Wednesday, November 24, 2010
YOUR SOAP BOX: JOEL RICHARDSON, GREENRIDGE
By MARK D. STEIN
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Joel Richardson, a Pittsburgh native who, at 2 years old, moved to New Jersey when his father’s job transferred him, began living on Staten Island in 1998 as a freshman at Wagner College.
The Greenridge resident received a partial wrestling scholarship to the Grymes Hill school, and upon arriving in New York City, immediately had to adjust.
“At first, it was a bit overwhelming. I can still remember going on one of those double decker tour buses with my girlfriend at the time and remembering the hustle and bustle of New York City,” Richardson said.
He used to often go to Philadelphia a few times a week in high school with his friends, but New York was different. Things would change for the better.
“Then, I grew so close to Wagner College,” he said. “Wagner has made me the person I am today. In the business classes, I remember hearing from Dr. Walter Rohr: ‘If you can make it New York, you can make it anywhere.’“
Following the popular quote from Frank Sinatra’s song to the city, his competitive nature forced him to “make it.”
Since graduating from Wagner in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, and completing a master’s degree in management from the same college in 2007, Richardson has gone on to become a producer, talent manager and booker at Soul Joel Productions, a comedy company he started in September 2007.
Through that, he’s worked corporate events, charity shows and fundraisers. He has been responsible for giving dozens of people a shot at comedy.
The college has supported his entertainment company and often hires him for alumni events.
“Now, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere being in the entertainment business. Staten Island, in general, has been supportive of my company and my vision,” he said.
