Meet Joshua Handler | Co-Founder/Lead Film Programmer, Picturehouse 441

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Handler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, how do you think about risk?
I believe risk is necessary to truly excel in creative pursuits. My personal preference is to take calculated professional risks, though I’m sure that risks I consider to be well thought-through and calculated would be considered insane by others. I’m independent by nature, and thus, it’s always been necessary to take professional risks.

When starting our live virtual film Q&A series, Picturehouse 441, I wasn’t initially sure whether or not there would be an audience for such a series and also whether or not those who participated in my previous series – which was totally private and only open to a handful of friends – would be willing to return for a public-facing one. This concept hasn’t been done in this way before, so it was a bit like getting through a thick jungle with a butter knife. Picturehouse 441 is centered around essential cinema, and we feature exclusive hourlong Q&As with the film industry’s top talents. As our events are only recorded for the sake of posterity, they’re only available live, making the talent more comfortable to dive deeper and more honestly into their work.

While starting this business was risky, I always believed that this concept had a great chance of working because 1) people flock to festival Q&As with top filmmakers/actors/craftspeople, and 2) our audience and talent pool doesn’t have traditional geographical limitations because all of our events are completely virtual and can be enjoyed from the comfort of home.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I run Picturehouse 441, a live virtual Q&A series dedicated to promoting film literacy through hourlong events with the industry’s top professionals. Our events are unique because they’re only available live on Zoom – once they’re finished, they’re finished. There’s an electricity to experiencing something as it’s happening that can’t be replicated when watching a recording. And, our guests frequently give us insights into themselves and their work that they wouldn’t otherwise share because of the intimacy of our events and the fact that they feel comfortable knowing their words won’t be traveling throughout the internet..

Other people would be much better at answering what, if anything, sets me apart from others. I don’t think that’s for me to answer.

What I can say is that I’m extremely proud of my Picturehouse 441 team’s work (as well as everyone with whom we partner) in getting our programs out into the world and reaching the thousands that we have in a very short period of time. It’s thrilling to introduce or re-introduce people to great cinema through the eyes of the people who created those films.

I’ve learned that as much as I may try to control the path of this business, I have to sometimes listen to what the business is telling me – where it wants to go. There have been countless sleepless nights running this business, but what always gets me through is my love of what I do. I feel endlessly lucky to be working on such a rewarding project with dedicated colleagues and to build a community of film-lovers from across the world.

Picturehouse 441 is the result of constant evolutions, one series into another into another. Sometimes the series tells me when it needs to evolve and grow, and sometimes, those evolutions are forced to happen by such events as a pandemic. Without constant reinvention and evolution, it would have been impossible to get here.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite spots in New York City are our movie theaters and live theatres. We’re the arts capital of the world for a reason. If I had a film-loving friend in for a week, we’d fill our time by going to the best movie theatres – the AMC Lincoln Square’s gargantuan IMAX, the Walter Reade Theatre at Film at Lincoln Center, the Museum of the Moving Image’s gorgeous theatre and fascinating museum – and the best of what Broadway/Off-Broadway has to offer. That’s always an embarrassment of riches. If it were the summertime, I’d take them to Rooftop Films which largely holds advance screenings of new films on rooftops (or in Greenwood Cemetery) across NYC along with live music, Q&As, and afterparties.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are way too many to list, but the three people who immediately come to mind are my parents and my close friend/business partner, Adam, who has mentored me for years. My parents were the first ones who believed in me and actively supported my passion for film. When I told them that I wanted to attend film school, they didn’t hesitate. The road on this career path has been tough and not always easy, but they’ve been with me every step of the way.

I met Adam shortly after beginning college, and he has generously taken me under his wing and guided me for well over a decade. It was his idea to evolve my pandemic Q&A series into something more public-facing and wide-reaching, and he has been my professional North Star. Whenever I need a second professional opinion on something, he’s the first person I go to.

I would have gotten nowhere without my parents and Adam, but there are countless other people without whom I wouldn’t have had any measure of success. There are hundreds of filmmakers who have taken a chance on me over the years by giving me an hour of interview time – I wouldn’t have my current job without them. This shoutout section is to anyone who believed in me or even gave me the time of day over the past many years. I am a result of all of these people.

Website: picturehouse441.com

Instagram: @picturehouse441

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/picturehouse-441

Twitter: @picturehouse441

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/picturehouse441