| Joe's News |
Colgate Alumni Spotlights
To relieve stress, some people practice yoga or go for a run. Joe Gandelman ’72 picked up ventriloquism — and then the avocation became his vocation. It was the late 1980s, and Gandelman was a hard-hitting journalist for the San Diego Union. He was covering the Mexican border and immigration reform, working excess overtime, and feeling apprehensive about the direction of the newspaper industry. Earlier in his career, when working for the Wichita Eagle in Kansas, he had bought a dummy and a book on ventriloquism from a magic shop. Gandelman found that it was a stress reliever, so he picked it back up. “I needed something that was one hundred percent detached from newspapers,” said Gandelman. When he learned about the Maher Ventriloquist Studios, he sent $100 for a set of booklets and tests to attain a diploma in ventriloquism. “Some very famous ventriloquists used that course initially,” he explained. “I tackled it like I was going for a doctorate — I wanted to get my mind off reporting.” In what free time Gandelman had outside of the newspaper, he practiced his craft in the local children’s hospital. In 1989, Gandelman reached out to his childhood hero, ventriloquist Jimmy Nelson, who was famous for his Nestle’s Quick commercials in the ’50s and ’60s. Gandelman sent Nelson some of his demo tapes, and Nelson gave him positive reviews, encouraging Gandelman to go pro. Still, puppeteering was just a hobby until some life-changing events caused Gandelman to reconsider how he was spending the majority of his waking hours. First, he got into a near-death car accident of which his only knowledge is from other people’s accounts. Then, a colleague dropped dead of a heart attack in her 50s. “I thought, by God, life really is short and very abrupt,” Gandelman recalled. Having always had a fascination with show biz, he decided to take a leap of faith. Gandelman gave his editor notice and quit his longtime journalism career that had spanned three continents. Spending almost every penny he had on advertising, he found that it was slow going at first. “Some years were good, some years were bad — even hideous — and at one point, I thought about getting out of it,” Gandelman said. But he traveled to trade shows and fairs across the country until agents and entertainers began to know his name. Gandelman has appeared on Navy ships, at Camp Pendleton before a speech by former President Ronald Reagan, and on ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Most recently, he finished a yearlong tour of 260 schools, organized through the Bureau of Lectures and Concert Artists. Using characters including an elephant that squirts water from his trunk and a dragon that blows smoke out of his nose, Gandelman provides educational messages about issues like anti-bullying in an entertaining way. In addition, he’s kept busy with gigs at libraries, campgrounds, and birthday parties. In 2003, the journalist in Gandelman resurfaced when he started a political blog called The Moderate Voice. Wanting to provide a “thoughtful and detailed discussion of the issues, events, and personalities” in the news, Gandelman features bloggers from all political viewpoints. He also writes a weekly political column that is syndicated nationally by Cagle Cartoons. Between entertaining crowds with his puppets and fostering thought-provoking political discussions, Gandelman has found two different, yet satisfying, ways to project his voice. For more information about Gandelman or to book him for an engagement, visit www.FamilyEntertainer.com. |
||||
Copyright © 2004-2015 Raven Productions, Inc. and Scavo's Consulting Company, Inc. All rights reserved. (Site Map) |