I grew up on Long Island (if that wasn’t obvious enough) in what was essentially a first-generation Italian family (my dad is from Sicily; my mom was born in Brooklyn to Italian immigrants). However, despite being immersed in the language and culture my whole life, I never actually learned to formally speak Italian. The same goes for my brother and sister.
I have a strong affinity for my sports teams, and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll never find another fan of all three of them together. I became a New York Mets fan because of the team’s proximity to my hometown and the fact that you’d never actually have to “leave Long Island” to see a game. I’m a Buffalo Bills fan thanks to both my parents. My dad’s family lived and worked in Fort Erie, Canada and Buffalo, and my mom went to Buffalo State College. I’m an Anaheim Ducks fan thanks to Emilio Estevez and his rag-tag group of “District 5 Mighty Ducks” from the 90s Disney film series. I nearly gave up on them around 2006-07 when they changed (shortened) their name, but they won the Stanley Cup that year and drew me right back in.
My taste in music is truly unique and there are a number of artists/bands I’ve seen multiple times: Billy Joel (9), Backstreet Boys (4), Chicago (soon to be 6), Aerosmith (2), Garth Brooks (3), and an up-and-coming group, Dirty Honey (3). I tend to play a lot of their tunes during my slot on WVCR 88.3 The Saint, Saturdays from 2-5 P.M. My wife and I also love catching local bands in the area, typically at our nearby hangout spot of Frog Alley Brewing in Schenectady.
Speaking of Billy Joel, while I won’t be at the final MSG residency show, I was at the very first in January of 2014. My wife and I are diligently trying to figure out the best venue/time for my eventual 10th show (her 4th).
One more Billy Joel… it’s cliche, but his music was truly the soundtrack of many Long Islanders like myself growing up. But, I took that one step further a few years back and got a tattoo of my favorite album of his, “Glass Houses.” It’s a long story, but I’m featured in a 2021 Vice article, along with a few other “Glass Houses” tattoo wearers.
Speaking of tattoos, I have two others. One is my wedding date (more on that shortly) and the other is Batman, specifically from the 90s animated series I watched every Saturday morning as a kid. If there’s one thing I never really grew out of, it’s my love for a fictional character. If you ever get the chance ask me my favorite Batman movie - the answer may surprise you.
I was involved in media going back to 2004 where I helped produce, shoot and anchor a number of segments for my high school’s public access news program. However, I came to Siena as a biology major with the intent of going to medical school, but that trajectory quickly turned near the end of my freshman year. It was then I met the late Dow Smith, a former Syracuse University professor who took over Siena’s journalism minor. Thanks to his guidance, myself and a group of other determined students premiered two live programs on SCTV channel 17, the first of its kind for Siena. Not long after that, I was able to get an internship at WTEN Channel 10 which eventually led to a part-time job running the studio camera and writing for their morning show. At the ripe age of 20 I was a full-time student here at Siena while working part-time overnights several days a week at the station. I never got any sleep but it was worth it.
After Siena, I was blessed to be accepted into the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University where I received my Master’s in broadcast and digital journalism. That helped kickstart a career as a producer in markets like New York City, Hartford, CT, and right here in Albany. But without the guidance of people like Dow, Dave Etzler, Ken Jubie ’04 and the two guys who trusted me enough to produce Siena athletics broadcasts, Jason Rich ’98 and Mike Demos, I’m not sure I’d be where I am.
I’ve been back at Siena since 2020 and am lucky enough to continue to do what I love, tell stories. In this case, it’s the stories of our amazing alumni and donors who continue to provide the Education for a Lifetime for our students. But last year I took that one step further and took on an opportunity to teach our Saints. Last fall was my first semester as an adjunct professor and I’ll be doing it all again this coming year. It’s beyond rewarding to be able to tell my stories and experiences to incoming Saints who went through the very same program I did so many years ago.
How could I forget my wife, Kayla? While she’s not a Saint herself she’s truly an adopted one. We got married on campus last summer in a ceremony presided by Fr. Dan Dwyer ’74, O.F.M. More than 25 fellow alumni, consisting of friends and family, joined us for our special day and I am forever grateful that we were able to share it here. A special shoutout to our good friends Andy Murphy ’17 and Dave Etzler who captured all the sights and sounds of that day. It truly was a great day to be a Saint!