One of the great things about raising children is that you get to meet and know their friends. Having brought up a total of four kids, my wife and I cherish and still laugh at some of the memories we have of them and their pals, although at the time some of those memories were created, laughing may have been the furthest thing from our minds.

When our son Mike Jr. was a kid he played a lot of baseball and at some point became a teammate of Dan Cotoia. Over the next several years they became close pals and remain so today. After graduating from Amsterdam High School, Dan went to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY and after getting his Bachelor’s from there in 2003 he moved to New York City and started banging on doors, determined to forge a career for himself in the entertainment industry. He and our son Mike shared an apartment together on 83^rd Street and believe me if I had been a fly on the wall of that place, I could have written a best seller. In any event, Dan accepted all sorts of freelance assignments with various New York City-based television networks and then landed a job on the staff of The Montel Williams Show. During his five years working there, he advanced to the position of Director of Development and Talent for the Emmy award winning show. He also forged close working relationships with many talented folks in the entertainment industry.

Then in 2009, the Williams Show was cancelled and Dan faced a critical career decision…

You can read the rest of my story about this creative Amsterdam native in my new book “A Year’s Worth of Amsterdam Birthdays.” To order your copy, click here.