Welcome to Dad or Alive!
I’m Adrian and I started this blog in 2010 as a creative outlet after leaving the TV industry. After 15 years as an executive in Hollywood for Adam Sandler and Chelsea Handler, I turned my 8 years as a SAHD to 4 kids into one of the most influential dad blogs of its time. This spawned six books including four parenting tomes (including best-seller “We’re Pregnant!”), a comedic memoir, and a dad joke book. They’ve sold over half-a-million copies, printed in multiple languages around the world…
Together with my wife Jen, a reality television executive consultant and motherhood podcaster, we’ve got 4 kids – Ava is 14, Charlie is 12, Mason is 10 and little Evelyn is 6 years old. After stints in California, Maryland, and Virginia, we currently call Nashville, Tennessee our home.
However… while following that journey, I found myself overwhelmed, overweight and overcome with years of growing dependency on alcohol and comfort food. During the pandemic, I woke up at my lowest point, embarrassed and ashamed.
In June of 2021, I decided to take action. I put my brand on hiatus to focus on getting myself healthy, reconnecting with my wife and kids, and chasing new opportunities with a vision and vigor that I haven’t experienced in thirty years. I made a commitment to myself and to my family; I fought my way through losing over 100 pounds and have been enjoying the intoxicating (haha) clarity that comes with sobriety.
I’ve spent the past four years executive producing country music radio + streaming for major platforms including Apple Music, producing comedians’ podcasts, as well as wrote and produced my first stage show, ‘Dad Bod,’ for the historic Woolworth Theatre in Nashville.
After achieving personal wellness, I had to think about who I am moving forward.
I realized that it’s taken me almost 14 years to grow into my handle, @DadOrAlive.
A good friend once told me, “for over a decade you’ve shared 99% of your life online, but the 1% you always held back represented 99% of your story.”
And thus, this new chapter of Dad or Alive was born. Welcome to my 1%.
