MTV Real World Miami’s Dan Renzi was appointed editor last week of Express Gay News, south Florida’s weekly print news publication.  The former reality star and aspiring fashion model assumes the helm of the widely-read publication from former editor Phil LaPadula.

With the proliferation of social networking and video websites, Andy Warhol’s prophecy that “In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” has been realized.  But south Florida resident and former reality star Dan Renzi experienced his fifteen minutes long before there was a Myspace and a YouTube.  Now the former MTV’s Real World star and aspiring model is working towards his next quarter hour of noteriety, as he assumes the role of editor for a major south Florida gay newspaper.    

Readers of Express Gay News, a well respected printed publication that was launched in January of 2000, discovered the change in leadership of the popular weekly as they read this week’s regular editorial feature.  Replacing former editor Phil LaPadula’s photo & byline was Renzi’s, accompanied by a quick personal introduction and Renzi’s penned opinion piece on the recent hate-crimes and murders that have occurred in south Florida.  

The Kansas native first appeared on television viewers collective radar when he appeared as a houseguest in the fifth season of MTV’s popular reality television series The Real World, filmed in Miami Beach’s exclusive Rivo Alto Island in the summer of 1996.  Renzi, a Rutger’s University graduate, had moved to Miami to pursue a runway modeling career when he auditioned for and won a spot on the series.   

Since the original airing of The Real World Miami, Renzi has been featured in numerous MTV related productions and has been the subject of an episode of “E! True Hollywood Story”.  Locally Renzi has achieved some journalistic noteriety as an entertainment writer for several local publications, including the Miami New Times.   

Renzi, who served as editor of Rutger’s student newspaper for two years, conceded in his inaugural editorial that this new role will be a challenging one.  “This paper has been a chronicle of the South Florida community for more years than I’ve lived here. This is a huge responsibility…,” Renzi wrote in the May 8, 2008 issue of Express Gay News.   

Renzi assumes the editorial helm from Phil LaPadula, former writer & editor for the Windows Media owned publication. Neither LaPadula, known for his journalistic integrity and his efforts in producing a quality LGBT news media outlet,  nor Express had issued statements regarding LaPadula’s departure.