Josh Swade is an American documentary filmmaker working primarily in the sports, music, art and fashion genres. His films include Empire Skate, an ESPN 30 for 30 that tells the story of the brand Supreme and how it rose from a tiny New York skateboard shop to a global enterprise. The film premiered in 2025 at the Tribeca Film Festival. Additional feature films include Ricky Powell: The Individualist, about street photographer Ricky Powell, which premiered on Showtime in 2021; One & Done, about basketball player Ben Simmons, which premiered on Showtime in 2016; and the 2012 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary There's No Place Like Home. He has directed and produced several ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts, and several short films on popular musicians, including The Black Keys, Rick Rubin, Sheryl Crow, Major Lazer, and Gary Clark Jr. He also wrote the book The Holy Grail of Hoops: One Fan's Quest to Buy the Original Rules of Basketball.

Early life and education Swade was born in Kansas City, Missouri.Richard Sandomir, “Naismith’s Papers Fetch Record $4.3 Million,” The New York Times, December 10, 2010.Rustin Dodd, “Review: ‘There’s No Place Like Home’, the quest for Naismith’s Rules,” Kansas City Star, October 13, 2012. He attended the University of Kansas,Nicholas Hirshon, “University of Kansas grad David Booth scores original basketball rules for $4.3M at memorabilia sale,” New York Daily News, December 11, 2010. before moving to New York City where he became immersed in the downtown music and art scene.

Career Music Swade worked in A&R at Maverick Records, before co-founding the record labels Young American Recordings in 2005 and +1 Records in 2008.Rustin Dodd, “A look at the new documentary on Naismith’s Rules,” Kansas City Star, August 23, 2012.Jonathan Cohen, “Eno, Young American, ‘Dukes of Hazzard’,” Billboard, May 5, 2005. In 2014, +1 Records became a division of Lyor Cohen's 300 Entertainment.Colin Stutz, "+1 Records Becomes Official Label Partner of Lyor Cohen's 300 Entertainment," Billboard, November 5, 2014. In 2018, +1 Records partnered with Empire Distribution. The label joined Exceleration Music in 2023.

Filmmaking In November 2010, Swade read a New York Times story that James Naismith's original rules of basketball would be auctioned off on December 10, 2010. The ensuing 2012 ESPN 30 for 30 documentary There's No Place Like Home follows Swade, a lifelong Kansas Jayhawks fan, on his attempt to win the auction so that the rules could be housed at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, where Naismith coached and taught for the majority of his career.Bill DiFilippo, “For The Holy Grail of Hoops, There’s No Place Like Home,” SLAM, July 30, 2013.“30 for 30 doc There’s No Place Like Home earns standing O at premiere,” ESPN Front Row, October 16, 2012.Pete Beatty, “A Complete Ranking of ESPN’s ’30 for 30’ Films,” Vulture.com, October 1, 2013.Will Eidam, "'There's No Place Like Home'," Austin Chronicle, October 16, 2012. University of Kansas alumnus David Booth and his wife paid $4,338,500 for the rules of basketball, setting a record for the highest sales price for sports memorabilia, according to Sotheby's, which conducted the auction.Richard Roth and Whitney Hurst, “Basketball ‘bible’ auction sets sports memorabilia record,” CNN, December 11, 2010. There's No Place Like Home premiered on ESPN on October 16, 2012.Adam Friedgood, “ESPN 30 for 30: A Review of ‘There’s No Place Like Home’,” Bleacher Report, October 16, 2012. In 2013, Swade’s book The Holy Grail of Hoops: One Fan's Quest to Buy the Original Rules of Basketball was published, with an afterword by University of Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self. It was based on the events in There's No Place Like Home.

In 2014, Swade began work on #BringBackSungWoo, a 30 for 30 Shorts documentary which follows Sung Woo Lee, a South Korean longtime fan of the Kansas City Royals.Reeves Wiedeman, “Good-Luck Charm,” The New Yorker, November 3, 2014.“Royals superfan Sung Woo Lee will be back in Kansas City for Game 1 of the World Series,” MLB.com, October 16, 2014.Andy McCullough, “Filmmaker says Sung Woo Lee will return to KC for the World Series,” Kansas City Star, October 16, 2014. The 22-minute film premiered on ESPN and Grantland on October 7, 2015."30 for 30 Shorts: #BringBackSungWoo," Grantland, October 7, 2015.

