Long Island Legends
Are you a Long Islander looking to feel more connected to your community? Too often, we walk past people, businesses, and stories that shape our neighborhoods, without ever really knowing them. It’s easy to feel disconnected, like a stranger in your own town. But you shouldn’t have to feel that way. We understand what that’s like. As a local business owner, I’ve had the privilege of meeting countless legends—people who are quietly shaping the fabric of Long Island. That’s why we created the Long Island Legends Podcast. Our mission? To help you discover the powerful, inspiring, and untold stories of local leaders—right here in your backyard. Here’s how you can get started: Visit longislandlegendspod.com, subscribe to our weekly podcast, and tune in to connect with the voices shaping your community. If you want to feel more connected to Long Island, subscribing is the right step. Subscribe now. Join us. Because when you know the legends around you, you don’t just feel informed—you feel inspired.
Long Island Legends
Making Media that Matters: Chris Vaccaro
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This week, we are welcoming Chris R. Vaccaro onto the Long Island Legends Podcast!
Chris R. Vaccaro is an Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award–winning media executive, author, and professor from Long Island. As VP of Digital Technology and Communications, Vaccaro has built a media consulting agency that focuses on client-first multiplatform storytelling and brand management. He served as VP of News 12 for several years, leading the tri-state network’s digital, social, and streaming efforts. He also served for many years as the Editor-in-Chief of Topps. Vaccaro’s work has been published in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Associated Press, and The Athletic, among hundreds of others.
Locally, he is the president and founder of the Sachem Alumni Association and the Sachem Education Foundation, and he also runs the Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame and Sachem Hall of Honor. In addition, Vaccaro has been President of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame since 2017 and is a board member and educational director of the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society. He is also the National President of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the nation’s oldest professional journalism organization.