Jodee Blanco is a two-time New York Times bestselling author, consultant and presenter whose landmark work in the anti-bullying and communications fields has redefined the possibilities for shifting the culture in schools and organizations.
Her seminal memoir, Please Stop Laughing at Me… helped to catalyze the anti-bullying movement, established her as its first adult survivor and led to a national speaking platform that has enabled her to reach tens of thousands of people. Whether she’s helping an organization create a healthier workplace, training HR professionals on how to handle difficult people, inspiring a gym full of teens to treat each other with kindness or motivating three-thousand teachers to connect more meaningfully with students, you can hear a pin drop when she’s presenting.
She began her career in publishing and publicity and by the time she was twenty-five years old, had orchestrated campaigns that put numerous books onto the New York Times bestseller list, 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, where she 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 made front-page news.
As her career evolved, so did her list of clients. Ms. Blanco has worked with HBO, Universal Studios, Fox Films, Disney, Jersey Films and newsmakers and personalities such as: Carl Reiner; the executive producers of 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; and the Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney.
Her early works as an author include The Complete Guide to Book Publicity, the first book ever written on the subject which has been called the “book publicity bible;” and The Evolving Woman: Intimate Confessions of Surviving Mr. Wrong, that was presented an award by then Senator and former U.S. President Joe Biden for its contribution to domestic violence awareness.
Since the 2003 release of Please Stop Laughing At Me…. Ms. Blanco’s anti-bullying work has been recognized by the United States Department of Justice, The Department of Interior, the National Crime Prevention Council, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, The National Catholic Educational Association, The Special Olympics, the Canadian Frontier School Division, the Prime Minister of Trinidad/Tobego, The Archdiocese of Curacao and many other national and international organizations.
The media have used Jodee as an expert interview, like CNN’s Anderson Cooper, CBS Evening News, and print outlets including Newsweek, and US News & World Report. Her story has appeared on the cover of Teen Newsweek, USA Today, Parade Magazine, and hundreds of local papers worldwide. She has bylined numerous pieces for CNN.COM, USAToday.com, and The Huffington Post.
Ms. Blanco’s unique dual expertise in bullying and communications have led to consulting projects that require a deeper, more sensitive understanding of the elements involved. The Center for U.S. Ukrainian Relations, a DC based, global entity dedicated to Ukraine’s geopolitical growth and independence, hired Ms. Blanco to offer insight during the war in Crimea. She’s also served as a consultant to The Government of Ohio on initiatives to assist disenfranchised families.
In addition to Please Stop Laughing At Me…, Jodee is the author of three other books on bullying. Non-bullying related works include The New York Times bestseller BOTH OF US, Ryan O’Neal’s memoir about his life with long-time love Farrah Fawcett which Jodee co-authored with O’Neal, and her first novel I, John Kennedy Toole, a New York Times recommended reading selection.
Jodee has taught communications and public relations at her alma mater New York University and at the Graham School at The University of Chicago. She has also guest lectured at Notre Dame University and Loyola University.
She lives in Chicago.