Josh BalberWhere do you live?
Bloomfield, NJ, (although these days, my office).

When did you move there?
A little over a year ago. Left Hoboken for a parking space and a yard.

Where did you grow up?
Durham, NC

How do you make a living?
By talking and writing about all the great arts and cultural things happening in Downtown Newark.  I’m the Sr. Director of Communications at NJPAC, GlassRoots board member and Newark Museum Council member.

Coffee, tea or … ?
Tea, loose leaf, for decades.  Caffeine is cheating.

What’s your idea of a perfect Saturday?
Spending it outdoors with my family.

What’s your favorite local restaurant?
For a nice night out, it’s Fascino.  On a normal night, it’s much more likely to be Jackie’s Grillette or Grimaldi’s.  it has to be kid friendly. Brunch: Bluestone Coffee Co.

What’s on your nightstand?
A stack of sections of the NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, Michael Kaiser’s new book, Fast Company, Wired and my ipad. And a pottery lamp.

Your iPod?
It’s completely full so I frequently have to change what’s on there.  Ray Brown, Kora Jazz Ensemble, Cyrille Aimee, Dessa, Chucho Valdes, Drive By Truckers, Mange Schmidt, Run DMC, Edgar Meyer, The Avett Brothers, Baaba Maal, Slobberbone, Toumani Diabate, K’Naan, Orishas, Eric B and Rakim, Danilo Perez, Joshua Bell, Dolly Parton, Otis Redding, Rolling Stones, Dexter Gordon, Sharon Jones, Edmar Castaneda, Johnny Cash, etc…. It’s a bit of everything.

What are your current addictions?
 Flipboard, for a while now.  Guilty pleasures, “Homeland” and “The Newsroom.”

Talent you would most like to have:
Seeing all the artists who come through NJPAC, any one of their amazing musical talents, from the 12-year-old in our Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens program to the mainstage artists.

What’s the worst-kept secret about Montclair?
Isn’t the New York Times written there?

What is your life philosophy?
You can’t worry about what you’ve already done, focus on where you are going.

3 replies on “Baristanet Profile: Josh Balber”

  1. “Sr. Director of Communications”
    Are there Jr./other Directors of Communications there, too?

  2. @Montclair Lover, there are no other directors of communication at NJPAC, but we do have a PR and marketing team.

  3. Josh is great for the arts in New Jersey and a wonderful guy. I’ve slowed down my addiction to Bluestone, but it was always good seeing him there with the family.

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