The very popular @DidTheSixersWin account on X (formerly known as Twitter) began in February 2014 when Kevin Taddei COM’14 created and launched it as his final project for the Capstone course in the SC&I Digital Communication, Information and Media Minor (DCIM).

“Luckily, the account's popularity occurred at the same time this project was being graded – so being able to tie my research into a form of digital media that was gaining popularity on Twitter helped my final grade, I think,” Taddei said.

Despite the disappointment of the account’s 95,000 followers, Taddei made the tough decision to end @DidTheSixersWin on October 27, 2023. Taddei said he closed it down so he could shift his focus to his family and his demanding career as a freelance television editor, where he is currently working on a six-part documentary series for Netflix and recently completed a two-night feature documentary for the History Channel.

SC&I spoke with Taddei about the origins of the @DidTheSixersWin account, how he leveraged its success to help him land an exciting career in media, why he decided to close the account, and the only reason he might ever bring it back.

SC&I: What inspired you to start the account @DidTheSixersWin on X (Twitter)?

KT: My final project for the Capstone in DCIM course was a deep dive into 'Tanking in the NBA', and accompanying that I made a Twitter account that tracked every time the Sixers (a team notorious for tanking that year) won. They were losing a ton during that season, so the tweets were consistently 'No.' The account gained national attention, was featured on SportsCenter multiple times, and had a bunch of articles written about it.

How do you feel about closing the account that you put so much effort into? Are you planning to bring it back someday? What did you learn from running it for so long? 

KT: I just felt like it was time for the account to come to an end. I've been running it for nearly 10 years now - and have a lot more important things going on in my life. My wife and I (whom I met at Rutgers) recently had our first baby - so that, in addition to my career as a television editor, currently takes up almost all of my free time. But running the account over these years helped me pinpoint my interest in video in 2014 and 2015 - more specifically video editing, and I've turned editing Sixers videos for that account to editing documentary television series for Netflix, VICE, History Channel, NBA TV, and more since 2017. I'm currently wrapping up editing a new Netflix series that is set to come out in 2024 and I also edited a feature documentary on History Channel that is set to release in late 2024. I think the only way I'd bring back the account was if the Sixers went on a run to the NBA finals, I could see myself getting back into editing videos for it then.

SC&I: Have you always been interested in social media, or did you become interested in it when you decided to major in a related field at Rutgers? 

KT: I've definitely always been interested in social media – Instagram and Twitter rose to popularity during my college years – so it was definitely something that people were into and that I took a specific interest in. But I didn't go into college thinking that I was going to major or minor in anything digital media related - I sort of gained interest in it after taking general Communication courses and going from there.

SC&I: Tell us about your experience during your years at Rutgers SC&I. Has the knowledge and experience you gained at SC&I impacted your career path? Did any faculty members in particular impact you in a positive way? 

KT: I loved my four years at Rutgers - and I often come back for football and basketball games. My time at SC&I was great - and I'm lucky to have found a major/minor that tied into my interests and helped prepare me for life after college in the professional world.

SC&I: How have you combined what you learned at Rutgers with your professional practice? 

KT: I like to think that Rutgers definitely set me up to succeed on a professional level –whether it's taking things I've learned in all of my communication courses and faculty or from the DCIM minor – I was able to parlay that into a growing career in TV and media.

Learn more about the Communication major and DCIM minor on the website. 

Photos: Courtesy of Kevin Taddei COM’14