Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Velez and Al Grullon. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Orlando Magic HQ (originally founded as Orlando Magic Rumors) was founded by Anthony Velez in 2010. Anthony started the Instagram account looking for a way to engage with other Magic fans that were equally as passionate for the team as he was. He enjoyed graphic design, so Instagram provided him with a way to create content that would allow Magic fans to stay informed with the latest Magic rumors and updates while also being able to interact with other Magic fans. As the years went on, the Instagram account has gained popularity among Magic fans and it has become one of the most popular Orlando Magic centric accounts on Instagram. It has become a destination for Magic fans to go to whenever they want to find the latest news and updates, trade rumors, game day updates, and pretty much anything to do with the Magic.
Fast forward to 2019, Al Grullon approached Anthony and others with an idea to start an Orlando Magic podcast. The idea was to start a podcast that would provide Magic fans with the latest news and updates, but also authentic commentary from real fans who share a passion for the team. The idea came to realization in November 2019 and that is when The OZone Podcast launched. The podcast has gained a tremendous amount of popularity since then and we have had the honor to have some incredible guests join us, such as Dante Marchitelli, Cori Yarckin, Mackenzie Thirkill, Michael Carter-Williams, Wes Iwundu, Andrew Nicholson, Jeff Turner, David Steele, Darrell Armstrong, Bo Outlaw, Haseeb Fasihi aka Coach Hex, Keith Smith, Roy Parry, Josh Robbins, and many others.
In early 2021, Al joined Anthony officially as a member of the Orlando Magic HQ team to assist Anthony with the daily content updates of the Instagram page and officially create a new and improved Orlando Magic HQ brand. This would lead to new branding for the podcast and Orlando Magic HQ, the introduction of The OZone Podcast YouTube channel and the launch of OrlandoMagicHQ.com. The website will put together everything in one place for Magic fans and Orlando Magic HQ followers: Instagram and twitter feed with the latest news and updates, authentic and original Magic articles, and the ability to listen to our podcast or to watch our YouTube channel content right from our website
Innovation, originality, quality and most importantly our passion for the Orlando Magic unite us and pushes us every day to create and deliver the best to Magic fans. Our goal is to provide Magic fans with quality content in every way possible whether that is in writing, through our podcast or YouTube content, or via our social media updates on Twitter and Instagram.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest obstacle or challenge for us has been balancing family, work and our passion for the team. We put in a lot of hours creating content, engaging with our followers and in recent years developing and growing the podcast and our website. Thankfully our family has been extremely supportive and pushes us to continue to grow and innovate.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Orlando Magic HQ – The center of Magic basketball. A one stop shop for the average magic fan where they can get access to the latest news, updates and insights through our weekly podcast and our articles.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
One of the biggest struggles for us was adapting to the changing demands that the pandemic presented to us. We would normally record our weekly podcast in person and we had to transition to a virtual world despite not having the proper equipment and knowledge at the time.
It ended up being a blessing for us at a time when the basketball world stopped leaving a void to an audience looking for Orlando Magic content. Fighting to remain relevant, this opportunity forced us to take risks and innovate. We took an aggressive approach to reach out to current Orlando Magic players, personnel from within the Magic organization and even a few Magic legends who due to the pandemic found themselves with extra time in their hands and were willing to sit down with us to talk life and Magic basketball.
What we learned from this experience is when you are passionate about something you may find moments that give you reasons to give up or slow down, but when you embrace the challenges, the end result may be better than you ever expected.
Contact Info:
- Email: admin@orlandomagichq.com
- Website: www.orlandomagichq.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orlandomagichq/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orlandomagichq/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/theozonepod
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/orlandomagichq
