Jodee Blanco, Founder and CEO
Photo credit: Ryan Rosseler
Download ImageFounder and CEO of The Blanco Group, Jodee Blanco is an internationally respected publishing and public relations strategist, whose approach to both fields has made her a force in the consulting arena. Entrepreneur, she is her own best example of what she can achieve for her clients, having applied the same expertise that made her a catalyst in their careers to launch the trajectory of her own commercial success as a writer who transformed one popular book into a cottage industry that is saving lives.
She began her publishing career on the publicity and public relations side, and by the time she was twenty-five years old, had orchestrated the campaigns for numerous New York Times bestsellers, including: #1 Bestseller Secrets About Men Every Woman Should Know by relationship expert Dr. Barbara DeAngelis; On The Outside Looking In by Michael Reagan, President Reagan's son; The Duke of Flatbush by star Brooklyn Dodger Duke Snider; Healing the Shame that Binds You, also a #1 New York Times Bestseller by self-help expert and therapist John Bradshaw; and Out of Bounds by football Hall of Famer and movie star Jim Brown, among many others.
At twenty-seven, she founded her first company Blanco & Peace with veteran film publicist Lissy Peace, and remained at the helm for a decade. While at Blanco & Peace, Ms. Blanco developed, and executed some of the most innovative campaigns in publishing, most notably landmark promotions that redefined the possibilities for selling books and earned her the loyalty of such houses as Simon & Schuster, Random House, Littlebrown, Warner Books, Bantam/Doubleday/Dell, and Kensington. Ms. Blanco also designed campaign strategies for a broad spectrum of international projects including: a twelve acre theme park in Thailand; the largest privately sponsored Civil War memorial event in the history of the United States; the World Expo in Taejon, Korea; and a book launch in the nation's capital that brought together a legendary assembly of ambassadors, CIA officers, political leaders, and a former top ranking member of the KGB, that garnered extensive coverage in the Washington Post, and other DC media who proclaimed it a landmark event.
As her career evolved, so did her list of consulting clients. She has worked with entities such as HBO, Universal Studios, and ITT Corporation, to name just a few, as well as top newsmakers and personalities such as: Carl Reiner; Executive Producers of the hit series Seinfeld, Sharpiro/West Productions; Emmy-Award winning television and film producer Bob Zmuda, founder of Comic Relief and executive producer of Man on the Moon, the Golden Globe winning bio-pic about performance artist Andy Kaufman starring Jim Carrey and Danny DeVito directed by Milos Forman which Blanco also represented; Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney; New York Times bestselling phenomenon Dave Pelzer; the former Director of Middle East Operations for the CIA, Jim Fees; among many others.
Considered one of the book industry’s leading experts, Ms. Blanco also consults extensively with independent publishers, creating imaginative and viable platforms for exciting new literary voices. She has helped launch titles that have set new standards in this swiftly evolving arena. She also consults with corporations and non-profit foundations on the art and business of publishing.
Ms. Blanco is a frequent guest speaker at industry events like Book Expo America, and seminars sponsored by such entities as Publisher's Weekly, American Booksellers Association, The American Society of Authors and Journalists, and Women in Publishing. She has served as an adjunct faculty member at New York University's Center for Publishing and The University of Chicago, and was a founding board member of the University of Chicago’s Publishing Management Program, for which she helped to develop curriculum and also taught. Her early works as an author include The Complete Guide to Book Publicity, published by Allworth Press, now in its second edition, the first book ever written on the subject, and which has been called the “book publicity bible;” and The Evolving Woman: Intimate Confessions of Surviving Mr. Wrong, from Health Communications, Inc., which received The Celebration of Hope Literary Award at the 2000 inaugural activities in D.C. and garnered the praise of then senator and current Vice President of the United States Joe Biden.
Since the 2002 release of her New York Times best-selling memoir Please Stop Laughing At Me…. that chronicles her early years as a student outcast which she wrote in response to the Columbine tragedy, Ms. Blanco has become an anti-bullying activist. Inspired by the thousands of letters and speaking requests she receives, she travels internationally sharing her story of survival and forgiveness with students, parents, teachers, and other professionals in an effort to motivate change. She’s presented her celebrated anti-bullying program It’s NOT Just Joking Around!™ to a combined audience of over a half million people and her efforts have been recognized by the United States Department of Justice, the United States Department of Interior, the National Crime Prevention Council, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, The National Catholic Educational Association, Special Olympics, among many others. .The media also turn to Jodee frequently for her insights and wisdom on the subject, including CNN’s Nancy Grace, Anderson Cooper 360, FOX, NBC, PBS, The Family Channel, Newsweek, among many others and her story has been featured on the cover of Teen Newsweek, in USA Today, Parade, Hispanic Magazine, and The Chicago Tribune. The award-winning sequel to Please Stop Laughing At Me…. entitled Please Stop Laughing At Us…. One Survivor’s Extraordinary Quest to Prevent School Bullying was published in early 2008.
Ms. Blanco lives in Chicago with her husband and family.
