Author Biographies for: Dr. Neil Shulman | Eric Spencer
Neil Shulman, M.D. is the co-author (along with Carl Hiaasen) of the bestseller Doc Hollywood, which became a
major motion picture starring Michael J. Fox. Neil was also an associate producer of the film. Disney optioned another
of his novels, The Backyard Tribe, but it is currently being developed as an independent film with the co-executive
producer of Cabin Fever. One unpublished novel is being looked at for film by Baliwood producers, another screenplay of
his is being packaged as a thriller, and a children’s book is being developed into a screenplay for animation. Neil also
has a movie that he directed, produced, and starred in that has received many positive reviews, awards from several film
festivals, and is often compared to some of the best projects of Woody Allen. (www.whonose.com).
In addition to his work on Get Between the Covers, Neil has had success in several different genres, using a variety of publication options, over the past 25+ years. He has demonstrated his ability to build a “brand” on several different projects. He has written or co-written over 20 books, and some of his works can be read in as many as 8 languages. His self-published children’s book The Germ Patrol recently sold $300,000 worth of books to the state of Pennsylvania, $150,000 worth to the state of Georgia, and over $200,000 worth to a number of other states combined—with continued bulk purchases on a regular basis.
He recently appeared on QVC to promote his children’s book, toy, and DVD set What’s in a Doctor’s Bag? He hosts his own children’s television spots, a spin-off of the What’s in a Doctor’s Bag? book (www.whatsinadoctorsbag.com), and these are made available to 150 public TV stations in the United States and Canada. One of his adult health-related books, High Blood Pressure, published by Random House, has 300,000 copies in print.
Another book, Your Body’s Red Light Warning Signals, has an accompanying website (www.redlightwarningsignals.com), where you can click on a part of the body and determine whether you have a symptom which requires immediate medical attention. The website has received critical acclaim and has been featured around the world. It has also become popular with large corporations that hope to use both the website and the book as part of their campaigns to keep employees healthier. Currently, there are Fortune 500 companies considering purchasing thousands of copies, several cell phone service providers (both in the United States and in Asia) that would like to offer the website interactively to their millions of subscribers, and a non-profit organization involving doctors from all over the world is in development.
In addition to being published by several major publishers, he also owns and runs his own publishing company, Rx Humor. He has patented an innovative design for children’s books, called a PosterBook, which he invented in 2002. The books allow children to flip through and read them, and when they are done, they can open up the whole thing and flip it over, and it is a poster of all the characters. The first such book, How to Have a Habit, which tries to keep children from smoking and other bad habits, came out in late 2002 and was incorporated into a pilot educational program in the state of South Dakota. In this program, 4th graders posted the PosterBooks in their homes, and many got their parents to smoke outside the house. Michael Jordan signed on to be a part of the next book in the PosterBook series on driving safety for teens, and it has recently been published and distributed. Neil has also completed a book with former NBA star Tim Hardaway in the same format.
He has appeared on a number of national talk and news programs in the past several years, including Today, Fox & Friends, Fox News, CNN (7 times), QVC, and various other regional broadcasts. Radio appearances include: National Radio Network, National ABC Radio Network, National Public Radio, and Fox Radio. Print appearances include: New York Times, Newsweek, and USA Today. Internet appearances include: www.usatoday.com and a featured interview on www.webmd.com.
What two Carls have to say about Neil and his work:
“Neil Shulman is part crusader, part comic, and 100 percent original. Backyard Tribe is another very funny
story by the funniest doctor in America.”—Carl Hiaasen, New York Times Bestselling Author.
“If Dr. Neil Shulman is as brilliant a doctor as he is an entertaining and exciting novelist, he must indeed have some
very happy patients.”—Carl Reiner, author of All Kinds of Love and famous Hollywood actor and producer
Neil is a nationally-known public speaker, who has been rated as one of the most entertaining speakers in America. He reaches out to hundreds of thousands of people each year through both in-person presentations and the media. He has spoken to groups of managers and executives at Coca-Cola, Kimberly-Clark, and numerous other companies, universities, and schools nationwide. He also has several websites, which receive thousands of hits each month. They offer his full range of published books and have been featured on major television networks, national radio shows, and in largely-circulated print publications.
