Life & Work with Joshua Jones of Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Jones.

Hi Joshua, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I didn’t come from a film family or an impressive ZIP code. I grew up in Ramona, CA, raised by two parents doing their best through a messy divorce. While other kids played sports, I carried a mini DV camera everywhere, making homemade movies with my neighbors and unknowingly laying the foundation for my future.

In middle school, I screened a short film at the school talent show called “Gum is Dumb.” It was a comedy that imagined what life at school would be like if gum were an illicit street drug. The audience thought it was hilarious, and it was the first time I felt like I had created something that took on a life of its own. That moment stuck with me, and from then on, I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker.

In 2010, I moved to Los Angeles and enrolled in film school at CSUN, where I sharpened my skills and eventually shot my thesis project on 35mm film. After graduating, I landed a job at Panavision, one of Hollywood’s top camera companies. From that day on, I’ve worked behind the scenes, mastering my craft and steadily building my resume. This year I produced and directed my first feature film, “Truth or Dare?”.

The film is about how a fun Thanksgiving dinner among friends takes a shocking turn when secrets spill out during a game of “Truth or Dare?”. On set, we had a saying: each of us has three lives — a public one, a private one, and a secret one. The film explores what friendship really means and how fragile it can be when the truth surfaces.

“Truth or Dare?” is now available on Amazon Prime and Tubi. You can also learn more at www.truthordarethefilm.com.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like many young artists, I faced setbacks. In my teens, I got caught up in partying, and the creative spark that once drove me started to fade, replaced by the temporary highs I used to get from being creative. Still, the dream never left me, and on August 20, 2025, I celebrated six years of sobriety, a milestone I’m very proud of.

Self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and fear of failure are all par for the course in this business, but what keeps me going is my love for cinema. It’s such a beautiful art form, and some of my best memories come from watching movies with loved ones. That passion is what drives me to keep creating, no matter the obstacles.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
JOSHUA JONES FILM is my production company, which I’ve owned and operated since 2014. Over the years, I’ve created premium video and photography content for myself and a variety of clients, shooting and editing raw footage into compelling stories.

My goal is to build the company, working with talented professionals and producing at least one feature film each year for the foreseeable future, while staying open to whatever life brings.

To learn more about my work, visit my portfolio at www.joshuajonesfilm.com

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
After the pandemic, I started wondering if the movie industry was even for me. I considered stepping away from filmmaking entirely and even applied to join the military. But a paperwork mishap left that path in limbo, and I found myself stuck and uncertain about what came next.

It was during that low point that a friend from church, a successful film producer, inspired me to start my own business and produce my own movies. The advice hit home and reignited my creative spark. In 2023, I made the bold decision to focus on filmmaking full-time. Not long after, I got my first opportunity to produce a motion picture.

In short, my view is that anytime you push yourself outside your comfort zone in pursuit of a higher good you risk failure. However, I believe not chasing what you in life is the biggest risk of all. We are all going to die someday so why not go big?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joshuajonesfilm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshua.jones.film/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajonesfilm/
• Other: https://www.truthordarethefilm.com