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#ForceForDaniel

Being a super fan is a commitment — one I’ve honored through my work. I’ve spent my career managing fans, growing communities, and helping artists connect with the people who love them most. Fans aren’t just numbers; they are the ones who create, share, and rally behind what they love. They are powerful, and when a cause moves them, it can move the world.

This is the story of Daniel Fleetwood, a super fan.

To be edited- ignore.

His words — “Help me” — hit me hard. I felt a call to action I couldn’t ignore. I didn’t know if I could make it happen, but I had to try. I hoped I could make others feel the same urgency I felt, to rally around his final wish.

I contacted Ashley and explained what I do. I told her I couldn’t promise success. She worried about “bothering people.” I told her, “If my husband were dying, I’d bother everyone. At least, in the end, she would feel like she tried everything she could.

Then I asked the burning question: “How much time do we have?”

Her answer hit me like a punch to the chest: “Maybe two weeks.”

Two weeks.

Two weeks to make the whole world care that Daniel was dying. Two weeks to fight for a man who had already fought so hard. Two weeks to move mountains with nothing but hope, skill, and determination.

I felt the weight immediately. Every second slipping through my fingers. What if we failed? What if the world didn’t answer the call? What if Daniel never saw the movie he loved?

Every scenario raced through my mind. Every failure felt permanent, a mark I would carry forever. But I knew one thing for certain: I couldn’t do nothing. I had to try.

I armed Ashley with the tools I’d spent my life mastering. We scoured the internet for fan clubs, forums, and social accounts — Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, Harry Potter, any fandom that understood devotion, in the hopes they would feel the same about Daniel's desperate plea for help.

The call to action was simple:

Please share #ForceForDaniel Daniel Fleetwood loves Star Wars and he’s dying. Please @Disney, let Daniel Fleetwood see The Force Awakens before he dies.

I focused on press keys, celebrity friends, and my expertise in music journalism — I had no major film or Hollywood contacts. Two weeks, no staff, no team, no content — just a desperate dream.

I came to learn the film was still in editing. I was truly afraid. Were other fans going to react to Daniel's plea the way I did? Would they answer the call? Would they even hear us?

Would Disney have enough of a movie strung together to show a fan?

Would Disney care? Would fans care? Would they care in time?

The Viral Movement

Within five days, #ForceForDaniel was trending worldwide. Fans made videos, podcasts, fan art, and tweets, sharing his story and spreading the plea far beyond what we could have imagined.

As I watched the response grow, I realized that my hope — that fans would feel the urgency of Daniel’s plea and act — was being realized. The campaign moved the worldwide web. It moved fans young and old. Star Wars actors, millions of fans, and even some major brands joined in, amplifying the message. The hashtag became the top trending topic on Twitter.

The 501st Legion of Stormtroopers visited Daniel’s home. Cast members, including Chewbacca and Luke Skywalker, posted on social media: “Disney, please help dying fan Daniel Fleetwood see Star Wars. #ForceForDaniel.”

Even Rand Paul, while running for president, posted about Daniel’s wish. Radio shows, talk shows, and global media outlets covered it. By the weekend, Saturday Night Live cast members wore #ForceForDaniel shirts on stage. Lance Armstrong mobilized his Fuck Cancer team and even called Kathleen Kennedy, urging Lucasfilm to make it happen.

Fans poured their love into the campaign — creating signs, videos, and content that lit up the internet like Times Square.

Daniel’s Wish

On the tenth day, Ashley got a personal call from J.J. Abrams. Lucasfilm flew a private copy of The Force Awakens to Texas. They set up a projector in Daniel’s home and paused the film whenever he lost consciousness from pain medication, making sure he didn’t miss a single moment.

The next day, Daniel Fleetwood became one with the Force. Chewbacca invited Ashley and her family to spend Christmas with him, so she wouldn’t face the holidays alone.

Fan Tributes

Months later, when the movie was released widely, fans continued to honor Daniel. They wore patches, made signs with #ForceForDaniel, placed them in theaters, and bought extra tickets to watch in his memory. Super fans came together — people they had never met, united by love, admiration, and connection.

Even years later, fans kept his legacy alive. When Ariana Grande called herself a Star Wars fan, one fan corrected her: Daniel Fleetwood was the ultimate fan.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens — Impact

Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the highest-grossing film in the Star Wars franchise, with over $2 billion worldwide, holding the record for highest domestic (U.S. and Canada) lifetime gross. It broke numerous box office records upon its release in 2015.

