What is Ulster BOCES?
Josh Ruben

Ulster BOCES means different things to different people. To Josh Ruben, a former New Visions Communications Career Exploration student, Ulster BOCES laid the foundation for a successful multi-media career as an actor, producer, and writer. Josh is also a founding member of the Internet comedy group “Dutch West.” He recently wrapped production on the independent film Goodbye Baby and has appeared in the movie Trust the Man alongside David Duchovny and Julianne Moore.

Since he was a young boy, Josh always wanted to pursue a career in acting. “I was the only kid I knew who was able to watch scary movies and really enjoy them,” says Josh, who recalls being fascinated by film early in life. A member of Woodstock Youth Theater since the age of 11, Josh knew that once he graduated high school he would follow his dreams to enter the fiercely competitive world of professional acting. For his senior year in Onteora High School ¬¬¬¬– his last year of formal education – he opted to enroll in the Ulster BOCES New Visions Communications program to give him a jump start into the working world.

“One of my first internships with New Visions was working for a company called Internet Diversity,” says Josh. “They asked me to do a voiceover on how to pressure wash something.” The experience was Josh’s first introduction to doing voiceover work, something he likely never would have considered trying otherwise. Today, Josh’s voiceover clients include VH1, McDonalds, Blockbuster, Cingular, and Gillette. “What was great about the experience was they put me in front of a computer screen with a mike and I had to learn to time out my dialogue,” Josh says.

The practical experience proved useful later on in life. In the summer of 2004, Josh was meeting with what he thought was a potential commercial agent at Paradigm, a Los Angeles based talent agency with offices in Manhattan. Managers at the meeting saw Josh’s voice-over potential and sent him to do some impromptu work, reading a script in an in-house production booth. Josh left that meeting with an agent for both commercials and voiceover work.

After graduating from Onteora High School and completing the Ulster BOCES New Visions program in 2001, Josh moved to Manhattan and enrolled in the New Actors Workshop. At 18, Josh was one of the youngest students enrolled in the two-year program. “I had to convince them I was ready for the responsibility of the school,” Josh says. His initiative in completing a variety of internships in the Ulster BOCES New Visions program was proof of his drive to succeed.

For Josh, the transition from high school student to a man in the working world was eased by the independence and self-sufficiency he developed in the New Visions program. “New Visions had an open campus. It was cool to have that kind of independence in pursuing your education. It was having the responsibility of getting up and going to a workplace rather than a school,” says Josh. Although the New Visions Communications program did not include any acting classes, his education proved useful in other arenas.

“It is of inordinate importance,” Josh says, of the networking skills he finessed while enrolled in the New Visions program. (Today, the New Visions program has expanded to include Performing and Visual Arts Career Exploration.)

Networking skills and independent work habits were also integral to Josh’s comedy sketch group, Dutch West. The start-up company was founded in 2004 and today includes live performances at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Manhattan. Clients include the websites SuperDeluxe.com and Bud.tv. Companies like these pay Dutch West up to $5,000 for a five-minute comedy video.

The unique brand of off-the-wall comedy has caught the attention of some powerhouse agents. Today, the group is represented by Rory and Peter Rosegarten, the same agents who have comedy legend Ray Romano as a client.

The ability to think outside the box is important, Josh says. “New Visions is a liberating experience. It encourages you to break from the norm which is refreshing,” he says. “I’m a confidence story,” says Josh of what the New Visions program ultimately contributed most to his career. “I remember calling the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) for their opinion on the Bush Count. I was totally nerve-wracked because I had never called someone who was not my friend before. The call forced me to put myself out there,” recalls Josh.

“It’s something every student should consider,” says Josh of the New Visions program.

Recently, Josh completed a voiceover for the Travel Channel’s 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, but former teachers and classmates probably won’t recognize Josh if they hear the advertisement – he uses a British accent in the clip!

The independent thinking and self-direction fostered by the New Visions program poised Josh to accomplish big things. In the future, his goals include continued self-direction in the arts industry. “I’d like to produce/write/direct and act in my own projects with artists I admire, whether it's film, television, or theatre. With the skills I’ve learned in New Visions, I’m ready for whatever is next.”