Frank D'Angelo
Encyclopedia
Frank D'Angelo is a Canadian
entrepreneur in the beverage industry. He is the founder of D'Angelo Brands and Steelback Brewery
and is host to The Being Frank Show, a weekly Canadian talk show.
. He showed a knack for business early on; at age 9 he outsourced his newspaper delivery of the Toronto Telegram
to other children. He held many sales positions (sometimes concurrently), and bought his first house at age 20, which he flipped profitably.
D'Angelo's beginning in the food industry started when he worked for his father who owned Napoli foods until they were sold to Saputo
a year later.
door-to-door, and the company quickly grew to success with the financial backing of Canadian politician Al Palladini
. He grew his company after a chance encounter with David Stewart, the CEO of the Loblaws
supermarket chain. They filed for credit protection in late 2007. On February 16, 2008, a numbered company owned by D'Angelo's family bought back D'Angelo Brands.
. He was replaced after their financial problems in late 2007. As of 2010, the Steelback Brewery is closed.
, Ontario.
The ads were often shown in high-cost slots during Hockey Night In Canada
broadcasts. Hockey related spots starred him and hockey celebrities such as Shayne Corson
, Darcy Tucker
and Phil Esposito
. In one commercial, he interviewed Ben Johnson in a pretend talk show titled 'Being Frank'
from Loverboy
. Their first album is "You Gotta Believe to Believe" to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina
, the Breast Cancer Society and the Hospital for Sick Children
. On May 21, 2009, they announced the release of their second album "Full Circle" with nine original songs and four cover tunes.
He has frequently sung the opening anthems at Toronto Argonauts
games.
He released a recording of Silent Night
in November, 2009, with an RnB vocal style. Profits from sales went to support Toronto charities which help the homeless.
Frank has also been an active volunteer to help the city's homeless.
hockey team.
In 2007, D'Angelo expressed interest in reviving the Canadian Football League
's Ottawa Renegades
(with the intention of naming them the Ottawa Steelbacks), but the league rejected him as an owner, with media speculating it was because he was "egotistical" and a "shameless publicity hound".
. The show is on syndication and broadcast on various Canadian television stations.
Several days after being acquitted, D'Angelo hosted a party at his Forget About It Supper Club. An Ontario Provincial Police
surveillance team took photographs showing veteran Ontario Provincial Police
sergeant Michael Rutigliano, and two crown attorneys, Richard Bennett and Domenic Basile present at the same celebration.
On May 14, Rutigliano was charged with attempting to influence the outcome of the case. He was accused of conspiring with D'Angelo to obstruct the prosecution of the case. D'Angelo was formally charged the next day with conspiring to obstruct justice and obstructing justice. He was to appear in court on June 8, 2009, in Brampton
, and his case was adjourned until May 31, 2010. On September 2, 2010, the obstruction charges against D'Angelo were stayed.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
entrepreneur in the beverage industry. He is the founder of D'Angelo Brands and Steelback Brewery
Steelback Brewery
Steelback Brewery was a Canadian based and owned brewery, located in Tiverton, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Huron.-The start:Steelback Brewery was started in September, 2002 by Frank D'Angelo while looking for expansion space for his juice company, D'Angelo Brands. He found a site inTiverton,...
and is host to The Being Frank Show, a weekly Canadian talk show.
Early life
D'Angelo was born to Italian immigrants Giuseppe and Carmela D'Angelo in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He showed a knack for business early on; at age 9 he outsourced his newspaper delivery of the Toronto Telegram
Toronto Telegram
The Toronto Evening Telegram was a conservative, broadsheet afternoon newspaper published in Toronto from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the Conservative Party at both the federal and provincial level. The paper competed with the liberal Toronto Star...
to other children. He held many sales positions (sometimes concurrently), and bought his first house at age 20, which he flipped profitably.
D'Angelo's beginning in the food industry started when he worked for his father who owned Napoli foods until they were sold to Saputo
Saputo
Saputo may refer to:* Guillermo Saputo , Argentine boxer* Joey Saputo , Canadian businessman and son of:* Lino Saputo , Italian-born Canadian businessman-See also:...
a year later.
D'Angelo Brands, Inc.
D'Angelo is founder and president of D'Angelo Brands, Inc., which produces and markets beverages and some canned food items in Canada. It started in 1986 by selling apple juiceApple juice
Apple juice is a fruit juice manufactured by the maceration and pressing of apples. The resulting expelled juice may be further treated by enzymatic and centrifugal clarification to remove the starch and pectin, which holds fine particulate in suspension, and then pasteurized for packaging in...
door-to-door, and the company quickly grew to success with the financial backing of Canadian politician Al Palladini
Al Palladini
Al Palladini was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 until his death, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris.Before entering political life, Palladini was the owner of the Pine Tree Ford...
