Growth and Giving Back with Josh Temple

<p>Most contractors get their big break with a high-profile job or a great referral. For Josh Temple, his breakthrough moment was going national on Mazda’s first-ever “Zoom-Zoom” commercial. Josh was a contractor by day, but when a receptionist at his first construction company told him he should try out sketch comedy, he fell in love with improv. His path then became a bit wilder than your average home renovator. “If you get a national commercial, you’re at least buying a car,” he laughs. Josh did double-duty as a construction company project manager and an actor in San Francisco before taking the leap and moving to Hollywood in 1999. </p><p>When he arrived in LA, he didn’t do the usual waiting tables gig: instead, he kept on with construction work. “As I hustled for work, I also learned more and more about construction.” He worked across many trades—HVAC, plumbing, tiling—and while he “was cheap,” he taught himself new skills by reading up on the subject. When home-improvement shows started to gain traction, Josh suddenly found himself uniquely positioned: he was an actor who knew about contracting. “I was literally, like, I don’t know which zebra I am: black stripes or white stripes?”</p><p>Since then, Josh has acted on sitcoms like <i>Curb Your Enthusiasm</i>, hosted competition shows, and been the resident contractor on HGTV and DIY Network home-renovation programs. He’s also been the head of his own contracting firm, so he knows all about what the camera doesn’t show. </p><p>Josh is very aware that, like many other industries, contracting has its fair share of what he calls “scam artists:” people who fail to deliver or deliver bad products. While shady operators hurt in every industry, when it’s a home renovation, “the scars run really deep.” Building trust between a contractor doing the work and the client employing them is a major step. As contractors, he says, “we have to look at the other side: it’s their house, their lives, their security.” While the drama might be played up for TV viewing audiences, J