In the prehistoric era of digital marketing (ICQ, Yahoo and dial-up anyone?) 20-something Danny Gavin began tinkering with digital marketing. Self-taught, eternally curious, and fiercely tenacious, his digital marketing chops were instrumental in helping Brian Gavin Diamonds join the INC 5000. In 2010, he founded Optidge to provide a boutique digital marketing service that takes a genuine interest in its clients’ long-term success. Since then, Optidge has sprouted into a booming agency with a golden reputation.

And Danny? He’s still changing the world. By day, he’s leading Optidge with his trademark humility and data-driven creativity. By night, he’s an adjunct professor at the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College. He’s also the founder of ODEO Academy: the only online, practical graduate-level course that teaches the fundamentals of digital marketing in 15 weeks. No, he never sleeps. When he’s not working? He’s a husband and dad to 5 adorable kids.