but it wasn’t rewarding that’s why I transitioned to hosting I could be me.

 

JE: Why did you start withjosh.com? How do you get your interviews for withjosh.com?

JSK: I started withjosh.com two years ago and I started it because all of us have a story. We want to be loved, valued and appreciated.  Instead of waiting on networks to offer me a show, I said, “Screw it! I am going to make my own Internet show.”  I never ran a website, edit anything and did not know how to get interviews.  So what I ended up doing is that I bugged the heck out of people politely.  I called publicists and agents, I call and e-mail random people; I tweeted people.  I’ve done whatever I can to do an interview.   If you said Queen Latifah is going to jump out of a plane tomorrow with a parachute, I can go and make sure that I am on that flight and I will become her friend.

 

JE: What makes a great interview?

JSK:  Listening to your guest that you are interviewing.  You hope that people are going to be open and honest but it is hard for them to be that if you do not make them feel comfortable.  People are mostly in their own world and wrapped up in the head all the time but to ask the tough questions you have to make them forget that the camera is rolling.  You have to make them realize that it is two friends having coffee.  Sometimes it’s harder to make them feel comfortable than others but just listen because honestly we all just want to be heard.  Right now it is nice to talk about me (laughs) because normally I am asking the questions but everyone wants to be validated and heard.   The more comfortable a guest is…the more juicy s*** you are going to get out of them.

 

In part two of our interview Josh will talks to us about his memorable interviews, friendship with the Kardashians, meeting his childhood idol and more. 

 

For more information about Josh, visit his website: http://www.withjosh.com/