Joel Shultz

Joel Shultz is one of the true success stories to come out of the Screen Extras Guild. He first joined the Screen Extras Guild in 1977 and steadily continued to make a living until 1991. He appeared in some of the most popular shows and he had a credited role in the original Star Trek movie. While this may have been a massive ego boost to many extras, Joel was dissatisfied with what he knew to be the career trajectory of your typical lifelong extra and he was tired of depending on casting directors and other various connections that you needed to maintain a steady stream of employment as an extra and he knew it was time for a change. It was when Joel was at a crossroads in his career and his adult life that he knew he must decide what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. After some soul-searching, he asked himself "What do I know better than anything else? What can I teach and give the gift of a lifetime? How can I change lives and still make a living?" It was then that he realized that he could utilize his love for surfing and teach people how to surf and he quickly built up a reputation as one of the best surf instructors in southern California. In 2006, L.A. Times Magazine called him one of the 50 most influential people in southern California for his contribution to the region's surfing industry. To this date, people come from all parts of the world be taught by Joel because they know they are being taught by the best. He is considered the "The Godfather" of modern-day surf lessons by his peers and his clients have nothing but praise and thanks for his constant professionalism. To this date, he has had over 15,000 students but he's never forgotten where he came from. He's taught people from every walk of life you can think of. He's taught everybody from tourists who just want to learn the basics about surfing and even some billionaires who wanted to learn to surf as a passing fancy. Joel has been so successful in this pursuit, he turned his back on the film business and surged ahead in his pursuit. His only connection to Hollywood now is when he dines at El Coyote and of course, continues to train actors like Louis Pullman who needed to learn how to surf for his role in Press Play, Anna Sophia Robb for her role in Soul Surfer, Grammy-winning artist Doja Kat, and the two leads in 'Tribes of Palos Verdes."