Born and raised in Florida, Joel studied art, architecture, and design in New York and Europe before earning a PhD in Media and Cultural Studies.  As part of these studies, he interned in carpentry, architecture, and urban planning.

Joel defected from academia in 1997 to return to designing and making things as a renovation carpenter in the California Bay Area.  Over time, his carpentry shifted towards fine woodworking, and he made his first audio turntable, and founded his company Audiowood in 2008.

Joel’s work has been featured in art, design and audio exhibitions across the US.  And he was named a "Person to Watch" and a "Tech Designer to Watch" by New Orleans Magazine and Apartment Therapy, respectively.

Audiowood designs have also won numerous awards at art shows and craft fairs, including "Most Unique Work" at New Orleans' Jazz Fest in 2015 and 2018, and they are featured in dozens of major international publications including The New York Times, California Home and Design, Inked, Velvet (Italy), Wired (Germany), Visi (South Africa), Design (Taiwan), The Daily Mail (UK), BoingBoing, Cool Hunting, Apartment Therapy, Thrillist, etc. Most recently, Joel was awarded “Runner Up” in Garden and Gun Magazine’s Made in the South Awards.

Over the years, Joel has partnered with a wide variety of international and local interests, including Uncrate, Bushmills, Anthropologie, Paramount Pictures, Adrian Grenier's SHFT, Kemble Interiors, and both WWOZ Radio and The Green Project in New Orleans.

Joel was recently awarded a patent for an innovative approach to modular housing design, and he’s currently producing a "science fictional" series of organic, kinetic sculptures, that tap into themes of sustainability and post-apocalyptic survival gadgetry. Joel began work on the latter project in Spring/Summer 2021 as an Artist in Residence at the Joan Mitchell Center.

Joel has lived in New Orleans since 2013.