Josh Heald

{{Infobox person

| name = Josh Heald

| image =

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| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1977|12|12}}

| birth_place = Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S.

| alma_mater = University of Pennsylvania

| occupation = Screenwriter, director, producer

| years_active =

| known_for = Cobra Kai
Hot Tub Time Machine

| spouse =

| children =

}}

Josh Heald (born December 12, 1977) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer best known for his work on Cobra Kai and Hot Tub Time Machine.

Early life

Heald was born in Red Bank, New Jersey to a Jewish family.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/josh_heald

|title=Josh Heald

|accessdate=November 16, 2022

|last=

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|date=

|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes

}} He was raised in Middletown Township, New Jersey and attended Middletown High School South, where he played the trombone and was a drum major in the school's marching band.Kuperinsky, Amy. [https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2021/12/cobra-kai-season-4-on-netflix-battle-for-the-soul-of-valley-rages-on-for-nj-creators-and-cast.html "‘Cobra Kai’ season 4 on Netflix: Battle for the soul of Valley rages on for N.J. creators and cast"], NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 31, 2021, updated January 6, 2022. Accessed November 17, 2022. "'We always wanted to have more female characters on our show that weren’t just there to be involved in family dynamics or in love triangles,' says Heald, 44, a Red Bank native.... Heald (co-writer of Hot Tub Time Machine), who met Hurwitz when they were students at the University of Pennsylvania, proudly remembers being an 'alpha' marching band drum major at Middletown High School South."

Heald was studying finance at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, with Jon Hurwitz who lived in the same dorm with him during freshman year. {{Cite web|url=https://www.pfeifferlaw.com/entertainment-law-blog/wax-on-wax-off

|title=Wax On, Wax Off (Interview)

|accessdate=November 16, 2022

|last=

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|date= April 24, 2019

|publisher= The Creative Influencer Podcast, PFIEFFER Law

}} As Hurwitz's high school friend Hayden Schlossberg (who was in college at The University of Chicago) frequently came to visit, Heald also got to know him as well.

Career

During his time at Wharton, Heald was the editor-in-chief of 34th Street magazine, and he briefly considered a career in journalism. Ultimately, he accepted a position in finance, but was laid off during the Dot-com bust in 2001. He then joined Hurwitz and Schlossberg in Los Angeles, where he worked as a screenwriter.{{Cite web|url=https://scriptmag.com/features/writers-on-writing-from-wannabe-to-working-writer

|title=WRITERS ON WRITING: Staying Hungry - From Wannabe To Working Writer

|accessdate=November 16, 2022

|last=Heald

|first=Josh

|date= November 2004

|publisher= Script Magazine

}}

Heald currently works on Cobra Kai, a continuation of The Karate Kid franchise with Hurwitz & Schlossberg. The trio serve as executive producers, show runners, writers, and directors on the series.{{cite web

|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cobra-kai-how-fuller-house-inspired-karate-kid-tv-sequel-1106225

|title=The Inside Story of How 'Fuller House' Inspired 'Karate Kid' Sequel 'Cobra Kai' (Guest Column)

|accessdate=November 13, 2019

|last=Heald

|first=Josh

|date=May 1, 2018

|work=The Hollywood Reporter

}} More recently they all signed a deal with Sony Pictures Television.{{Cite web|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=September 9, 2021|title='Cobra Kai' Creators Re-Up Overall Deal With Sony Pictures TV For Their Counterbalance Entertainment, Set Comedy 'The Prince' With Writer Zora Bikangaga|url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/cobra-kai-creators-jon-hurwitz-hayden-schlossberg-and-josh-heald-re-up-overall-deal-sony-pictures-tv-counterbalance-entertainment-the-prince-with-zora-bikangaga-1234829276/|access-date=September 11, 2021|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}

Filmography

Year ! Title ! Director ! Writer ! Producer ! Actor
class="wikitable sortable"
2008	Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay	{{no}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}
2010	Hot Tub Time Machine	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}
2015	Hot Tub Time Machine 2	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}
2018−2025	Cobra Kai	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}
2021	Plan B	{{no}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}
2023	Obliterated	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}