A few weeks after filming with Bo, we were set to shoot episode two of MTV Sports, but this one had a bit of a twist. We were filming my wrap-arounds from the 3rd Annual Rock n' Jock Softball Challenge, a pro/celebrity softball game that had more stars than Michael Spinks's eyes after Iron Mike Tyson dropped him.

My man Patrick Byrnes was executive producing the Rock n' Jock special and was stressed out having to deal with the logistics of the shoot and egos of the celebs, so he decided to take a leap of faith. He said he wouldn't be able to simultaneously produce my wrap-arounds as well as the game, so he gave me a sheet of paper with specific talking points he wanted me to mention while I was filming. Then he sent me off by myself with the camera crew. As Patrick headed off to deal with more Rock n' Jock drama, he yelled back to me, “Dano, don't let me down.” Hearing him say that was the equivalent of a coach's pregame pep talk. Knowing that he had that type of faith in me after shooting just one episode inspired me to not let him down. Once Patrick had gone, I remember there was some nervous laughter between myself and the camera crew when we realized we were on our own to shoot the wrap-arounds however we wanted to. It was similar to when your parents leave you and your brother home alone and tell you to “behave.”

Before we started shooting I remembered there was one thing I had to do, per some MTV execs in New York. They had seen some of the rough footage we shot at Bridge Day and came to the conclusion that I needed to wear makeup when I was on camera. I probably needed it off camera as well, but they knew I'd potentially scoff at that idea.

Now, wearing makeup is a common occurrence on every television and movie set, but those sets also have money to pay makeup artists to apply said makeup. We did not. I mean, I wasn't even supplied wardrobe for my show, so why would they pay for a makeup artist? Not to worry, as I had the solution. Prior to the shoot, I stopped by CVS and picked up what I thought would be the appropriate makeup needed for the day. Plus, I bought some bubblegum and condoms just so they didn't think I was some guy alone, only buying makeup. I had to keep my manhood intact with the CVS checkers.

Anyway, I told my cameraman I had to quickly do something before we could start shooting. There were no bathrooms in sight, so I popped into one of the Port-a-Johns that were there for the Rock n' Jock game, pulled out my Almay Tawny Beige foundation and commenced to getting my face “camera ready.” Having never applied makeup before, I wasn't sure if there was a proper way to do it, so I went with what I felt was the best method. I poured an ample amount into my hands, vigorously rubbed them together and applied it all over my face as if it was sunscreen. The Port-a John I was in wasn't one of those hoity-toity ones with a plastic mirror, so I had to estimate how evenly I was applying all of the tawny beige beauty to my face.

Once I was finished and ready for my close up, I headed back out to my camera crew, and I remember the two of them just staring at me for a long beat. My cameraman broke the silence by saying in a hushed tone, “Dude, what the hell is on your face?” to which I rather nonchalantly responded, “What do you mean?” He followed it with another vote of confidence by saying, “Your call, but if I were you, I'd go and take that shit off. You look like you were playing in a mud puddle.”

Thankfully, there was a water fountain nearby so I could attempt to remove all of the mud puddle tawny goodness. I used one hand to hold the handle down and the other to splash water on my face like people do in the movies when they've been stuck in the desert for three weeks. Unfortunately, they didn't supply towels at the water fountain, so in order to dry my face I just relied on #14, on the list of Things That Bandannas Can Be Used For.

Primed and ready to start filming, my cameraman asked me what we should do first, so I went with my gut. “Just turn the camera on, follow me wherever I go, and let's see what happens.” Which he did. The next two hours was nonstop, guerilla-style filmmaking at its MTV Sports finest. We “bum rushed” (great 90s term) anyone and everyone on and off the field, fans in the stands—hell, even Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda got in on the action. It was all about energy, pace, and fun, and the more people we got involved or the more crowded it got, the better it was. I fed off of the electricity of the people and I honestly don't know who was more excited, me or them.

When we finished filming for the day, I was thrilled about footage we'd captured, but part of me was unsure as well. We'd addressed all of the bullet points Patrick wanted us to address, but in a rather unconventional way. I recall asking my cameraman what he thought about the shoot and he said laughing, “It was awesome…I'm not sure if it's what Patrick wanted, but it was awesome!”

Considering the intimate and artistic way in which we shot the wrap-arounds with Bo Jackson, the direction in how we shot that day was basically the other end of the spectrum. Also, the first episode of MTV Sports hadn't even premiered yet, so we had no pulse as to what the audience would like. At the end of the day, we met up with Patrick, who was exhausted from the Rock n' Jock production, but he was obviously curious as to how our shoot went as well. I remember trying to hide the nerves in my voice when I told him, “Well Rick, you're either going to love it or you're going to fire me.”

Almost a week had passed since the shoot. Patrick was back in New York, and I hadn't heard a word from him or anyone else who worked on the show for that matter. When he finally called, he asked if I had a minute to talk. It didn't seem good, but I could never tell with him, because his demeanor was always very calm and cool. “I saw the footage and I think I know what direction we're going to go with the show.” I still couldn't read him, “I think from now on, we're just going to cut you loose and let you do what you do best, and then we'll take that footage and do what we do best with it. The stuff was great!”

You know, I've often been asked who was responsible for my career, and truthfully, it's almost an impossible question to answer. But if I had to pick one person, it would be Patrick Byrnes. He's an incredibly talented producer who put his own ass and job on the line, by taking a chance on a no-name production assistant to host his show. Then, checking his own ego at the door, he took another chance by letting me do what I did best—he let me be me. I will forever be indebted to him for that. Always pay it forward with positivity, because there's something beautiful and magical in taking a chance, to give someone a chance.

That entire process was a huge career learning lesson for me. So often, in any profession and/or in life for that matter, people hold onto the belief that if things aren't done their way, then they're being done the wrong way. The truth is, when you open yourself up to embracing the creativity and ideas of others, you're also allowing yourself to grow by embracing the true ideal of what the creative process is all about. Some of the greatest ideas you've ever had were probably inspired right after you'd just heard a really bad one. Always remember, the conception of an idea is inherently brilliant, even the “bad” ones.