Marco Santana. Journalist.

08/14/2025

The infamous ball pit during a previous trip made me realize I’m old. 😂😂 I refused an offer to jump in because I figured I’d never get out! 🤨 Orlando has afforded me so much opportunity to write about really cool things and Madden NFL is right up there. continues to take me to cool places!

08/13/2025

They still pay respects to their previous life as Tiburon at . I recall playing Madden back in the pre-3D days, seeing this ’s logo flash on the screen. Then, decades later, being able to cover them on a regular basis was really cool. I recently visited to learn more about this year’s game. I’ve got to say, it’s been quite a ride in Orlando.

08/12/2025

One of the highlights of the summer was moderating a panel at this year’s on in the workplace. As someone who has loved and, more specifically, , since he was a kid, watching the development and possibilities has been absolutely a thrill. Being able to lead and drive a conversation on one of the more tech-forward trade shows - alongside two humanoids, no less - was a great experience and one I hope to do more of!

07/11/2025

I have been building a Substack on the integration of pop culture and gaming. Check out my piece below on how EA's newest game does that!

Sports as pop culture can be intricately explained by looking at the sports gaming genre

06/02/2025

I definitely apologize to for the saturation of this screenshot. But this is certainly not . 😁 That said, kudos to Roku for having a 24-hour channel! Always a good choice, he’s one of the people I love to watch and study. Great and so much fun!

05/28/2025

Confession: I wasn’t supposed to take this picture. But I really couldn’t help it!

As I watched the show at at I sat in awe as Toothless rose from the stage with Hiccup in tow! I share now because I’ve seen the scene shared around since the park’s official opening. We were there during the preview period. Also, I wasn’t the only one to pull my camera out!

To me, this moment was one of several that just defined this day at Epic for me. Wonder. Awe. Imagination. Fun.

I’m leaning in to lately and, I have to say, few do content better than Universal and Orlando’s .

I’ve become a big fan of Orlando even beyond the theme parks since I arrived in 2014. I look forward to more adventures this summer!

04/23/2025

Been geeking out on something new lately! Wanted to share here. I’ve launched a new called “Nexus: Where Gaming Meets Pop Culture.”

I’ve long wanted to try my hand at Substack and finally landed on what I think is an interesting niche. It’s basically where my lifelong love of and obsessing over movies and TV found a home! 🙂

We are diving deep into the connections that make these worlds awesome! For instance, my first post was about season 2, episode 2 and I’m planning a piece on how watching a performance of John Williams’ iconic movie soundtracks had me thinking about some soundtracks I enjoy.

If you’re into that same nerdy Venn Diagram, check it out! Link in bio, of course!

03/30/2025

Excited to head into April after a nice month in . It’s no secret that I have absolutely loved my time in Orlando so it’s exciting to move .tech.news into what I think will be an important time. One thing I’ve not been able to do too much of is really flex my long form chops. That’s changing sometime soon. I have some things coming that could transform the site so keep on supporting! More to come and very soon as I don’t like when others delay lol Pictures are of an early morning event last week held by .

11/17/2024

My daily goal and approach. Always.

07/09/2024

Announcement this morning, and it’s one I’m really excited about. I am launching a and the first clip is ready for viewing! I sat with .catnip and talked about women in , and her favorite podcast! If you have a YouTube account - and I’m sure you do if you have gmail, would love for you to follow the podcast on YT. The link is in my bio here. Ok, with that out of the way, let me tell you more about my premise in case you needed more convincing! Interviewing is something I enjoy because I have a genuine interest in what makes people tick, why they enjoy doing what they do and their personal journey. “The ‘Everybody Has A Podcast’ Podcast” is a series of interviews that highlight people of all walks of life through a fun and loose conversation. You’ll see in the first clip that I like to keep it light while also addressing serious discussion. Stay tuned to see where this is heading, as I’m building a small team to put some work in. Also, you’ll see today the latest story on .tech.news so that remains a priority as I start to pursue the projects I really believe in. Anyway, hope you join me in both efforts!

06/18/2024

I have the benefit of being genuinely curious. That’s why it’s time. It’s true. Introducing “The ‘Everybody Has A Podcast’ Podcast.” I have been planning, delaying, researching, etc., long enough. The truth is that I consider myself one of the best interviewers in Central Florida. I have extensive experience doing so. If you’d like to be on, let me know. There is no real guidelines. Think “Humans of New York.” That was an interview book that had one thread among guests: humans who live in New York. That’s low bar. I’m lowering it lol let me know if you’d our like to chat.

02/13/2024

What a great weekend checking out at ! Appreciate for the invite and the friendship. has become as much a part of who I am as my birth region of Northern Illinois and the area. No surprise there as this is now the region in which I’ve lived the second-longest period of my life. Going on 10 years in October. But beyond that, it aligns with my personality so much, frankly. A lot of , some fun vibes in the and an appreciation for inherent in this .