CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Hollywood filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, a Marshalltown native and MHS graduate, will speak at the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center on Nov. 8 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

How did a boy growing up in Marshalltown become a sought after director in Hollywood? MHS graduate Joseph Kosinski, director of recent movies “F1: The Movie” and “Top Gun: Maverick” is coming to Marshalltown as part of the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center! Come hear his stories about Marshalltown, what motivated him to become a director and what his next projects are. Joseph will be sharing his experiences on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 pm in the Marshalltown Performing Arts Center. There will be some time for Q&A following his remarks. Tickets: $20 for adults, students are free, are available at Hellberg’s Jewelers, Lowe’s Flowers, Tannin Wine Bar and at the event.

Joseph attended Marshalltown Area Catholic Schools, Miller Middle School and graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1992.

“I grew up in a place where no one knew anyone in the entertainment business, I never knew it was an actual career. The closest I ever got to movies was going to watch them, and I thought that’s the way it would be, so I never considered working in this business. I went to school for engineering, I studied jazz. So I always had this kind of creative side and technical side, and I thought architecture might be the way to combine them, so I went to architecture school in New York,” he said. “I realized that I loved using computers to create something, but being an architect just wasn’t going to keep me interested. So I just started my own little design studio.” His work in computer graphics and computer-generated imagery included television commercials including the “Starry Night” commercial for “Halo 3” and the “Mad World” commercial for “Gears of War.”

Joseph’s first movie was “Tron: Legacy” in 2010. He wrote an unpublished graphic novel, “Oblivion” which became his 2013 movie. His third movie was “Only The Brave”, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. His next film was “Top Gun: Maverick” which was released after his film “Spiderhead” because of COVID.