Who We Are

Ellis L. Marsalis, III and Kelly AJ Powers are co-directors of Obie Joe Media. The partners bring a diversity of experience to book promotion and production, including stints in journalism, computer network design, and political campaigns.

Marsalis is the founder of Obie Joe Media, and he brings a hybrid of art and commerce talents to each book represented by Obie Joe Media. He has worked with designing computer systems for marketing and promotional tasks. He holds a B.F.A. from the Tisch School for the Arts at the New York University. His work as a photographer and author (Tha Bloc) has been reviewed by the Associated Press, Black Issues Book Review, The Philadelphia Daily News, The New Orleans Picayune, among many others. His next book, The War Inside, premieres in 2009.

Powers offers two decades of experience in media. As a journalist, her work has appeared in numerous national publications, including The Washington Post, Baltimore Magazine, and Chronicle of Philanthropy. Her strategic public relations work has brought success to several presidential and local political campaigns, nonprofits and universities. Powers holds a degree from the College of Journalism at the University of Maryland at College Park, and has attended the University of Baltimore School of Law. She is a member of the Authors Guild and the National Writers Union.