A modern-day Renaissance man, with a seemingly limitless amount of energy, he still finds time to be an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Emory University. True to his medical roots, he has been one of the lead investigators in a 100 million dollar study by the National Institute of Health and he is the President of Patch Adams’ internationally-known nonprofit organization, the Gesundheit Institute.
Neil has also helped found a non-profit wishes program for seniors called Second Wind Dreams (at over 400 nursing homes nationwide), which was a spin-off of his novel Second Wind. Neil’s book High Blood Pressure also resulted in a spin-off, nationally distributed video starring the late tennis great, Arthur Ashe. Shulman also helped start a multi-million dollar nonprofit organization resulting from his book, Hypertension in Blacks.
He is a graduate of George Washington University, Emory University Medical School, and the Harvard Business School program in Health Systems Management.
He resides in Atlanta, GA.
“Neil B. Shulman, M.D.
Author, Doctor, Associate Professor
at Emory School of Medicine,
Speaker, Comedian, Brainstormer, Children’s Performer,
Planner of Way Too Many Projects at One Time,
Wearer of Bow Ties, and Basically
Just a Really Funny Jewish Guy.”
Find out more about Neil Shulman, M.D. and his efforts to improve lives around the world at www.neilshulman.com.
Eric Spencer is a 28-year-old graduate of Duke University.
Eric has partnered with Neil on the Get Between the Covers project since he was 22 because he was fascinated
with the idea and with the potential to have a lasting and profound impact on potential writers, the publishing
industry, and our literate society. In addition to the writing, Eric has been instrumental in building the Get
Between the Covers "brand" and in forming strategic alliances with many of the leading publishing
insiders and cutting-edge publishing industry companies.
While running this project like a startup company for the past six years, he has been developing a five book nonfiction series geared to the 16-30 market, which will be completed in 2008. He has a novel/self-help parable slated for publication in mid-2008. Additionally, Eric is developing a corporate thriller and two screenplays.
Beginning in January 2008, Eric will be hosting his own Internet radio show "The Creative Mind Behind with Eric Spencer" (www.creativemindbehind.com). It will be a show presenting creativity in its many states and its ultimate results in shaping our world, featuring interviews with authors, musicians, actors, artists, and groundbreaking entrepreneurs, but generally focusing on authors. Breaking the latest ideas and book titles. The stories behind the stories of established and up-and-coming creative innovators and those sharing their creativity with the world. A happy medium between "Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton" and "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch," but with its own unique slant.
Ultimately, he wants to continue to write groundbreaking books, speak to audiences worldwide, and maintain his entrepreneurial lifestyle.
But there is much more to him than just publishing. On the non-writing side of his life, Eric is the CFO/Head of Investor Relations for a large hedge fund out of LA and NY.
Eric previously worked for a Fortune 500 insurance company that has been recognized as the leader in its industry for over 20 years. An entrepreneur with experience dating back to his college years, his work involved meeting with executives and directors of major corporations, including Fortune 1000 ones, across the country and designing different strategies to help them to recruit, retain, and reward their key employees and executives. As part of his experience, he was mentored by some of the top salespeople in the United States and underwent rigorous training every day for two years.
He currently holds Series 6, 7, 63, and 66 securities licenses and recently passed the 8 tests necessary to achieve the prestigious Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from The American College.
Eric is a former sub-deacon in the Episcopal Church, a member of MENSA, and is heavily involved in a number of charitable organizations, including the American Cancer Society, in which he recently walked for 18 straight hours and 40 miles to raise money for the Relay for Life.
Like Neil, Eric speaks to schools, corporations, and associations around the country on a regular basis to share his messages of following your passion in life, passing on information or entertaining others by writing a book in your lifetime, and helping individuals to unlock the sometimes hidden potential that within all of them.
He currently splits time between New York City and Santa Monica.
