# Daniel Blackman

> Daniel Blackman is the founder and CEO of Smashcut, a next-generation online learning platform built for real-time, media-based education in the visual and media arts. An NYU Tisch film school graduate, he spent years in executive roles at Google, YouTube, The Daily Beast, Barnes & Noble.com and HarperCollins before co-founding the instructional video company Howcast and, later, Smashcut. Backed by a $7M Series A from Pearson Ventures, Smashcut partners with universities like NYU Tisch to bring collaborative filmmaking and documentary education online.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Smashcut
- **Organizations:** Smashcut, Howcast, Google, YouTube, The Daily Beast, Barnes & Noble.com, HarperCollins Publishers
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BFA, Film Production, New York University, Tisch School of the Arts
- **Known for:** Founded Smashcut, a real-time, media-based online learning platform, Co-founded Howcast and created its Emerging Filmmakers Program, Raised a $7M Series A from Pearson Ventures in 2021

## Career timeline

- **—** — Earned a BFA in Film Production from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts
- **—** — Held executive management roles at HarperCollins Publishers and Barnes & Noble.com
- **—** — Served in executive roles at Google and YouTube; received Google's Luminary Award
- **—** — Held an executive role at The Daily Beast
- **—** — Co-founded Howcast with former Google and YouTube colleagues; created the Howcast Emerging Filmmakers Program
- **2016** — Founded Smashcut, an online learning platform and content studio for visual and media arts
- **2021** — Raised a $7M Series A from Pearson Ventures
- **2022** — Expanded NYU Tisch partnership with a Documentary Workshop course featuring NYT Op-Docs

## Achievements

- Founded Smashcut, a real-time, media-based online learning platform
- Co-founded Howcast and created its Emerging Filmmakers Program
- Raised a $7M Series A from Pearson Ventures in 2021
- Recipient of Google's Luminary Award
- Built university partnerships including NYU Tisch, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia

## Latest updates

- **2021-08** — Closed a $7M Series A led by Pearson Ventures.
- **2022-02** — Launched a Documentary Workshop with NYU Tisch and New York Times Op-Docs.

## Links

- Website: https://smashcut.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielblackman
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/smashcut
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dblack88/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/smashcutfilm

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/daniel-blackman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-22