Joyva
Co-Directors Josh Freund, Sam Radutzky, Producer Alex Spatt
Logline
Today, 113 years after Joyva, the iconic candy maker, was founded, its magic is at risk of disappearing. Despite a century of success and cultural significance, Joyva is struggling. The business is stuck in the past. Richard, and his cousin Sandy, the fourth generation of Radutzkys to run Joyva, are now rebuilding and rebranding their family business in an effort to save it. As Joyva attempts reinvention, the owners grapple with their family’s legacy but also with the fate of 50 long-time employees. Not only has Joyva become a fixture in the lives of American Jews, the company has served its Brooklyn community for generations by providing countless employees with life-long careers. The company represents a dying breed of American manufacturers. Can Joyva succeed in reinventing itself, balancing the need to retain the loving support of its Jewish customers with its need to modernize and appeal to new consumers?
Phase of Support: Production
Project Links
Sam Radutzky - Co-Director, Cinematographer
Sam Radutzky is an award-winning freelance documentary and commercial filmmaker. His first feature documentary, Do U Want It? screened at 16 film festivals and took home five awards, including Audience Award at New Orleans Film Festival (2017) and SF IndieFest (2018). He’s produced films and video content for over 100 bands, including several Grammy-award winning artists like Arcade Fire, Taj Mahal, Tank and the Bangas and Jon cleary through his production company, ABIS Productions. Some of his commercial clients include Vice Media, Live Nation, Pernod Ricard MSG Networks and Jameson Whiskey. Sam graduated from Northwestern University in 2012 as a Film major with a minor in Business and is currently based in New York City, producing his second feature documentary film. Sam is from Long Island, New York.
Josh Freund - Co-Director
Josh Freund is an award-winning filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Josh studied documentary filmmaking at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Upon graduating, Josh moved to and fell in love with the city of New Orleans where, along with Sam Radutzky, he created ABIS Productions, a video production company dedicated to creating content for bands and musicians. Since New Orleans, Josh has inundated himself in the documentary scenes of both Brooklyn and Oakland, operating on countless projects and films. In addition to his documentary work, he has built a successful freelance career as a commercial director and cinematographer. Some of his commercial clients include Nike, Mattel, Chevrolet, Google, Rolex, The Smithsonian Institute and the San Francisco Giants. His first feature documentary film, Do U Want It?, screened at 16 film festivals, took home five awards, and wowed audiences across the country.
Alex Spatt - Producer
Alex Spatt is a film production and development executive who has worked on a wide range of projects during his time with The Weinstein Company and Phiphen Pictures, as well as producing independently. Most recently, he produced the feature documentary Everybody’s Everything, which was distributed theatrically by Gunpowder & Sky in 2019 before landing on Netflix in 2020. Alex attended Northwestern University, graduating in 2012 before returning to New York City, where he was born and raised.
Project logline and bios courtesy of the grantees.