After 27 years in corporate communications, Joel became a full-time freelance journalist. (That happened in 2003 thanks to a big assist from a major cost-cutting initiative at his last company, which resulted in the elimination of his job. It was at that point that he gleefully threw out 21 of his 22 ties.)

Since then he has had more than 150 articles and essays published in newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, New Jersey Monthly, Moment Magazine, The Gateway Guide, Vicinity Magazine, New Jersey & Company, Revitalization Digest and others. His two humor columns, "Point of Departure" and "The Roamin' Scribe," have been popular in local publications for several years. In addition to his work as a writer, he assists several companies and organizations with their employee and public relations projects as a freelance corporate communications specialist.

In his spare time he works on a variety of creative endeavors. His novel, "Hot Air," was published in March 2008, and his series of short plays, collectively called "Six Tens From a Fifty," was performed by the Brief Acts Theatre Company in Manhattan in February 2008. He is also the author of two published nonfiction books on culture and religion, and recently completed a memoir called "Grandpa Had a Long One: Personal Notes on the Life, Career and Legacy of Benny Bell," based on his relationship with his grandfather, a novelty singer and songwriter.

A 1979 graduate of Hofstra University where he studied journalism and theatre, Joel began his career as an editor on trade books and magazines for the photography and home video industries, including The Video Source Book, for which he wrote hundreds of capsule reviews. Following that, he ran the communications departments for several major consumer electronics firms.

Joel lives with his wife, Bonnie, and teenaged son, Daniel, in New Jersey. His daughter Celia is married and lives in Connecticut, and his daughter Kate is studying theatre at Emerson College in Boston.

Jobs & Careers > Arts & Entertainment Jobs Steps to success in acting

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Nerves are a funny thing. They make people do unintentionally funny things. Like me. But I'll get to that in a moment.

When you think about it, politicians in New Jersey must have a lot of nerve, because most of them are unintentionally funny. Not that it's always a good thing to be unintentionally funny. It's actually better to be intentionally funny and only make it look unintentional. But that takes good acting. Fortunately there a lot of politicians around who are also good actors: they act like they care about the rest of us.

Which bring me back to acting and my unintentionally...

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