How I Carry On: Being Truly Open for Business

Hi! My name is Dan. I’m a writer/editor guy who has worked in media for ... let’s just say a lot of years. And over those many eons, I have learned that when striving for success in life and in business, it pays to be open to unexpected possibilities. Or, to put it more succinctly, to believe in the power of dumb luck. 

My career has been a case study in this.

I went to film school. Being short and Italian American, I thought I was a shoo-in to become the next Martin Scorsese. But then randomly during a lunch break on a student film shoot, someone told me about an internship they had at Spy magazine where they got to write funny stories. I never ever ever ever for one single second ever thought about writing for magazines, but that sounded fun, so I applied. I somehow got the internship (unpaid) which turned into a job (paid!) and a lifelong career.

When I was laid off from Spy, I was offered to write a love quiz for a magazine for teen girls. Despite not being a teen girl and having zero “game” during my high school dating years, I said, “Sure!” That love quiz led to me getting assigned more stories, which led to a job, which led to me meeting my wife, Lisa, at the job, which led to the two children currently eating everything in our home.

Besides being Martin Scorsese, I also wanted to be a writer for David Letterman. After years and years and years trying and failing to wiggle my way into “Late Night,” I got the opportunity to work at a new show that was launching called “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Only, not as a writer. As an “associate producer.” It was in Los Angeles, so Lisa and I would have to sell our apartment in Brooklyn and move across the country in a few weeks. Lisa, I should note, was three months pregnant at the time. I’ll never forget at our going away party, a friend asked me, “So what does an associate producer do?” My honest answer: “I don’t know.” But we packed up and moved out there anyway, which led to, among other things, getting to announce the birth of our son Henry on live TV.

Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t walk into these opportunities all confident with I-got-this swagger. I was scared out of my mind, truly terrified. And also, I should definitely note that I have had my fair share of missteps — not every “sure!” has resulted in things like meeting the love of my life, having kids and such. There have been some “sures” that led to soul-sucking, wake up with stomach in knots misery that I wouldn’t wish on anyone (except maybe my bosses of those jobs). And also, even at those jobs I loved, I haven’t always performed at “elite” levels. Like the time I got hopelessly lost driving to an interview with The Rock.

My point is that while you never know what is going to happen, you can guarantee that nothing is going to happen if you don’t leave yourself open to unexpected opportunities. You might make mistakes, you might find yourself in cruddy situations, but just when you are feeling completely lost, you’ll see that The Rock has pulled over on the side of the road waiting for you to catch up for the interview. He shook his head laughing, “How did I get you for an interviewer?” Dumb luck.

Originally appeared in the spring 2021 issue of The Compass Magazine.