He has received grants from the NEA, the AFI, the Tides Foundation, the Lane Family Foundation and the Colin Higgins Foundation. Recognition for his film work includes a Student Academy Award, a Student Emmy Award, the Amy Bloch Directing Award and AFI's highest honor, the Schaffner Award. His films have screened in over forty international film festivals including Cannes and Berlin. His film My Body received the award for Best Short at fourteen film festivals including the Los Angeles International Film Festival, The Uppsala International Film Festival, the Sinking Creek International Film Festival, the Aspen Short Fest, Cinequest and Claremont Ferrand.

Joel has directed numerous award-winning plays including Havel's The Memorandum, Brecht's The Threepenny Opera, and Euripides' Alcestis. His original play The Middle of Nowhere toured the homeless shelters and soup kitchens of the continental United States.

While in Los Angeles, Joel taught screenwriting and Directing at the American Film Institute for nine years. In addition, he consistently taught screen acting, production and directing classes for the Marion Knott Film School at Chapman University. Joel has worked as a screenwriter for Alibi Entertainment (London), Hervis Entertainment (Berlin) and Moving Movies (Los Angeles). Presently he serves as Assistant Professor in the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii.