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...