Daniel Zambartas

Versatile multimedia journalist producing original news and human-interest stories across sport, business and culture. Strong at self-sourcing interviews and finding off-beat angles. Experienced working fast to tight deadlines and delivering stories that perform. Credits include Insider Media and national titles.

Welcome to my journalism portfolio!

I have eight years of writing experience, underpinned by a journalism degree and professional work across magazines, online and live reporting. I have covered a wide range of subjects and formats, including articles, podcasts, video and on stage discussions, spanning sport, business, music, politics, art, local news and television. I have worked both independently and as part of a team. 


All the stories in this portfolio only highlight about 25% of the work I have done in my career so far, but it showcases my strongest pieces. You can explore examples of this work in more detail using the sidetabs.

Insider Media Ltd •

2025 Apprentice winner was initially rejected by the show - now his firm is planning overseas expansion - Insider Media

The winner of the 2025 edition of The Apprentice, Dean Franklin, has revealed to Insider that he was rejected from the show the year before reapplying and ultimately winning, with his air conditioning business securing the £250,000 prize and now looking to expand overseas.

Franklin, who founded ADL Air Conditioning in 2020, had applied to the show the year before, but was told at the audition "you’re not giving me anything."

"And to be fair, he was right," the 35-year old said. "On the day of...
Insider Media Ltd •

“This will overtake coffee as the number one morning drink by 2032” says Dragons’ Den star - Insider Media

An  entrepreneur who secured investment on Dragons' Den has told Insider that his product will overtake coffee as the number one morning beverage by 2032, turning his business into a billion-pound brand.

Liam Browne secured a £50,000 investment for Full Power Cacao from Peter Jones, Steven Bartlett and Gary Neville after they were wowed by the founder's entrepreneurial journey, from the brink of going to prison after his mother’s sudden death, to discovering the magic of cacao in Guatemala.

Ca...
Insider Media Ltd •

“Competing at Wimbledon fuelled my relentless need to win - now my yacht finance platform is sailing towards becoming a $1bn business” - Insider Media

"I love the fact my business has competitors," a former Grand Slam competitor has told Insider, who has since launched a Manchester-based yacht accounting software provider.

Ian Flanagan, a promising young tennis player, made headlines at 22 when he defeated Mark Philippoussis, the previous year's Wimbledon runner-up. 

He went on to play at the iconic tournament in London but was forced to retire young due to injury. "I got injured and had to stop, but I’d always been somewhat entrepreneurial,...
Dan's Mersey Blog •

Catching up with the Coral on their 20-year anniversary tour

The Coral frontman James Skelly has said the band are creatively in “a really good place” on their 20th anniversary tour, following two years without live performances due to the pandemic.


Formed in the Wirral in 1996, their songs include: “Dreaming of you”, “In the morning”, “Jacqueline”, and “Rebecca you”. Their eponymous debut album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2002 and was voted fourth best album of the year by the NME.


“These times creatively do suit us, whereas I thi...
Mersey Music •

Miles Kane’s time has come – Live Review

Miles Kane is back and his time is now. Daniel Zambartas covers the Wirralian’s latest stunning Manchester performance.


Read about Miles Kane and you’ll see he has worked closely with some of the best in the industry – Alex Turner, the Gallagher brothers, and The Coral, to name a few. 


While his popularity, perhaps unfairly, isn’t on the same scale as some of those artists, seeing him live makes you question why. 


The man from Birkenhead is confidence personified. The forthright stance...
Insider Media Ltd •

“This is how we quadrupled our revenue and why investing in cricket infrastructure will take our teams to the next level”  - Lancashire County Cricket Club CEO - Insider Media

"Domestic cricket doesn’t make any money," Daniel Gidney, chief executive at Lancashire County Cricket Club and Emirates Old Trafford told Insider as he explained how revenue has increased fourfold at the club since 2012. "[We knew] if we wanted to fund domestic cricket, we needed other revenue streams."

When Gidney joined as chief executive in 2012, the group was generating around £9m in turnover. The club had just come out of a period of having lost international hosting status, which meant i...
Insider Media Ltd •

“I was bullied at school for my speech impediment - now I’ve doubled the turnover at a historic moving company” - Insider Media

Simon Hood overcame childhood bullying and a speech impediment to buy out a 140-year-old moving company. Now, with a growing gulf between the number of Brits leaving and those arriving, he’s steering the Liverpool-based firm through a major shift in UK migration.

Hood, owner of John Mason International, says his experiences of losing his dad at a young age, facing financial hardship, and growing up with a speech impediment shaped the leadership style he brings to the business today.

“Growing u...
Insider Media Ltd •

“We’ve had thousands of franchise enquiries since January” - coffee chain founder on being born to Brew Itt and why matcha craze is here to stay - Insider Media

The founder of a Liverpool-based coffee chain that’s franchising across the UK has told Insider how he plans to preserve its Scouse roots and family-like culture, even as interest pours in from overseas.

Jack Brewitt, founder of 92 Degrees Coffee, launched the franchise after years in the tech industry showed him how American coffee shops like Blue Bottle and Philz acted as creative hubs, inspiring him to create a similar space that channels Liverpool’s unique energy and community spirit. 

Bre...
Insider Media Ltd •

“I grew up in a wheelchair, now I run a £3.5m health tech company” - Insider Media

The founder of a West Sussex tech company has told Insider how growing up with a rare muscle weakening illness fuelled his determination to establish his £3.5m-turnover firm.

Josh Hough, founder and chief executive of Slinfold-based home care software company CareLineLive, was born with a rare genetic condition called Minicore Myopathy, which meant walking was difficult and he often had to attend school in a wheelchair.

