Joel Kaplan

Starting life out in Chicago, Joel first set his sights on becoming a musician. He started playing piano at the age of eight and went on to earn his Bachelor of Music Education. He played keyboard for a number of bands before beginning a career in audio/video and security sales. He then applied his skills as a technical trainer and began a new career producing corporate training, instructional, and travel videos. In 1996, Joel moved to Las Vegas, where he lived with his wife, Kathy, and her two daughters. Throughout their 28 years of marriage, Joel and Kathy have traveled extensively, visiting France, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Tunisia, Jamaica, the Tahitian and South Pacific islands, Australia, and New Zealand, to name just a few. Growing tired of the “American dream” and the daily grind, Joel and Kathy desired a slower-paced, simpler way of life. After a month-long exploratory trip to Ecuador, they bought a house in Cotacachi and moved there with their 30-year-old daughter and two-year-old granddaughter. Thirteen years later, they are still enjoying life in Ecuador. Joel continues to work locally as a video producer and as a musician with a group of other expats in a band called “Shades of Grey.”