In May 2015, Swade co-created Rolling Stone Films,Todd Spangler, “Rolling Stone Hires Josh Swade, Former ESPN Producer, as Head of Video,” Variety, May 19, 2015. where he directed and produced films on musicians including Rick Rubin, The Black Keys, Sheryl Crow, Ringo Starr and Willie Nelson.D. Patrick Rodgers, "Watch Rolling Stone's Early-Days Black Keys Doc The Big Come Up," Nashville Scene, May 13, 2015.Ivan Foley, "ESPN film has ties to KC, The Landmark," Platte County Landmark, September 20, 2015. His short film on Rubin, Rick Was Here, was the first Rolling Stone Films production,"Dawn of Def Jam: Watch Rick Rubin Return to His NYU Dorm Room," Rolling Stone, October 16, 2014. and was nominated for a 2014 National Magazine Award for Best Video.Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke, "The Finalists for the National Magazine Awards Are…" New York Observer, January 15, 2015.

In 2016, production began on One & Done, a feature documentary for Showtime. The film chronicles the life of Australian-born basketball player Ben Simmons, following him beginning in his senior year of high school at Montverde Academy, focusing on his lone year at Louisiana State University, and culminating in his selection as the top pick in the 2016 NBA draft. The film premiered on Showtime in November 2016.Erik Pedersen, "Showtime Preps Docu On Ben Simmons, NBA's Likely No. 1 Draft Pick," Deadline Hollywood, June 21, 2016.Lamarco McClendon, "Showtime Grabs Documentary on Rising Basketball Star Ben Simmons," Variety, June 22, 2016.Gary Parrish, "76ers rookie Ben Simmons' year at LSU exposed in Showtime's 'One & Done'," CBS Sports, November 4, 2016. The film was noted for the way in which it exposed the inner workings of the amateur basketball system in the United States. New York Times writer Joe Nocera wrote, "'One & Done' will undoubtedly stir outrage among traditional college sports reformers... as well it should."

Swade's film Ricky Powell: The Individualist, about the life and career of New York City street photographer Ricky Powell, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and We Are One: A Global Film Festival on May 30, 2020, and on Showtime on December 10, 2021. It features interviews with Powell, Natasha Lyonne, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Laurence Fishburne, and Mike D, and was executive produced by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. Powell is renowned for his candid photos of artists including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Madonna, Eric B. & Rakim, Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys. Vogue magazine called the documentary "electrifying," writing that it "delivers a heady dose of nostalgia."

In 2025, Swade directed and produced the film Empire Skate. The film chronicles the rise and global influence of NYC’s 1990s skate scene, examining the birth of Supreme and the skaters who transformed a downtown subculture into a worldwide movement. Forbes called the film “a visceral ESPN 30 for 30 documentary that explores how a skate shop helped spark a global fashion and cultural revolution.” The film premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and on ESPN and Disney+.

Filmography Year Title Credited as Notes 2012 There's No Place Like Home Director ESPN 30 for 30 2013 Arthur and Johnnie Producer ESPN 30 for 30 2014 Rick Was Here Director Rolling Stone Films, short film 2015 Willie Nelson and His Famous Guitar: The Tale of Trigger Producer Rolling Stone Films The Big Come Up Director Rolling Stone Films #BringBackSungWoo Director ESPN 30 for 30 Tiger Hood Producer ESPN 30 for 30 Sheryl Crow: Live at the Bluebird Café Director Rolling Stone Films Ringo Starr: Photographer Producer Rolling Stone Films Major Lazer Take Kingston Producer Rolling Stone Films 2016 One & Done Director Showtime feature Becoming: Ben Simmons Producer, Executive Producer Disney XD episode Billy Corgan: Babyfaced Heel Producer, Executive Producer Rolling Stone Films 2017 24 Strong Executive Producer ESPN 30 for 30 2021 Ricky Powell: The Individualist Director, Writer, Producer Showtime 2021 Storied Director, Producer Documentary series 2025 Empire Skate Director, Producer ESPN 30 for 30

Bibliography Books The Holy Grail of Hoops: One Fan’s Quest to Buy the Original Rules of Basketball (Sports Publishing, New York, NY, 2013), afterword by Bill Self

Articles "A Love Letter To The Nike Air Max 1…" Nice Kicks, March 26, 2017

References

External links

Swade Films