User:Aquariazz

About Joel Relampagos:

Joel Relampagos was born in Manila, Philippines before moving to the US on his sixth birthday. As a Southern California resident, he grew up in a strict, Catholic, Filipino home and dealt with the parental expectations of their son becoming a doctor. At the age of 19, Joel opened up about his sexuality on MTV’s True Life: I’m Coming Out and was featured on Advocate Magazine. Shortly after, Joel decided to skip medical school and opted for a career in entertainment. In an interview he stated, “There’s more than one way to save a life; and telling our stories of struggle can help save the lives of others.” Joel has produced shows such as FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen and became Executive Producer for NBC’s The Biggest Loser, where he worked with production companies in the Philippines and China to launch their own version of the hit weight loss competition series. After 10 years with The Biggest Loser, Joel continued to Executive Producer shows such as ABC’s Boy Band and the student debt series Going From Broke, Executive Produced alongside Ashton Kutcher. In his early 30’s, Joel began to battle with depression, anxiety and an alcohol addiction. He made the decision to spend 50 days away from entertainment so he can seek help in a rehabilitation facility. That experience not only helped Joel recover from his struggles with addiction, but he also fell in love with mental health. Joel then inspired to launch a free mental health program and Change Your Algorithm was born. Its services were quickly recognized across the globe which led to partnerships with education technology company Chegg as well as Ameriprise Financial Firm. CYA has been featured on FOX, ABC and Forbes. Today, Joel is an Executive Producer for SpringHill Company's, Recipe for Change, as they work to Stop Asian Hate. The project will be released on June 16th through YouTube Originals. Today, Joel continues to raise awareness about mental health and AAPI equality.