Rest In Power Joel Silberman

I was saddened to hear that Joel Silberman lost his battle with cancer on August 2 just as we started this 13th edition of Netroots Nation.

Silberman came from the world of Broadway, but is well known and respected in liberal progressive political circles as the political media consultant and trainer extraordinaire for Democratic candidates who also was part of the Netroots Nation family

I first met Joel when I traveled to New York in 2012 for the GLAAD POC Media training which he conducted.  It was because of him I learned the basics of how to do television interviews and got to feel more comfortable in front of the unblinking eye of a camera.

Netroots Nation honored his memory by signing show tunes on Friday in the Town Square area of the convention and this memorial.

I ran into him again at a subsequent LGBT Media journalists convening in Baltimore, and again in 2016 at Netroots Nation in St Louis.   I considered him a media mentor, and I believe he was prouder that I was when he witnessed me become the 2016 Pundits Cup champ.

I last talked to him during the 2017 Netroots Nation in the ATL, and was stunned when I heard the news.   He is a person who is going to be deeply missed by all of us in the liberal progressive political world 

Rest in power and peace ,Joel