The original editorial staff of THE DAILY included Founding Editor Stephen Bilafer, Network Coordinator Chuck Todd and Staff Writers Abraham Madkour, Glenn Magrath and Andrea Ortbals. Here we take a look at their thoughts when the publication started and where they are now. Click here to read Bilafer and Todd, while today we offer up Magrath and Ortbals, now Ortbals Patton.
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Magrath recalls writing about the '94-95 NHL
lockout regularly
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NAME: Glenn Magrath
CURRENT JOB: Insurance professional specializing in due diligence and the development of transactional products for alternative asset managers and their sponsored portfolio companies.
CURRENT RESIDENCE: TriBeCa, New York City
AGE WHEN JOINED SBD: 23 years old
JOB AT SBD: Staff Writer
HOW LONG AT SBD: One year
LEFT SBD TO: Be a junior analyst at the World Bank supporting the creation of World Bank published documents.
STORY THAT STANDS OUT: I wrote the NHL lockout story practically every day.
FONDEST MEMORY: As painful as it sounds today, being 23 years old and showing up to work at 5 a.m. every morning to clip papers alongside a group of smart and witty young guys and one brilliant young woman. Every day was full of humor and hard work. A special time that taught me a lot in a very short time at the very beginning of my professional life.
THERE WERE DAYS WHEN I WASN'T SURE SBD WAS GOING TO BE VIABLE BECAUSE: Our office was in the living room of a Victorian home, [founder] Jeffrey Pollack's office was in a kind of reading nook, and the bathroom left nothing to the imagination. We'd arrive every morning at 5 a.m. to clip news articles to form the basis of that day's stories -- it certainly wasn't pre-Internet, but it was pre any kind of Internet that people know today. We actually commonly referred to it as the World Wide Web or "the Web." So, it didn't look bright. And amidst this environment, my recollection was that sales took off initially but quickly flattened. When there would be an announcement to fire up the staff that we just signed a subscription with someone like, the Providence Bruins -- maybe I started to get some doubts (maybe).
I KNEW SBD WAS GOING TO BE VIABLE AND HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE INDUSTRY WHEN: I believed in SBD from Day One, as there appeared to be huge opportunity. Steve Bilafer and Pollack had identified a clearly underserved and under-informed marketplace. I joined because, to me, it just made so much sense. However, if there was a specific moment, it would be in 2003 when I was invited to the SBJ/SBD Forty Under 40 black-tie affair in New York City. I was blown away by the gravitas of the event. I was blown away by the reception given to Abe Madkour, who started alongside me, as well as Abe's familiarity with all of the most important participants in the industry. I saw that, in less than 10 years, SBD had become an integral part of the sports business landscape.
OPEN MIC MEMORIES: As I have followed the careers of those that were there from the beginning, it's been fun to see the great successes of the entire group. The extraordinary success that every member of that initial team has had is a testament to both the initial vision and the ultimate success of SBD. A tough, but great time of my life. I have only the fondest of memories.
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Ortbals Patton is proud of being an original Daily
staff member
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NAME: Andrea Ortbals Patton
CURRENT JOB: At-home parent, school board member, writer (and former litigator)
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Concord, Mass.
AGE WHEN JOINED SBD: 21
JOB AT SBD: Staff Writer
HOW LONG AT SBD: 6 months
STORY THAT STOOD OUT: Cancellation of the postseason during the 1994-95 MLB strike.
LEFT SBD TO GO: Work at a major DC law firm and eventually go to law school.
FONDEST MEMORY AT SBD: Meeting and interviewing my hometown hero, Bob Costas, at a congressional hearing on the baseball strike.
ONCE LEAVING SBD, WHAT YOU REALIZED ABOUT PEOPLE'S IMPRESSIONS OF SBD IN THE
MARKETPLACE: Any time I meet an industry insider, I bring up my first "real" job out of college, and it's an immediate connection. SBD is so well-established and respected. I feel proud to have been a part of its launch.
THERE WERE DAYS WHEN YOU WEREN'T SURE SBD WAS GOING TO BE VIABLE BECAUSE: We were setting the standard for both a digital publication and a news briefing in this space. It was a challenge to explain our angle, but exciting as many people saw the value.
YOU KNEW SBD WAS GOING TO BE VIABLE AND HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE INDUSTRY WHEN: Major players and executives in the industry started to call us first.
OPEN MIC MEMORIES: Starting with clips at 5 a.m. and ending our days late was tough, fun and intensely bonding. I remember side-splitting fits of laughter with my fellow writers, as well as pushing each other to produce the best product every day because we absolutely had to. I have forgotten the particulars of many early jobs, but this effort to make and market a valuable publication sticks with me. I still brag about being there at the beginning.
