What is this newsletter all about?? Who is Danny?!

Come join the community!

I co-founded the Morning Blitz sports newsletter and helped grow it to over 50K daily readers, hosted a podcast that interviewed the biggest names in sports, and I currently work for Tom Brady’s creative media studio, Shadow Lion, on content strategy and brand partnerships across the entire network. Have learned a lot over the years in media and now working on some very exciting projects at Shadow Lion. I have a passion for sharing knowledge and stories, so the place to do so will be here, Danny’s Diary. Let’s go have a blast.

For those that don’t know who I am, here’s me (on the left) in one of my favorite photos with my favorite people…

What to expect from this newsletter:

The Content:

• Startup Stories: I'll dish out lessons from the front lines of launching a sports media venture

• Hot Takes: On the latest happenings in media, sports, pop culture, and beyond - probably won’t be able to stop myself from debating NFL rookie QBs at some point even though that’s not why you signed up. Maybe it is?

• Behind the Scenes: The best stories from working with pro athletes and get an exclusive look into how new media projects with these athletes come to life

• Industry Advice: I'll give my best Dr. Phil impressions specifically tied to the content and partnerships landscape - and how to manage the Patriots 53-man roster

• My Life: Going to sneak some funny stories from my everyday life in there that I believe everyone will enjoy

Cadence: Will be random! I wrote a daily sports newsletter for five years straight and trust me, this will NOT be a daily product. What an experience that was. Maybe once a week, couple times a month. I won’t be heckling your inbox.

My Resume

Like these are literally my resume bullets…

Morning Blitz (2019-present)

• Founder and editor of a daily sports email newsletter with 50,000+ engaged subscribers and a 58% open rate

• Coordinated all newsletter and social media content, amassing 100,000+ followers and 20M+ monthly impressions across all platforms

• Innovated with guerilla marketing campaigns and lead all paid marketing efforts

• Facilitated the merger and acquisition of Morning Blitz with TorchPro - wrote my last ever email for the Blitz on 5/10/2024 before handing operations over to TorchPro and so many great stories from this journey

ESPN (2019-2020)

• Developed media strategies for major campaigns, including Monday Night Football, NBA, MLB, College Football Playoffs, Fantasy Football App, and ESPN 30-for-30

• Managed a $40M+ paid marketing budget across various social media platforms, contributing to record viewership

• Consulted with ESPN content teams to advise on prioritization of specific marketing campaigns - Very corporate-type gig, learned a lot but that lifestyle and structure was not for me

TorchPro (2021-2024)

• Established the foundation of a sports media company, driving the growth of professional athletes' personal brands through content franchises (podcasts & video series)

• Led content strategy across all franchises, managing 10+ social media accounts, resulting in 70M+ quarterly impressions in Q3 2023

• Produced three athlete hosted podcasts within the categories of women’s sports (Keller & Kess Show), mental health in sports (Speak Your Mind) and lacrosse (Rise Up!)

• Hosted a podcast interviewing high-profile sports stars, featuring Dana White, Will Zalatoris, Drew Bledsoe, Larry Fitzgerald, TJ Oshie, Austin Ekeler and several others

• Contributed as on-air talent in video content and assist in the production of docuseries featuring professional athletes and their stories beyond the field

• Spearheaded monetization efforts, pitching brands and executing successful co-branded campaigns

Playing Field (2020-2024)

• Served as the editor of a weekly VIP newsletter curating sports business, venture capital, media trends, consumer products, real estate and other relevant topics - co-founded by Tom Brady’s biz manager Ben Rawitz

• Contributed to the growth of an exclusive network to over 1,300+ professional athletes, celebrities, and businessmen, achieving an 80% open rate

• Successfully sold advertisements to venture capital firms and consumer products - working on this took a pause during the TorchPro years but I’m back in the saddle with the squad

Shadow Lion (April 2024 - Present)

• My new full-time job as of April 2024 - Shadow Lion is Tom Brady’s creative media studio that recently launched an original content division featuring podcasts, newsletters and video series with some of the biggest names in sports

• The company helps pro athletes and corporate consumer brands take their digital presence to the next level and build engaging fan bases

• I will be focused on content strategy and brand partnerships across the original content division working directly with our athlete partners on audience growth and monetization

• The 12-year-old Danny would be pinching himself right now. Growing up in the Boston area during the early 2000s, Tom Brady shaped who I was and turned me into the biggest sports fan I know

Little bit more on about me

The Younger Years: Born and raised about 40 minutes north of Boston in Merrimac, MA. Probably peaked in High School, shoutout Govs and winning four straight league championships in football. Went off to Colgate for college where I played D1 lacrosse (really, it’s not a big deal) for four years. After a couple years in NYC, I am back in Beantown full-time.

Favorite sports teams: Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox. In that order. Family had Pats season tickets growing up and literally fell in love with sports ever since - I am a HUGE Masshole, hope that doesn’t make you unsubscribe

My biggest obsession? Golf. I never played much until Covid happened. After graduating from college and losing lacrosse, I needed something competitive in my life and that was golf. When say I am obsessed, it’s sort of an issue. Oh, you wanna talk handicaps? I’m a 12.3 right now #roadtoscratch. Skiing is a close second on the obsession list.

I have three sisters. Not sure that’s relevant at all but usually gives me street cred that I’m a decent guy.

If you can’t tell, big fan of bolded words and bullets points. I am fairly dyslexic and hate reading. I know, starting a newsletter is ironic. Hopefully it makes digesting this product a bit easier.

Other places you can follow along with me 👇

• Instagram - my IG Stories tend to pop-off if I am attending Boston sporting event, sorry ‘bout it

• LinkedIn

• X (Twitter) - going to give the platform they ‘ole college try