Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani Klupenger
Hi Dani, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up playing sports. Competition and the camaraderie around sports light me up inside. Always has, always will. My parents were both standout high school athletes, my dad was the quarterback and my mom played softball. I played a bit of soccer and softball, but nothing compared to my love of basketball. In high school, I opted to focus solely on hoops. My goal was to get a Division I basketball scholarship and midway through my senior year, that dream became a reality. I received a full-ride scholarship to Stony Brook University, a Division I program in New York, to play basketball.
Fast forward to my junior year of college, I was deep into my Journalism program and had a basketball practice conflict with the only sports reporting elective offered. I knew I wanted to cover sports and entertainment post-college so I chose to be creative. I begged and pleaded with the sports information department inside the athletic department to allow me to create a weekly web-show highlighting all sports and athlete’s across the school. They were hesitant (after all, I was a double major and a starter on the basketball team) but I was persistent. Ultimately, they allowed me to have a show featured on the athletics website that I shot, edited and hosted myself. Midway through my senior year, this web-show caught the attention of a Stony Brook alumni that offered me an opportunity of a lifetime…
Go Vols! It just so happened that one of the biggest conferences in the nation was beginning a brand new network called the SEC Network. Each school in the SEC was to have their own studio and production crew. I was hired to be the University of Tennessee’s reporter for all sports teams. In addition to my reporting duties, I would shoot and edit many of my own pieces that would be featured on UT’s website as well as the SEC Network. I had the opportunity to be on the sidelines for football games that housed over 102,000 people, covered one of the most storied women’s basketball programs in the nation, as well as having a front row seat to coaching changes, conference championships, media days and more.
After two years at UT, I got a job as the team reporter for the St. Louis Rams in the NFL. This was a brand new challenge as I had little-to-no-knowledge of the NFL since I grew up in Oregon and we didn’t have a professional team. I conducted interviews, hosted a Rams television show, hosted a ESPN radio show with the punter, emceed charitable events and still had editing duties in addition to reporting. When the Rams moved to Los Angeles, I was part of a select group that was asked to join the team on the west coast. I was thrilled to be coming back to the coast I grew up on. This job shaped me in a lot of ways. Some of my best and worst memories as a reporter come from this stop on my journey. I am so thankful to the Rams organization for the opportunity to cover their team and to the fans for welcoming me with open arms. The three-ish years spent in this role made me grow as both a reporter and a person.
Following the Rams, I spent a season covering the Seattle Seahawks for NBC Sports Northwest and did very small assignments for Tennis Channel. During that time I also started hosting a show for Fanduel. This was when sports gambling was just becoming legal in some states. I read books, listen to podcasts and gave myself a crash course in the betting space.
I spent a few years as a college football and college basketball sideline reporter. I also was an analyst on WCC men’s college basketball games and some WNBA games as well.
Over the past three years, I expanded my role with Tennis Channel and got a job as a host of a national, daily sports gambling show sponsored by BetMGM in Chicago called “Live on the Line.”
Currently, I host the desk worldwide for Tennis Channel at all of the ATP/WTA Masters 1000 tournaments. These tournaments are held yearly in Miami, Monaco, Madrid, Rome, Cincinatti, Canada, Paris and the year-end finals in Turin, Italy. I recently relocated back to Newport Beach and I am excited for this next chapter of the journey to unfold!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not always been smooth. I’ve lost jobs, lost out on jobs, made mistakes, felt discouraged, lived in low-income housing… I even left the industry completely during Covid and worked at a toy production company in marketing.
I have learned that no one cares about your situation more than you. You may think everyone is noticing you fail, but people are too self-absorbed to pay that close of attention. I’ve learned that if you don’t believe you can do something, then no one else will either. I’ve used the term “fake it until you make it” several times in order to pick myself up off the floor. I’m a non-confrontational person but I’ve learned how and when to use my voice. I am actually extremely grateful for all of the struggles along the way because they have made me a stronger person.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My goal on television is to make you feel like you are at a bar casually chatting about sports. I always say that I want to inform the viewer but I also want to entertain them. My shows and broadcasts do not have a teleprompter and I prefer it this way. It allows me to think on my feet, find spots to use wit but also allows me to direct questioning on the fly based off of the answers from the people I’m talking to.
I take pride in showcasing others. It is not about me, it has never been about me. I am the over-prepared mouthpiece with the privilege of being up close to your favorite sports and athletes. I am there to bridge the gap between the viewer and their heroes, tasked with finding the relatability and insight. I am not curing brain cancer… I get to talk about sports! I have the most fun job in the entire world and I want the viewer to know that I recognize how special my position is. I do not take it for granted.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Everyone’s journey is different. You may have the same goal as someone else, but there is no “right way” to get there. Follow your intuition, say yes to every opportunity, always be prepared and be open-minded to other avenues you may not have had considered originally.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/daniklup
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/daniklup
Image Credits
USA Today Sports
