We recently connected with Dan Dennis and have shared our conversation below.
Dan, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Back in 2009, I was deep into radio – running a morning show, a big name on air, and all that jazz. But my heart was also in audio production, and I had my own home studio. So, my assistant, Tom Vann, and I started messing around with podcasting. We’d do our radio thing in the morning, and then every Friday, we’d chill at my place and record our own uncensored podcast. We were having a blast, doing something different from our day jobs.
People started digging what we were doing. We held a meetup for our podcast listeners, and, man, hundreds showed up. It was wild. But as our podcast gained traction, things got dicey at the radio station. The host of our radio show, who we thought was a buddy, got all jealous. He went behind our backs, sending an anonymous email to the big bosses at iHeartMedia, trying to get us canned for being “a liability” with our uncensored content.
We had the green light from iHeartMedia for our podcast, but that didn’t matter. The execs got nervous and told us to drop it. That hurt. Our fun, creative thing was suddenly in jeopardy, all because of this guy’s envy.
I couldn’t stomach working with someone who’d stab us in the back like that. So, I bailed. I quit iHeartRadio, confronted the host about his shady move, and walked away. They even threatened to sue me for supposedly messing up their morning show. But I wasn’t going to fold. I was not letting them shut down our podcast or kill my creative spirit.
Dan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Ever since I was a kid, radio had this magic pull on me. I’d listen and think, “Man, it’d be cool to be part of that world.” One summer, while I was doing odd lawn care jobs in DeLand, Florida, my dad dropped a tip about a local Orlando talk radio station looking for interns. I was over at Flagler College in St. Augustine, grinding away at a mass communications degree, so this sounded like a golden opportunity.
Flagler was a bit strict about internships, but I managed to charm the admissions office into letting me intern at the one and only Real Radio 104.1 FM in Orlando. That place was legendary, seriously one-of-a-kind. I started off in the trenches, editing audio, but soon I was on-air, honing my comedy and improv skills. Voices, songs, games, improv – we threw everything at our morning show listeners.
Fast forward, and I’ve funneled all that experience into T&D Media, my own little podcasting and radio empire. We’ve got a full-blown studio where we churn out talk radio and conversational content. We’re also crafting commercials for clients and organizing events left, right, and center.
Now, here’s the kicker: the same radio station I left because of that toxic host? They came knocking, wanting to license our show. So we’re back on the radio, but this time on our terms, running the show in the challenging nighttime slot.
Fifteen years into podcasting, we’re counting millions of downloads, selling out Tom & Dan merch, and headlining top venues in Florida like Hard Rock Live Orlando and the Dr. Phillips Center. In 2018, we even dropped a documentary about our journey, breaking away from radio and those who wanted to see us fail. The Mayor of Orlando even declared April 17th as Tom & Dan Day!
I genuinely believe we’re giving our listeners some of the most honest, down-to-earth podcasts out there. We started as podcasters, and that’s how we’ll always be at heart.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Being a creative soul, I’ve got this sensitive side. It’s not about needing everyone to love my work; it’s more about how I almost lost it all – my art, my voice. When the whole mess at the radio station went down, what hit me hardest was feeling abandoned. These people, who I thought were like family, seemed okay with me and Tom being thrown under the bus, trapped in a web of lies.
I kept thinking, why doesn’t anyone care? I was shouting from the rooftops about what this guy was doing, but the corporate machine just kept rolling. Maybe they were stuck too, unable to join my fight. But where was my support? I thought these guys disliked his treatment of them as much as I did. Why was it just me taking a stand? Where was my backup?
I don’t think people who aren’t creatives, or those who aren’t as sensitive, get how scary and soul-crushing this can be. I constantly doubted myself, with only Tom by my side. Everyone else was like, “Chill out, take your meds, get back to work.” It’s been a decade, and I’m still trying to get over that betrayal.
Time helps, I guess. It doesn’t change people, but it dulls the memories, makes you tougher. But whenever I bring this up, I get those looks like, “Get over it, man.” And the thing is, I can’t. It’s not that easy. You can’t just attack my creations and expect me to move on like nothing happened.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I hopped on the Twitter train super early, back when it was a whole different ballgame. It’s kind of funny looking back. Back then, Twitter felt like just hanging out with friends, super casual and laid-back. But now? It’s like everyone’s angling for their shot at fame.
My own growth on social media wasn’t like that. It was all about genuine interactions, just chatting and sharing stuff. None of that trying-too-hard vibe. Honestly, I feel like my peak days of social media growth are behind me. TikTok, Instagram, and all that constant content creation? It’s not my jam. The thought of spending all day editing at work only to come home and dive into more video editing? No thanks, that’s way too much for me.
If you’re looking for social media growth tips from me, I’d keep it real simple: be yourself and have fun with it. But also, know when to step back, especially if it’s starting to mess with your vibe. Social media can be a weird, sometimes angry place. Remember, it only gets to you if you let it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tomanddan.com
- Instagram: @mediocredan
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ddennis1
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-dennis-380a8b10/
- Twitter: @danieldennis
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@tomanddanlive
- Other: We have an app in all app stores. Just search “Tom and Dan” and it should pop right up. All shows and you can even leave messages for us.