Frank D'Angelo

Early life

D'Angelo was born to Italian immigrants Giuseppe and Carmela D'Angelo in Toronto. 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 resold 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.

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 juice door-to-door, and the company quickly grew to success with the financial backing of Canadian politician Al Palladini. His company 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 Brewery. He was replaced after the company's financial problems in late 2007. By 2010, the Steelback Brewery was closed.

Forget About It Supper Club

D'Angelo owns the Forget About It Supper Club restaurant on King Street in Toronto, Ontario.

Cheetah Power Surge

Cheetah Power Surge is an energy drink produced by D'Angelo Brands.

Next Sport Star

In March 2012, D'Angelo launched a sports-themed media website called Next Sport Star where he hosts a weekly show with Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Phil Esposito and former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant general manager Bill Watters. The site is also backed by Canadian pharmaceutical billionaire Bernard Sherman.

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 low budget 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'.

Entertainment and charity

D'Angelo is the singer for his band named after his brewery called the Steelback 2–4, which includes Mike Reno from Loverboy. Their first album, You Gotta Believe to Believe, raised 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 frequently sang the opening anthems at Toronto Argonauts games, although the crowd booed his final performance and he later issued an apology.

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.

D'Angelo 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 Penguins 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 Being Frank Show

In November 2010, D'Angelo purchased time on a number of stations to launch his The Being Frank Show. It is broadcast Fridays at 12 a.m. The first show was on 5 November 2010 on CHCH in Hamilton, Ontario. The show is interspersed with 'Commercial Timeouts' promoting his related products as well as other products. Airtime has been purchased 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. Justice John Hamilton said he found the evidence of both D'Angelo and his accuser credible. But in handing down his ruling, Hamilton added D'Angelo "may be" or is "probably" guilty of the crime.

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 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.

Libel suit

In June 2007, D'Angelo launched a $2 million libel suit against blogger Neate Sager for an unrelated posting on Sager's blog site. D'Angelo dropped the suit when Sager posted an apology.