"From an early age, I learned I could prove people wrong," said Hough.

"I...
The Modern Age •

The artist behind the Russian Darwin Nunez mural

This story was produced independently while I was studying journalism, at a time when the Darwin Nunez mural was widely discussed within the Liverpool FC community but the artist behind it remained unidentified and uncontacted elsewhere. I uncovered the artist’s identity through online research, made direct contact via WhatsApp, and conducted the interview using translated questions and responses to overcome the language barrier and secure an exclusive.
MerseyVulture •

A tribute to John Lennon

By Daniel Zambartas (Headline photo credit goes to Pixabay)


42 years ago today, Beatles founder, music icon and peace activist John Lennon was murdered outside his home in New York.


Lennon was murdered by a deranged fan called Mark Chapman, just a few hours after the rockstar from Liverpool had autographed his copy of Double Fantasy.


A new trend seems to be to hate on Lennon, especially amongst the younger demographic. He certainly had his flaws, as we all do- his were exacerbated by...
Insider Media Ltd •

“I got dumped, hated my job, and taught myself fashion - now I’m collaborating with my favourite brands and creating something people can’t get anywhere else” - Insider Media

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The Anfield Wrap •

How Curtis Jones & Luis Diaz Allow Liverpool To Control Games

THERE is a very strong argument to say that had Curtis Jones and Luis Diaz been fit for most of this season, The Reds would have top four secured by this point.
Aston Villa away last season was the last time that the two players started together since Diaz returned from his injury. Jones’ only start before Chelsea was against Nottingham Forest, 300 years ago.
It’s not that the two linkup brilliantly together, and that’s what’s made a huge difference; it’s that they both have unique skillsets whi...
Insider Media Ltd •

“Losing my dad at a young age pushed me to quit my West End career and launch an interior design business with no experience beyond an online course” - Insider Media

"I trained in dance, not business. Drama and dancing were my world - but looking back, I always had it in me to become an entrepreneur,” a Manchester-based founder tells Insider.

Simon Mayhew started his interior design company TXTURED two years ago with no qualifications except for an online course. Until a few weeks ago, he was a sole trader, undertaking an array of projects across the UK. 

"I didn’t have a degree or any formal qualifications in interior design. I tried to get an internship,...
The Tomkins Times - Main Hub •

Liverpool Are Drawn Against Insane Number of Premier League Sides in Domestic Cups

In this analysis, Daniel Zambartas looks at the Reds’ draws in domestic cups since 2017, and compares the luck to that of other top-division clubs.Since 17/18 Liverpool have drawn a Premier League team in the FA Cup third round 83% of the time (5/6 times) when each single time there’s only a 30% chance; and overall, 73% of domestic cup games have been against Premier League opposition, with Chelsea next at 64%.This analysis is for paying TTT Main Hub subscribers only.

In this analysis, Daniel Z...
Insider Media Ltd •

Scale Up Series: Why connection is the key to scaling up

In the first roundtable of our scale up series, we explored what makes Manchester such a strong place to grow a business. This time, the discussion looked beyond the city to places such as the Wirral, Lancashire and lesser known parts of Greater Manchester, examining how companies can scale up from anywhere by putting the right strategies in place.


There’s an ROI on the efficiencies it [self-service kiosk m...
Insider Media Ltd •

“The government is looking to Manchester - we’re building at an unrivalled scale,” say council leaders - Insider Media

The leader and chief executive of Manchester City Council shared their perspectives on the opportunities for growth in the city at recent Insider events. 

Bev Craig OBE, leader of Manchester City Council, opened Insider’s latest Property Leaders Lunch event with a keynote speech, reflecting on the growth of the city and what’s coming next. 

The Shaping Living lunch, sponsored by DAC Beachcroft, VM Finance, Coda Studios and GTC, brought together property experts and public sector leaders to exp...
The Modern Age •

Inhaler: Gig Review

Inhaler are a gifted band. Both in recordings and when performing live they are truly talented. They’re not bad looking either, and being Irish doesn’t exactly take away from that. This is just me reflecting on what I saw from thousands of screaming girls around me, of course.We were lucky enough to see them in the city they were formed- Dublin. It was clear just how much the band were up for performing in their hometown where it all began, and that was reciprocated in the excitement from the cr...
Dan's Mersey Blog •

“A 60 year career out of 5 half decent songs” The most overrated bands and artists of all time

Funnily enough, as many songwriters use their dreams for inspiration, this idea came to me in my sleep.


It’s a weird thing to dream about, but I dreamt an idea where I asked everyone who they felt were the most overrated bands and artists in music history.


As soon as I woke up I asked the question on social media and got a collection of responses. For those interested, I’ll be putting my choice forward after everyone else’s comments!


So, let’s get started:


Drake


Drake and moder...
Insider Media Ltd •

Liverpool Ones to Watch: The People, Ideas & Industries Powering Regional Growth

The roundtable included companies spanning AI, sports, hospitality, cyber security, and manufacturing, each offering insights into scaling up and sustaining success.

Topics ranged from Liverpool’s role as a hub for innovation and flexible working to the opportunities and threats of AI, cyber attacks, emerging technologies, and what the future holds.


Liverpool is often celebrated for its history in music an...
Insider Media Ltd •

Manufacturing in the North West: Adapting to a New Era

Insider hosted a round table in partnership with Freeths to celebrate some of the North West’s fastest growing manufacturers. Senior leaders from across the region shared how they are tackling digital adoption, shifting market conditions, and pressure on supply chains.

The conversation centred on three major themes: embracing technology and innovation, managing supply chain disruption, and evolving workforce expectations....
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