. He grew his company after a chance encounter with David Stewart, the CEO of the Loblaws
Loblaws
Loblaws is a supermarket chain with over 70 stores in Canada, headquartered in Brampton, with stores across Ontario and Quebec. Loblaws is a division of Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada's largest food distributor...
supermarket chain. They filed for credit protection in late 2007. On February 16, 2008, a numbered company owned by D'Angelo's family bought back D'Angelo Brands.
Steelback Brewery
In September, 2002, he started and was the CEO for Steelback BrewerySteelback Brewery
Steelback Brewery was a Canadian based and owned brewery, located in Tiverton, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Huron.-The start:Steelback Brewery was started in September, 2002 by Frank D'Angelo while looking for expansion space for his juice company, D'Angelo Brands. He found a site inTiverton,...
. He was replaced after their financial problems in late 2007. As of 2010, the Steelback Brewery is closed.
Forget About It Supper Club
D'Angelo owns the Forget About It Supper Club restaurant on King Street in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario.
Marketing
Steelback commercials from 2002 to 2007 always starred Frank D'Angelo and presented him as a known celebrity (although he was relatively unknown) and the face of Steelback. He has said that "I am the Brand". Steelback invested around $15M per year on advertising.The ads were often shown in high-cost slots during Hockey Night In Canada
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
broadcasts. Hockey related spots starred him and hockey celebrities such as Shayne Corson
Shayne Corson
Shayne Corson is a retired Canadian professional hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dallas Stars...
, Darcy Tucker
Darcy Tucker
Darcy Tucker is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, who played most of his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A sixth round draft choice, Tucker began his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens...
and Phil Esposito
Phil Esposito
Philip Anthony Esposito, OC is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and is considered to be one of the best to have...
. In one commercial, he interviewed Ben Johnson in a pretend talk show titled 'Being Frank'
Entertainment and charity
D'Angelo is the singer for his band called the Steelback 2-4, which includes Mike RenoMike Reno
Mike Reno , born January 8, 1955 in New Westminster, British Columbia is a Canadian musician, drummer, and lead singer of the rock band Loverboy. He has also fronted other bands, including Moxy....
from Loverboy
Loverboy
Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. Throughout the 1980s, the band accumulated numerous hit songs in Canada and the United States, earning four multi-platinum albums and selling millions of records...
. Their first album is "You Gotta Believe to Believe" to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, the Breast Cancer Society and the Hospital for Sick Children
Hospital for Sick Children
The Hospital for Sick Children – is a major paediatric centre for the Greater Toronto Area, serving patients up to age 18. Located on University Avenue in Downtown Toronto, SickKids is part of the city’s Discovery District, a critical mass of scientists and entrepreneurs who are focused on...
. On May 21, 2009, they announced the release of their second album "Full Circle" with nine original songs and four cover tunes.
He has frequently sung the opening anthems at Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
games.
He released a recording of Silent Night
Silent Night
"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber...
in November, 2009, with an RnB vocal style. Profits from sales went to support Toronto charities which help the homeless.
Frank has also been an active volunteer to help the city's homeless.
Sport
On December 18, 2006, D'Angelo declared his interest in buying the Pittsburgh PenguinsPittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
hockey team.
In 2007, D'Angelo expressed interest in reviving the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Ottawa Renegades
Ottawa Renegades
Ottawa Renegades was the most recent name of a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario founded in 2002, seven years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded...
(with the intention of naming them the Ottawa Steelbacks), but the league rejected him as an owner, with media speculating it was because he was "egotistical" and a "shameless publicity hound".
The Being Frank Show
In November 2010, D'Angelo launched a weekly talk show titled The being Frank Show. It is broadcast Fridays at 1 a.m. The first show was on 5 November 2010 on CHCH in Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. The show is on syndication and broadcast on various Canadian television stations.
Sexual assault charge
On June 9, 2007, D'Angelo was arrested in the alleged sexual assault of a 21-year old woman. He was found not guilty on April 21, 2009.Several days after being acquitted, D'Angelo hosted a party at his Forget About It Supper Club. An Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
surveillance team took photographs showing veteran Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
sergeant Michael Rutigliano, and two crown attorneys, Richard Bennett and Domenic Basile present at the same celebration.
On May 14, Rutigliano was charged with attempting to influence the outcome of the case. He was accused of conspiring with D'Angelo to obstruct the prosecution of the case. D'Angelo was formally charged the next day with conspiring to obstruct justice and obstructing justice. He was to appear in court on June 8, 2009, in Brampton
Brampton
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.Brampton may also refer to:- Canada :* Brampton, a city in Ontario** Brampton GO Station, a station in the GO Transit network located in the city- United Kingdom :...
, and his case was adjourned until May 31, 2010. On September 2, 2010, the obstruction charges against D'Angelo were stayed.