dan newman
Communications strategist and creative storyteller. Currently telling the story of robotics research at the University of Michigan. Previously: co-founded a bagel shop, launched a viral app, wrote hundreds of financial articles.
Communications strategist and creative storyteller. Currently telling the story of robotics research at the University of Michigan. Previously: co-founded a bagel shop, launched a viral app, wrote hundreds of financial articles.
Current Role
I tell the stories of Michigan Robotics — a community of 200+ researchers building robots that walk, fly, dive, and assist. Through writing, video, photography, and strategy, I translate complex research into compelling narratives for public, academic, and industry audiences.
Selected Work
Co-founder
Started baking bagels with my brother in our Corktown apartment. Ran a grassroots crowdfunding campaign ("Save the Bagels"), raising $10k+ from 120 donors. Was a beloved Detroit institution with its own storefront.
Read review →Creator & PR Lead
A mobile app for sharing leftover food. Started as a website for a non-existent product; one blog post later, we built it for real. 20k users, hundreds of press interviews, and a lesson in viral marketing.
Read more →Writer
Wrote hundreds of articles on markets, companies, and economic policy for hundreds of thousands of readers. Learned to craft headlines that draw clicks and prose that keeps readers to the last word.
View articles →Business Manager
Rose from sales to managing a $1M budget at the 18,000-circulation independent student paper — during the 2008 newspaper industry collapse. Reorganized staff and processes to survive on leaner revenue.
Read paper →Marketing & Content
Sustainability consulting for Fortune 500 companies. Led marketing efforts: rebuilt websites, created infographics, ran email campaigns, and wrote ESG reports.
Co-host & Producer
A podcast about relationships — romantic and otherwise. Edited, mixed, and produced episodes drawing 100-200 listeners each. Also taught podcasting workshops for kids.
Writing
The Michigan Engineer · Print magazine
Michigan Engineering News
Michigan Engineering News · Featured in University Record
The Motley Fool
The Motley Fool
About
I enjoy making things and seeing their impact. That could be solving a problem, communicating a story, or creating something new, including articles, videos, apps, bagels, podcasts, or stop-motion films.
This site has existed in some form since 1996, when it was danssmileyplace.com — dedicated to the research and development of emoticon language on a Gateway 2000. The major work of that era was a "full screen smiley" depicting Tom Cruise rappelling from the ceiling in Mission Impossible.
I studied at the University of Michigan, spent a summer on a trail crew in the Oregon wilderness, and have volunteered with 826 literacy programs in every city I've lived.
Currently in Ann Arbor, Michigan.