Hartman launched his own entertainment media relations agency in 2009 after a ten-year run as part of Barlow-Hartman Public Relations.
The Hartman Group represents current Broadway shows such as Wicked, Big Fish, First Date and Billy Crystal 700 Sundays, as well as the forthcoming Rocky, If/Then, The Last Ship, Houdini, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Rear Window and Dames at Sea. Clients also include Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre, Murder for Two and Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.
The Hartman Group will cease operations Jan. 5, 2014. Hartman and his husband, who were recently married, are relocating to Texas to start a family. After over two decades in theatrical PR, Hartman has accepted a position as CEO of the Austin, TX-based company, Amy's Ice Creams.
"Theatre salvaged my sanity and defined community for me when I was younger and has continued to do so," Hartman said in a statement. "It has been a privilege to work in an industry that I love and I owe a debt of gratitude to my clients and colleagues over the past 21 years for an absurdly vibrant life as a Broadway press agent in New York City. I am a very lucky man."
Among the productions represented by the Hartman Group in its five-year history are The Trip To Bountiful, Ann, Jekyll & Hyde, Hands on a Hardbody, Evita, War Horse, Bring it On: The Musical, In the Heights, Billy Elliot, Memphis, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Sister Act, Ghost, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Lysistrata Jones, American Idiot, Next to Normal, La Bête, Catch Me If You Can, Elf, The Pee-Wee Herman Show Live On Stage, West Side Story, Baby It's You!, Come Fly Away, A Steady Rain and Promises, Promises.