- Josh Golder
Infobox Person
name = Josh Golder
image_size = 200px
caption = Josh Golder in 2006 answering questions at aTrue Guts screening.
birth_date = birth date and age|1982|3|1
birth_place =Boston, Massachusetts
death_date =
death_place =
occupation =Entrepreneur ,Personal Growth Filmmaker
main interests =
spouse =Joshua Golder (born
March 1 ,1982 ) is an American personal growth film maker, entrepreneur, and founder of the Dream brand. He initially became known through his ongoing work withCrohn's disease andulcerative colitis .Biography
Golder raised in
Falmouth, Massachusetts , and attended Falmouth High School.At the age of 14, Golder was suddenly diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a chronic, recurrent inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract.
chooling
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 year, 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, he had to leave school due to his illness. In 2001, in an effort to finish college, Golder attended theUniversity 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.Career
Cutting Edge Fitness
In 2002, as a result of a business plan he wrote while at the University of Massachusetts, Golder founded a small fitness studio in
Newton, Massachusetts calledCutting Edge Fitness . Golder's fitness studio flourished and received extensive media attention from theBoston Globe Citation
last = Sege
first = Irene
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = Slow Train
newspaper = Boston Globe
pages = C1,C4
year = 2002
date = 11-25-2002
url = ] ,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.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 openingCite web|url=http://www.woodsholefilmfestival.org/pages/2006FeatureDocs.php
title=2006 Feature Documentary - WHFF|accessyear=2008|accessmonthday=March 05|publisher=Woods Hole Film Festival|year=2006] , Golder began speaking and showing the film around the country in locations such as theUniversity of California Berkeley ,Hartwick College , andOklahoma 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.Cite web|url=http://www.thefreddies.com/Awards/Founders.aspx|title=The FREDDIE Awards: Founders' Awards|accessyear=2008|accessmonthday=March 05|publisher=MediMedia|year=2007]World Crohn's and Colitis Day
Inspired by fans' reactions to his film, on
May 23 ,2007 Golder createdWorld 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. Cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-22-2007/0004594037|title=First Annual World Crohn's and Colitis Day May 23|accessyear=2008|accessmonthday=March 05|publisher=PR Newswire|year=2007]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.Cite web|url=http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/57191.php|title=Film Shoots to Make Dream Happen for 2 Tucson Women|accessyear=2008|accessmonthday=March 05|publisher=Tuscon Citizen|year=2007|author=Castellanos, Dalina] 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 andDaryn Kagan Cite web|url=http://darynkagan.com/overcoming/stories/ov_080225_trueguts.html|title=Overcoming Obstacles|accessyear=2008|accessmonthday=March 05|year=2008|author=Kagan, Daryn] .Awards and Recognition
1999: Rising Stars of Senior Class (Cape Cod Times)
2006: Letter of Appreciation (former President
George H. W. Bush )Cite web|url=http://www.trueguts.com/images/press_bushletter1.jpg
title=Letter of Appreciation from George Bush|accessyear=2008|accessmonthday=March 05|year=2006|author=Bush, George H.W.]2007 Freddie Award (Best Educational Entry of the Year)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
