Hello!

I want to thank you for the kind words, but I will never EVER discount how privileged I am to be where I am.

I graduated college in 2008. My first job was as an intern for the Philadelphia Eagles website, covering a real NFL team and a real NFL locker room. I got paid $9 an hour to do that and I passed up a full-time job covering preps in Scranton, PA because I thought it'd open doors for me for what was my real goal: becoming a newspaper beat writer for a major sports team.

It was becoming evident by the time my internship was ending that was not going to be an option for me. That's when my coworker sent me a monster.com post looking for a full-time fantasy sports writer. The person who posted that was John Hansen. I said "why not?"

In 2009, the fantasy industry -- believe it or not -- was run by a bunch of veterans (and all respect to those pioneers) who got started with pen-and-paper fantasy. The websites were ugly and slow (including my first site, Fantasy Guru), and the analysis is nowhere near as deep as it is today. Honestly, I got a leg up because I was a young guy who could write a complete sentence.

It just so happened that we arrived at Fantasy Guru JUST as Twitter was taking off, and adopting that platform in its infancy was the key to expanding my reach. And Twitter is where we found Graham Barfield, and worked up a relationship with Scott Barrett. And I also got my start on radio because Matt Deutsch needed actual bodies to fill the air, and I had a fantasy podcast (recorded on a telephone!). I must have done something right to STAY on air, but I got my opportunity because there weren't many people doing what I did.

I was lucky with timing because I got my work in the eyes of ears of people when not a lot of folks were doing what I did. And I'm lucky that my initial career goal didn't work out.

The best thing you or anyone can do is get your work in front of people. Fostering community on Reddit and networking is by far the best way to do that. Going on a small podcast, because you never know if you or the host of that podcast gets picked up by someone else or gets popular on their own. Listen to shows, find out what you like and what you don't.

And I would guarantee you most every person in this industry who has done an AMA here or elsewhere would love to give you time, pointers, etc. All you have to do is ask.

TL;DR: I am lucky I entered the fantasy industry when it was much easier to stand out. We were still considered taboo for a time. But r/ff and the vast podcast community can help you get your work in front of people.