Who we are
FOUNDERS
Ellie Heyman, CCO and Co-Founder of UP Business Communications, is a distinguished Communication and Body Intelligence Coach renowned for integrating her expertise as an accomplished acting teacher and theater/film director into transformative partnerships with executives and premium brands.
Since 2008, Ellie has lead a dual life as an artist, teaching acting skills and directing major productions, and as a corporate coach, crafting impactful programs for premium brands such as The New York Times, Google, NBC Universal and many more. In the corporate realm, Ellie excels in coaching TED Talks, spearheading leadership summits, and orchestrating large-scale programs that revolutionize the narrative strategies of companies.
She has taught courses and workshops on Storytelling, Non-Verbal Communication, Executive Presence, and Physical Acting at Brown University, The Yale School of Management, Boston University, and Franklin & Marshall College.
As a director, Ellie earned the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production in 2021, with additional nominations for Drama Desk, Lortel, Bessie, and PGA Awards. She has collaborated with notable actors such as Glenn Close, John Cameron Mitchell, Paul Dano, Linda Emond, Nikki James, Laura Linney, Vella Lovell, Patti Lupone, S. Epatha Merkerson, Larry Owens, Andrew Rannells, Tim Robbins, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Lois Smith, Brian Tyree Henry, Brandon Uranowitz, and more.
Ellie holds degrees from Northwestern University (BS) and Boston University (MFA).
Mary Jo Romeo, Co-Founder and Advisor to UP Business Communications, has over 30 years of unparalleled sales and leadership experience, predominantly in the media space. Mary Jo held senior management positions at a variety of media companies with an expertise in digital, traditional and integrated advertising. She held leadership positions at Mom365, BabyCenter, a division of J&J and The Weather Channel among others. Her passion for driving success in organizations through clear communication and powerful storytelling led her to launch UP in 2013. Mary Jo is also a Columbia University trained Executive Coach. Mary Jo is active in She Runs It (formerly AWNY), volunteers with St. Catharine’s Academy in the Bronx and sits on the Board of MICHA, the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique Association. Mary Jo taught advertising sales and marketing at NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies and is a graduate of Penn State University.