Hi, I’m Dan.

I’m a founder, creative director, and advisor turned career and personal coach.

After dabbling in stand-up comedy, interning for Conan O’Brien, and appearing in Eyes Wide Shut, my creative energy led me to a career in advertising. 

I worked as a copywriter at top agencies in NYC and San Francisco, writing two Super Bowl spots, winning Cannes Lions, and making a comfortable six-figure salary that allowed me to travel around the world. But you know what?

I felt unfulfilled.

As a kid, I dreamed of getting into the Guinness Book of World Records. Frustrated by their bureaucracy and subjective approach, I decided to build a Wikipedia-like competitor, founded on a personal belief that “Everyone can be the world’s best at something.”

After piloting the concept at Burning Man, we launched what would become RecordSetter.com, a video-based platform to create your own world records, in November 2008. I had a vision I couldn’t shake inside me, and felt compelled to share it with the world.

The project succeeded beyond my wildest imaginations. Over the next decade, we processed 70,000+ submissions from 110 countries, creating a new generation of highly creative, uniquely talented world record holders. (Here’s a personal fave.)

As cofounder and CEO, I raised $2M+ in capital, closed six-figure brand deals with Fortune 500 companies, executive produced a TV pilot for NBC, co-authored a best-selling book, and appeared on Shark Tank, CNN, and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. But you know what?

It was time to shake up the snow globe.

I stepped back from RecordSetter in 2015, utterly fried from the startup grind. Needing time to recharge my batteries, I became a part-time Lyft driver, shuttling people across Los Angeles, unsure of what might come next. I was in my early 40s and had no life partner, savings, or established career.

Sometimes you have to step backward to move ahead.

Humbled, I returned to advertising, an industry I’d once felt proud to move on from. I’d recently met the woman I’d soon marry and start a family with, and finances were a necessary priority. A couple of years of freelance work stabilized the bank account while she finished grad school, but we both felt a new chapter was near.

Soon after our second daughter arrived, I accepted a creative director position in Boulder, Colorado. The job surrounded me with fantastic people, challenged me, and was well-compensated, but after a couple of years, I found myself getting antsy. I’ll say it once again:

I felt unfulfilled.

Following a growing fascination with crypto and NFTs, I quit my job to become a Web3 consultant, helping artists, non-profits, and companies including Google understand the fast-changing landscape. I woke up every day asking my clients, “How can I help you?” Over time, my true purpose finally became clear:

I live to help others spread their wings.

When I step back and reflect, I now recognize I’ve been on a path toward coaching for years. I’ve taught classes to creative professionals, delivered lectures (including a TEDx talk), advised startup founders, and mentored many college students and professionals. (Being a dad helps, too.) 

I’m here to help founders, leaders, and executives clarify their purpose, build their companies and teams, and find a greater sense of professional and personal success and fulfillment. If you’re in search of a coach to support you in your work, please reach out and say hello.