by Micah Josefovitz
Jonathan M. Goldstein, a 1986 graduate of BHS, used to be a normal high school student. He used to play the supporting role in drama club plays. He used to write for the Beachcomber. He used to be the class clown.
And then he went to college.
Goldstein graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in German Literature. Then he graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and began working at a Law Firm.
While it may seem that Goldstein followed a conventionally ambitious career path, he has now achieved a goal that no conventional person can: he has become a successful screenwriter in Hollywood.
Goldstein was born in 1969 to Judith Berg and Richard Goldstein. Although they lived in New York, a tantalizing new job appeared on Mrs. Goldstein’s radar: being the Principal of a Middle School.
Beachwood middle school.
Fast-forward a few years to when Goldstein was in high school. He spent his time acting in the Drama Club productions such as “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, and “Cabaret”. Goldstein also wrote for the Beachcomber.
“I had a lot of friends on the paper,” said Goldstein. “It was a highlight.”
However, it was not only about school. Beachwood was a comfortable place to live; “In some ways it was a perfect place for me to grow up. I met a lot of friends. Where we lived in upstate New York, I was one of a very small number of Jewish kids, so when we moved to Beachwood, it was a nice change not to be in the minority.”
Goldstein admitted, “I was kind of the class clown. I knew I had the sense of humor, but I didn’t want to be a stand-up comic.”
He found interest in movies, specifically, comedies.
“HBO was kind of new”, said Goldstein. “We had just gotten cable when I was thirteen. I watched Airplane, Caddyshack, Blazing Saddles; all these classic comedies, and I memorized every line. That played a big role in leading me out to Hollywood.”
After graduating both BHS and undergraduate college at the University of Michigan, things heated up a bit, Goldstein said.
“I made a decision when I got out of college. I had a degree in German Literature; not terribly useful when it came down to getting a job.”
He was then accepted to Harvard Law School.
Explains Goldstein, “I took a few different jobs after college and lived in Berlin. I realized I needed to have a qualification, and I figured law school would be a good one.”
In school, he had a friend who was writing a potential Simpson’s episode. So, “I thought, I should try that.”
He continued, “I came out of law school with $80,000 in debt, and I needed a job to pay it off. So I worked at a big firm for two years in New York. I made enough money to pay off the debt, but I knew from the beginning it wasn’t my cup of tea.”
At the law firm, he was writing sample scripts in his free time, and in September of 1996, he gave notice, and the transition to Hollywood took about six months.
He wrote sample scripts for Seinfeld and Frasier, which enabled him to acquire an agent to find work.
Goldstein now has amassed an impressive resume of work with approximately 13 television series, including the very well known and successful shows such as “Bones”, “Four Kings”, “The Geena Davis Show” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine”.
Goldstein additionally has three movie scripts that are in production, co-written with his writing partner, actor John Francis Daley.
“Horrible Bosses”, a comedy movie written by Goldstein, John Francis Daley, and Michael Markowitz, will hit theaters on July 8th. The movie features Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx among others.
“Start writing. The more you do it, the better you get at it”, advises Goldstein. “Watch the kind of movies or TV shows you’re interested in, including ones released before you were born. Dive in. It’s daunting to get a foot in the door of professional writing, but it’s rewarding.”
