CARTOONIST PROFILE

Bio

Dan Saad has been a cartoonist for nearly 50 years. Currently, his cartoons appear in Crain’s Detroit Business, where he’s been the freelance editorial cartoonist since 1994. Dan also freelances for The News-Herald, in suburban Detroit, a gig he’s had for 33 years.

In May 2023, Dan earned a First Place award for Excellence in Journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists, Detroit Chapter for a 2022 collection of his print and electronic editorial cartoons in Crain’s Detroit Business.

He began is professional career at Wayne State University where he studied fine art and history, and worked as the editorial cartoonist at the student newspaper, The South End, from 1972-1977.

In the past, Dan was the staff editorial cartoonist for The Daily Tribune, in Royal Oak, and his editorial cartoons formerly appeared in The Macomb Daily, Suburban Sunday, The Advisor, The Grosse Pointe News and Heating, Cooling and Air Conditioning News.

He has written and drawn four cartoon strips in his career – “Funniestuff” (1976-1981), “The Life and Times of Donald Sample” (1986-1990), “Jack Stropp on Sports” (1987-1989) and “Trade Secrets” (distributed nationally through Heating, Cooling and Air Conditioning News, 1991-1994). He also penned an offbeat cartoon panel titled “Quirks,” that he self-syndicated between 1989 and 1991.

In 1984, The Daily Tribune published a retrospective of Dan’s local editorial cartoons titled “Out of the Inkpot and Into the Fire” that is still available through The Royal Oak Historical Society. The forward was written by one of Dan’s mentors, the great Larry Wright.

Dan is a life-long metro Detroiter and a 50-year veteran of Detroit area media as a cartoonist, writer and corporate journalist. He’s currently semi-retired and living in Royal Oak.

Editorial Cartoon Awards

• 2015 SPJ Detroit First Place “Best Editorial Cartoon, Print”
• 2016 SPJ Detroit Second Place “Best Editorial Cartoon, Print”
• 2018 SPJ Detroit Second Place “Best Editorial Cartoon, Print”
• 2019 SPJ Detroit First Place “Best Editorial Cartoon, Print/Electronic”
• 2021 SPJ Detroit Second Place “Best Editorial Cartoon, Print/Electronic”
• 2022 SPJ Detroit First Place “Best Editorial Cartoon, Print/Electronic”
• 2006 Suburban Newspaper Association “Best Weekly Editorial Cartoon”
• 2007 Suburban Newspaper Association “Best Weekly Editorial Cartoon”