As a documentary filmmaker, Josh Rosenberg is accustomed to telling other people’s stories. Focusing the camera on marginalized individuals and communities, Rosenberg seeks compelling human stories, especially among those often overlooked.
Turns out, he’s got a pretty good one himself.
Rosenberg has been a part of two Academy Award wins. The executive vice president of production at Breakwater Studios helped make “The Queen of Basketball” and “The Last Repair Shop,” both of which triumphed in the Best Documentary Short Film category in 2022 and 2024, respectively. A 2006 broadcast journalism graduate, Rosenberg is one of only two University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alums to win an Oscar.
At Breakwater, Rosenberg has worked with founder and CEO Ben Proudfoot to develop the studio’s approach to telling stories of people who didn’t receive the recognition they deserved, often because of marginalization and injustice. He’s also helped hone its distinctive style — intimate, empathic and cinematic, with long interviews and a direct-to-camera filming technique.
“Your most important asset is your story,” Rosenberg said. “I always try to find the human angle in stories that haven’t gotten their due.”
Developing a love of storytelling
Born and raised in Green Bay, Rosenberg enrolled at UWM in 2002 hoping to pursue video production and broadcast journalism. As an undergraduate student, he ran the student newscast PantherVision and interned at public radio station WUWM, experiences that nurtured his love of narrative storytelling.
After graduating, Rosenberg self-financed an independent film, then moved to Chicago for a job in TV production. In 2016, he relocated to Los Angeles to work as a line producer for Oprah Winfrey, shooting celebrities from Steven Spielberg and Beyoncé to Michelle and Barack Obama. Two years later, Rosenberg joined Breakwater to lead production of its humanist, short-form documentaries.
“I think the work we’re doing is vital,” he said. “We’re telling stories that need to be told.”
Amplifying voices and feeling fulfilled
When Rosenberg first learned about Lusia “Lucy” Harris, he couldn’t believe he’d never heard of her before. That made her story — rising from rural, segregated Mississippi to become the trailblazing “Queen of Basketball” — a perfect one to tell. In the film, Harris looks back on her life with a wistful reflection that adds richness to her story. It’s especially poignant as Harris died just before the documentary’s Oscar nomination.
“Hopefully, for the rest of time, if you Google her name, our film will come up and you can see her impact and hear her story in her own words,” Rosenberg said. “That’s the thing I’m proudest of.”
In “The Last Repair Shop,” the focus is on four talented craftspeople who have devoted their lives — broken and repaired in different ways — to maintaining 80,000 musical instruments for students in Los Angeles.
“What was so exciting is those repair people never in a million years (would have) thought they would be on the red carpet at the Academy Awards,” Rosenberg said. “When you’re able to shine the spotlight on somebody who never expected it, that’s such a wonderful moment.”
Inspiring audiences with accessible stories
Rosenberg sees the short documentary format as ideal for modern audiences who are increasingly drawn toward easily digestible content.
These stories can provide a platform for diverse perspectives, highlight real-life experiences, and foster understanding through authentic narratives, Rosenberg said. And to ensure they’re accessible to everyone, Breakwater makes its documentaries free to watch on YouTube, where they’ve attracted millions of views.
“Everything we do, we’re trying to make our audience’s day better,” Rosenberg said. “The No. 1 audience member for all our work is our storyteller, but we also want to produce uplifting films that can make the challenges of your day seem a little less heavy.”
