The Catskill Chronicle

Story by Sara Gorelick, photo provided

Ever want to know what it’s like to work with a star? Josh Pultz has the answer.

Josh was born and raised in Sullivan County, where he attended school in the Monticello district from Kindergarten through 12^th grade.

He moved to New York from Sullivan County in 1998 after graduating high school, going to the Big Apple to study business at Pace University, then on to Baruch College to study business administration and marketing.

He had what he thought was a light class load and wanted to do something extra-curricular. “I answered an ad for a talent agency looking for an intern … that agency was the one I’m still with 12 years later,” he said.

These days, Josh is the senior agent at one of the leading talent agencies in New York – DGRW Talent Inc. “It’s a remarkably demanding but also very rewarding career,” he said. “It’s not exactly the way HBO’s ‘Entourage’ portrays it … that’s very Hollywood and very exaggerated. The life of a non-fictional agent certainly has moments of celebrity, glamour and stress, but if I ever spoke to my assistant the way Ari Gold speaks to his I don’t think I’d still be in business.”

At work, Josh represents actors and directors in television, film and theatre. His job is very fast-paced, and he works with a lot of different and very strong personalities. He has represented Daniel Dae Kim, Cybill Shepherd, Lea Salonga, Lainie Kazan, country stars Larry Gatlin and Sherrie Austin, pop star Jon Secada, Olivia de Havilland, Sandy Duncan, John Davidson and a slew of stars appearing on Broadway.

While Josh’s days vary, he spends a lot of time talking on the phone with clients, producers, etc. where he gives career advice, pitching potential jobs, negotiates, deals with contracts, reads scripts and coordinates with other members of his client’s teams (i.e. managers, publicists, lawyers, assistants).

He also travels to visit clients in shows and on sets, where he sees a lot of theater and watches a lot of television. There are other wildcard items thrown in, like shopping trips to style clients for appearances, accompanying them to interviews, talk shows and more.

With all the travel and work, Josh still finds his way back to Sullivan County about once a month to visit family. He is happy with his decision to go to New York to study. “With the exception of a short span of time I didn’t live in a dorm or have a typical college experience, I was too busy exploring and enjoying the city, and planting the roots of my career, while still studying, to worry about having a social experience.”

Being on the go so often has helped Josh develop a thick skin. “Show business, in general, is tough,” he noted. “It takes determination, whether you’re acting, directing or agenting. For every win there are five losses, so be prepared for a lot of ‘no’s.’ It’s all those ‘no’s’ though that make the ‘yes’s’ so much sweeter.”