Danny Kastner is an American musician, composer, director, producer, and entrepreneur. Kastner is the founder of Minty Swirl Media, a music and interactive technology company. The company publishes and produces music for artist Ryan McCartan as well several additional performer/songwriters.Minty Swirl web site
/ref> Kastner has written and produced music for

Tkay Maidza Takudzwa Victoria Rosa "Tkay" Maidza ( ; (born 17 December 1995) is a Zimbabwean-born Australian singer-songwriter and hip hop artist from Adelaide, South Australia. She has been nominated for and won many awards, and released two albums: '' Tk ...

, Espa, Kiah Victoria and others in collaboration with songwriter

Autumn Rowe Autumn Rowe (born May 25, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, TV personality, DJ and activist from South Bronx, New York, United States. In 2010, she helped write the song "Happiness" by Alexis Jordan, with producers Stargate and Deadmau5, w ...

. He is producing and co-writing a project in 2023 with the artist,

Nellie McKay Eleanora Marie McKay (born April 13, 1982) is an English–American singer and songwriter. She made her Broadway debut in ''The Threepenny Opera#United States 2, The Threepenny Opera'' (2006). Early life and education McKay was born in London ...

. Kastner is a professional keyboardist for the

Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 20 ...

band since July, 2015. He plays jazz piano in clubs around Los Angeles as a member of the band the Jazz Punks.Jazz Punks web site
/ref> With their debut album, from May 2012 to July 2012, Jazz Punks spent seven weeks in the top four of the CMJ Jazz Radio charts, as well as holding the #1 position during this time. Kastner is a Founding Partner & Creative Director of the Milt Olin Foundation, launching a global movement dedicated to ending distracted driving through the Stop Wrex campaign. Kastner is a producer and co-founder of The Weather Report Legacy Project honoring the seminal jazz group

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer Alphonse Mouzon a ...

, with Tony Zawinul, son of the late Joe Zawinul. He is producing the Weather Report documentary "This is This," directed by Tony Zawinul.This is This web site
/ref> He drove the fan-centered campaign to raise $62,438 for the documentary on crowdfunding website, Indiegogo.Weather Report's Incredible Jazz Journey on Indiegogo
/ref> Kastner's been influential in multiple successful crowdfunding initiatives for artists.Backstage interview on crowdfunding with Danny Kastner
/ref> Previously, Kastner was CEO of FanRocket, an internet digital content production company he founded in 2005.PodcastDirectory interview bio
/ref> He produced and directed video for numerous online projects and networks including Wonderglen for HBO, Casual Fridays and HSN's, "Faces of Beautiful You."Faces of Beautiful You review
/ref> FanRocket also created VooZoo, a movie sharing technology for Facebook, with

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. Kastner has founded two internet start-ups driven by music and the arts, Music Interactive and POPstick.POPstick BusinessWeek listing
/ref> At POPstick, Kastner created interactive animation marketing technology for Microsoft, IBM, Dell, among other technology firms. In 2004, Kastner launched POPstick Outburst and coined the term social network marketing as an approach towards brand marketing through social networks. He hired advertising executive, Steve Dworin, former chairman/CEO of NW Ayer as the president of the initiative.POPstick Tries 'Social Network Marketing'
/ref> Kastner appeared on the third season of NBC's '' The Apprentice'' and was cast after submitting a video entitled "Apprentice the Musical" which was featured during the credits of episode 9.Apprentice the Musical on YouTube
/ref> After being "fired" by

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, Kastner, who holds a master's degree in

music composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

, wrote songs about his experience on the show. These, along with weekly musical recaps of each episode, were played on radio stations across the country."Trump Tower Troubadour Danny Kastner to Release Recap Song for Episode Five of Hit Show The Apprentice This Friday"
/ref> Kastner was re-hired by Donald Trump in an episode of Queer Eye that followed the Apprentice, in 2005, where Kastner organized a charity event for underprivileged children which won praise from Trump.Queer Eye TV Guide Listing – Danny Kastner
/ref> As a composer, Kastner is a two-time BMI Composition Award winner,Daniel Kastner on BMI.COM
/ref> as well as a two-time ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award Recipient.
Kastner composed music for '' Padmé'', the

fan film A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. It is a form of fan fiction. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been ...

that won the George Lucas Selects Award in the 2008 Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kastner, Danny American male composers 21st-century American composers Living people Cleveland State University alumni Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni Musicians from Boston Participants in American reality television series American technology chief executives 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)