It’s hard to tell your own story.
Not just deciding where to begin but what to play up or leave out—how to tout your strengths without being boastful or spin your shortcomings without stretching the truth.
In the 20 or so years I’ve been doing it, I’ve gotten better at telling my own story. But it never gets any easier. I’m too close to it. But telling other people’s? That’s another story.
Helping others say what they want to say is second nature to me.
I’m especially good at helping them say it clearly, artfully, and authentically.
I know how to ask the right questions to frame the conversation, how to listen and learn, watch and observe, tease out the narrative threads, and weave them all into a story that quickly and clearly communicates their unique value.
“Working with Joel was enlightening. We knew we wanted to tell the story of our landmark program, but didn’t know how. Joel gave the project shape, and brought a journalistic rigor and curiosity to a subject I thought I knew everything about. The result is a piece that beautifully shows the origin, impact, and vibrancy of our work.”
Having worked as a reporter and editor, I know what makes a good story—and what makes it both good and true.
I’ve dedicated myself to the practice of writing and storytelling since earning a master’s degree in English and American literature from NYU. After teaching writing at Long Island University, I pursued a career in journalism, holding editorial positions at The New York Times and other publications.
I went on to produce event programs and develop branded content, collaborating with mission-driven organizations like Knight Foundation and Carnegie Corporation and consumer brands ranging from GE, Douglas Elliman, and Marriott to Royal Caribbean, Chase, and Chevrolet.
As founder and principal of Epigraph Communications, I draw on this journalistic integrity and methodology to help brands, organizations, and leaders tell truer stories about the things that matter to them.
