STAGE TUBE: Ex-Broadway Boy Makes Good; Michael Hartman Talks Amy's Ice Cream

Longtime theatrical press agent Michael Hartman recently said goodbye to Broadway, closing The Hartman Group in January of 2014 to take over as CEO of Amy's Ice Creams in Texas, and today he's given his first interview in his new role. Grab a scoop, and play below!

Amy's Ice Creams opened as a single storefront in 1984 and has since become one of a small group of bona fide Austin institutions, now with 15 locations across Texas. Its trademark eccentric customer service reflects a distinctive quality of life in Austin. Hartman was one of the first employees while pursuing his B.F.A. in Theatre at The University of Texas. Owner Amy Simmons was wildly entrepreneurial and inspired him to believe that he could be a business owner himself, which resulted first in a successful 10-year partnership with Barlow-Hartman Public Relations and ultimately in this 5-year run with The Hartman Group. Ms. Simmons, who has been featured nationally in Forbes Magazine, Inc. Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, People Magazine and on "The View" as one of the top 5 ice creams in the country, recently offered him the position of CEO of her company, he accepted, and a story that began 30 years ago will now come full circle.