Actor. New York State Teacher of the Year. Publisher. TV producer. Super hero marketer. Winner of the prestigious Brandweek Magazine's Youth Marketer of the Year award. Senior Sales and Marketing Executive. Joel Ehrlich has been a powerful and innovative force in the business world for more than 30 years.

ACTING THE PART

After attending the High School for the Performing Arts in New York City, Joel majored in Speech and Theater at Hunter College, and auditioned for every part he could find. He soon found himself greeting Michael Corleone in the opening scene of The Godfather and hanging out with Al Pacino in Panic in Needle Park.

In the musical theater genre, Joel appeared in lead roles including Action in West Side Story, Ernst in Cabaret, and Lt. Schmidt in Tenderloin. In straight drama, Joel played Biff in Death of a Salesman, Hal in Picnic, and Cassius in Julius Caesar.

His portrayal of drifter Doug on Edge of Night landed him on the cover of several soap magazines because he was featured in one of the first on-screen love scenes. That one scene paved the way for today's modern soap operas.

He soon learned that there are no guarantees in the acting world. Needing a paycheck, he decided to substitute teach—a decision that shaped the next 30 years.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN

Ehrlich found his perfect audience in the shining, inquisitive, youthful faces at PS 53 in the Bronx. Using his acting and creative skills, he dressed as Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington, and even Betsy Ross, and made learning fun. He taught during the school year and worked as a drama coach at esteemed summer camps. His dedication and talent were recognized. In 1974, he was named one of ten New York State Teachers of the Year.

THE CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

	Joel and his wife Phyllis developing Healthy Kids

Monetary issues forced New York State to let go its newest teachers, including Teachers of the Year.

Time for something new—pharmaceutical sales, of all things! Ehrlich became a marketing consultant for some of the world’s largest drug companies. Joel and his colleagues’ handling of the Tylenol poisoning issues forged a new way for companies to deal honestly with the buying public.

Ehrlich then entered publishing at Medical Economics and marketing at Health Learning Systems. He knew that people need to know how products directly affect their lives before they will use them. So. His publications and new consumer-oriented marketing techniques dealt head-on with subjects previously misunderstood, such as hypertension, or considered private, such as oral contraception, and he changed the way people managed health issues. His efforts gained the endorsements of the United States Surgeon General, National Institutes of Health, and Planned Parenthood.

	"It all comes down to relationships." —Joel Ehrlich

His next stop was Cahners Publishing, where he produced, with the American Academy of Pediatrics, two of the first magazine/cable shows for the Family Channel—American Baby TV, and Healthy Kids TV, starring supermodel and mom Kim Alexis. These were the first consumer magazine and TV shows endorsed by a prestigious medical organization. Healthy Kids grew from a start-up to a multimillion dollar publishing and media entity in less than three years.

MR. SUPER HERO

In the 1990s, Joel helped change Marvel from a comic books publisher to a leader in the entertainment and consumer products world. As Senior Vice President, Joel showed the world that Spider-Man and X-Men could feed, build self-esteem and stimulate the imagination of kids—all while skyrocketing sales for Marvel and its partners.

This culminated in Joel winning the prestigious Brandweek’s Youth Marketer of the Year award in 1995.

Continuing on the "super hero" journey, Joel became SVP of Promotion and Marketing at Warner Bros./DC Comics. Once again, knowing that superheroes could educate and entertain both kids and adults—and drive sales at the same time—Joel directed major campaigns, such the Jerry Seinfeld/ Superman/ Amex and the GM OnStar/Batman initiatives. These programs and his successful partnerships with the U. S. Postal Service, using DC characters to teach history, and with Schering Plough, using Batman and Poison Ivy to teach about allergies, proved him right.

SPORTS

	Joel Ehrlich, producer

Joel was Chief Marketing Officer and President of Sales at the International Fight League (IFL)—the world’s first mixed-martial arts sports league using a team format. Joel helped the IFL skyrocket from 4 teams and 4 live events in 2006 to 12 teams and 13 live events, in 18 major markets in 2007. In addition to securing sponsors like Warner Bros., Xbox, Topps and Sandals, Joel helped arrange Fox Sports Network’s commitment to weekly IFL broadcasts, Fox Broadcast’s “My Network” airing of IFL Battleground and was Producer of the first IFL-Warner Bros. DVD IFL—Greatest Knockouts & Extreme Action, chronicling the first year of the IFL’s astonishing entrance into the mixed-martial arts world.

AND NOW… As president of The Harmony Entertainment Group, Joel uses talents, proven marketing techniques and innovations to meet new challenges. He served as marketing consultant to the presidents of DC Comics and Warner Bros., advising on business, entertainment and marketing strategies. He’s co-executive producer of two new films—the rock musical Clear Blue Tuesday and the teen thriller Red Hook—and a producer of the epic stage drama, The Great Game, coming to Broadway, where he is advising on distribution and marketing issues. As evidence of a unique combination of marketing and entertainment know-how, Joel recently conceived and directed Hear Our Song—a musical event especially designed as a fundraising vehicle for charity. This a heartfelt, uplifting, and most-of-all, exhilarating night-out that reveals the universal stories of the ages and stages of our lives through the experiences of 5 amazing women and the best music from Broadway. After learning of the death of the daughter of a close friend, Joel decided to use theater to "give back" and help lesser known organizations that truly needed support. The story for Hear Our Song was created and developed by Joel and producer Joan Lazer, and the book is by award-winning Susan DiLallo. World-renown pianist Ido Friedman was musical director and arranger. Hear Our Song raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Rett Syndrome Research Foundation and the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation and greatly increased awareness of their causes. Ido Friedman, Music Consultant Ido is a composer, music director, arranger, pianist and piano teacher. He started playing public concerts at 6 years old and won his first piano competition in the Haifa Conservatory at the age of 11. After winning the Hecht award at the age of 15, Ido was introduced to Professor Oxana Yablonsia who decided to bring him to New York City to study with her at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music on a full scholarship at the pre-college division. A year later, after playing for the Piano Department Dean Yocheved Kaplinsky, Ido was offered early admission into the college division by the Juilliard Scholastic committee. He graduated from Juilliard in 2004. Ido has won numerous awards including the Hecht Foundation Award from 1999-2004 and the Israel-America Cultural Foundation Award. He has played in such prestigious venues as Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall (NYC), Alice Tully Hall (Lincoln Center, NYC), Paul Hall (Lincoln Center, NYC), Jordan Concert Hall (Boston), Mann Auditorium (Israel) and has worked with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Emmanuel Ax and Ani Kavafian. Now interested in pop music, Ido’s working with songwriter-producer Mark Klingman on a new CD featuring his original songs and Mark’s lyrics. Mark wrote Bette Midler's theme song "You Gotta Have Friends" and has played, recorded and had songs covered by music legends including Bob Dylan, Luther Vandross, Carly Simon, Cindy Lauper and Thelma Houston. As musical director of Hear Our Song, Ido arranged 17 Broadway songs for all instruments, conducted the band, musically directed the singers, conducted master classes in music theory and performance for Edgemont High School students, and even shook and poured a martini (while playing piano) during one of the scenes of the show! In addition to working with The Harmony Entertainment Group to seek out new and exciting musical endeavors, Ido is coaching musicians and singers, acting as musical director and arranger for shows in New York City, and composing some amazing music.