Background
Martin was born in Newark, New Jersey. His mother worked multiple jobs as a waitress and they moved frequently during his early years.
Martin was born in Newark, New Jersey. His mother worked multiple jobs as a waitress and they moved frequently during his early years.
Martin attended Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey, where he graduated with a bachelor"s degree. He subsequently received an Master of Business Administration from Rutgers University.
He was co-creator of the award-winning documentary that was released in 2012, The Children Next Door. The violence he witnessed in his family life became a source and impetus for his later work and creative efforts. In 1999, Martin developed and managed a part-time business which became Brand Connections, a media and marketing services company.
Martin sold the company to a private equity firm in 2008 for $150 million.
Martin founded Makers of Memories in 2007, which later evolved into the nonprofit foundation Childhood Domestic Violence Association. His interest focused on using what the adversity in his childhood home had taught him and developing unique tools that would help others who had encountered similar experiences, children and adults alike.
He sponsored the first congressional briefing on Capitol Hill to educate policymakers, political leaders, and the public on how children were affected by domestic violence. In 2012 Martin and his documentary The Children Next Door were featured on the television program,Doctor Philosophy.
This award-winning documentary was invited for screening in more than 25 film festivals.
In 2013, Martin worked with Nickelodeon on the Emmy-nominated special, Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, Family Secrets: When Violence Hits Home. Martin released his first book, Invincible: The 10 Lies You Learn Growing Up with Domestic Violence, and the Truths to Secretariat You Free, published by Penguin Random House in October 2014. The book reached the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, United States of America Today and Publishers Weekly best seller list.
Martin was cited extensively throughout the NFL Domestic Violence debates in September 2014, regarding NFL concerns about players who had lived with domestic violence while growing up.
Martin has continued to lecture and present at the New York Police Department Headquarters, the New York Department of Housing, and the New York Department of Education.