Joshua Mesnik
- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Joshua Mesnik is an American filmmaker. He was born and raised in Naples, Florida growing up in a home his father built that's tucked within a dense pine forest, and spending weekends at his grandparent's house on the Gulf Coast.
His favorite activities growing up were air-soft gun skirmishes with his friends in the woods, boogie boarding in the ocean, and filming videos with anyone who would agree to play along with his ideas. Through his childhood and teenage years he created many films with friends before YouTube was a thing. He graduated from Florida State University, where he was a longtime member of the campus favorite "30in60" Sketch Comedy Troupe, performing in live shows to large audiences and producing comedic shorts online.
After pursuing a career in Advertising, he changed gears and studied anthropology in Ecuador, living with an indigenous community on the edge of the rainforest. The experience reset his digestive tract and opened his eyes to new worldviews, deepening his curiosity about life. Shortly after, he partnered with a non-profit organization, Open Future Institute, and piloted their innovative education program, The QUESTion Project, with students at his University.
After developing the curriculum with his colleagues, the QUESTion Project was invited to be taught as an elective course at a public high school in the Bronx, New York. Joshua moved to NYC to continue building the organization and facilitating the QUESTion Project with students and teachers in NYC and beyond. The project has now been taught to over 12,000 students across NYC and LA.
While living in NYC, Joshua continued training as an actor, public speaker, and filmmaker. He gave a TED Talk on The QUESTion Project and starred as a prick leading man in an award-winning horror film, Page One, alongside Tarik Davis (Co-Host of The Amber Ruffin show). He studied acting with Thomas Waites at TGW studio, discovering the brutal yet rewarding challenge of Shakespeare.
When opportunities mounted, he moved to LA to continue his career as a filmmaker, and since then he has stumbled his way in high-heels through a musical, led an improv workshop for corporate professionals in a leopard onesie, sang with a Jazz Band for a recording session in a church, sprinted through WWI trenches while mortars and mustard gas exploded all around him (on HBO's 'Perry Mason'), and flung hula hoops at bad guys while starring in his film, Hula Hoop Boy which he also wrote and directed. (Winner of multiple awards, including Best Action Short - Independent Shorts Awards)
As a martial artist, Joshua practices Tai Chi, Wing Chun, JKD, Karate, Taekwondo, and Kick Boxing. He is trained in using weapons for film including Katana, Escrima/Kali, Nunchaku, short sword/shield, and Bo Staff. He has studied with the Inosanto Academy (Dan Inosanto), XMA (Mike Chat), and Stunts in Motion (Jack Huang), and he works as a Fight Choreographer and Action Actor.
His favorite activities growing up were air-soft gun skirmishes with his friends in the woods, boogie boarding in the ocean, and filming videos with anyone who would agree to play along with his ideas. Through his childhood and teenage years he created many films with friends before YouTube was a thing. He graduated from Florida State University, where he was a longtime member of the campus favorite "30in60" Sketch Comedy Troupe, performing in live shows to large audiences and producing comedic shorts online.
After pursuing a career in Advertising, he changed gears and studied anthropology in Ecuador, living with an indigenous community on the edge of the rainforest. The experience reset his digestive tract and opened his eyes to new worldviews, deepening his curiosity about life. Shortly after, he partnered with a non-profit organization, Open Future Institute, and piloted their innovative education program, The QUESTion Project, with students at his University.
After developing the curriculum with his colleagues, the QUESTion Project was invited to be taught as an elective course at a public high school in the Bronx, New York. Joshua moved to NYC to continue building the organization and facilitating the QUESTion Project with students and teachers in NYC and beyond. The project has now been taught to over 12,000 students across NYC and LA.
While living in NYC, Joshua continued training as an actor, public speaker, and filmmaker. He gave a TED Talk on The QUESTion Project and starred as a prick leading man in an award-winning horror film, Page One, alongside Tarik Davis (Co-Host of The Amber Ruffin show). He studied acting with Thomas Waites at TGW studio, discovering the brutal yet rewarding challenge of Shakespeare.
When opportunities mounted, he moved to LA to continue his career as a filmmaker, and since then he has stumbled his way in high-heels through a musical, led an improv workshop for corporate professionals in a leopard onesie, sang with a Jazz Band for a recording session in a church, sprinted through WWI trenches while mortars and mustard gas exploded all around him (on HBO's 'Perry Mason'), and flung hula hoops at bad guys while starring in his film, Hula Hoop Boy which he also wrote and directed. (Winner of multiple awards, including Best Action Short - Independent Shorts Awards)
As a martial artist, Joshua practices Tai Chi, Wing Chun, JKD, Karate, Taekwondo, and Kick Boxing. He is trained in using weapons for film including Katana, Escrima/Kali, Nunchaku, short sword/shield, and Bo Staff. He has studied with the Inosanto Academy (Dan Inosanto), XMA (Mike Chat), and Stunts in Motion (Jack Huang), and he works as a Fight Choreographer and Action Actor.