Key Highlights:

Domestic Champion: Highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S., surpassing Avatar in just 20 days.
Worldwide Success: Grossed over $2 billion globally, fastest film to reach $1 billion and the highest-grossing in the franchise.
Record-Breaking: Set records for the biggest opening day, biggest opening weekend, and fastest milestones like $500 million and $1 billion.

A true testament to the power of a super fan’s love, a wife on a mission, and the skill of a marketing girl who believes anything is possible — combining fans, media, and strategic amplification into a three-pronged campaign that moved the world.

Daniel’s ashes were placed in a custom-made lightsaber urn. Ashley has since remarried and has children. Even Howard Stern knew the story and had J.J. Abrams on his show to talk about it.

As for me, of all the mountains I’ve moved in my career, this one still moves me most. I like to think Daniel rests in a galaxy far, far away — in peace.

For me, I grew up in a family with four children, my brother being the youngest, with two older sisters.

On movie night, my little brother always got to pick the film. Naturally he chose Star Wars. I've seen the first three films, begrudgingly, thousands of times, it seems like. When we would play imaginary games, fantasizing we were characters, as the youngest of three girls, I never got to be Princes Leia. My sisters were big bullies, like most big sisters are, big main character energy.

I consider it a bit of a childhood trauma. In my adult life, I've never purposefully seen Star Wars. However, when Daniel looked into the camera and said, "Help me", I couldn't just ignore his plea.

I know very little about the franchise.

I know about fandoms. I know Sherlock Holmes, Star Trek, Manga, Harry Potter, etc.. all have fandoms. I know the Star Wars Fandom spans decades, the globe and generations.

My press keys are focused on music journalists. I know nothing of people who write about films. In that moment, I didn't care.

I was terrified I may be getting myself involved in something I could fail at. I was afraid I would let a dying man down. I was afraid of how it might feel to not be able to deliver for someone who had been through so much and was dying. I asked myself if I was willing to carry that failure for the rest of my own life. I knew local news wasn't going to cut it. I looked on Twitter and saw his wife had made an account. It had no picture, no followers, and she was tweeting at actors from the franchise with the hashtag #ForceForDaniel, asking them to help Daniel see the film. As a social media manager of tens of millions of fans, I knew that what she was doing wasn't going to work without some serious muscle.

Daniel Fleetwood and his wife Ashley were both special education teachers in Spring, Texas.

The two were having trouble starting a family so they decided to seek medical assistance. That's when they found out Daniel had a rare form of cancer. Two years before this interview, Daniel faced a monumental decision, In order to live, he would need a penectomy. He decided to have his sex organs removed in the hopes that he would live. Sadly, his cancer spread to his lungs and brain. He was dying.

In the last year of his life, Disney announced the upcoming release of the next installment of Star Wars, "The Force Awakens".

He and his wife called the local news to see if they could help Daniel see the film before he passed away. It brought him immense pain to think of dying without seeing the magic of Star Wars one last time.

Daniel and Ashley

Daniel and his wife, Ashley, were special education teachers in Spring, Texas. They had been trying to start a family when Daniel was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Two years earlier, he made a devastating sacrifice to survive — he underwent a penectomy. But the cancer spread to his lungs and brain, and he was dying.

In the last year of his life, Disney announced Star Wars: The Force Awakens. For Daniel — a lifelong fan — the thought of dying without seeing it was unbearable. He and Ashley reached out to local news, hoping someone might help him see the film.

I wondered, would that video and his plea for help make others feel the same way it made me feel? Would others feel the call to action? I decided that it would, it had to. I could feel his desperation. His plea for help was undeniable.

I know from my work with genres outside of music, Like Jesse James of West Coast choppers, a young poet Jamie Kilstein, Lance Armstrong, and others that my work translates across genres.

I contacted his wife, Ashley, on FB and explained to her what I do. I told her I can't promise success. She told me she felt bad, Like she was "bothering people". I told her not to worry, if my husband was dying I would bother everyone I could, I would want to know I tried everything to give my husband his dream. I told her maybe that's all we'd get, knowing we tried. I told her, "Lets bother everyone, they'll get over it".

I had researched and found, only one fan had been granted a private screening of Star Trek. None of Star Wars. The film, The Force Awakens was still in editing. The film wasn't slated to be completed for months.

I asked the burning question, "How much time do we have?"

"Maybe two weeks", Ashley said. Maybe two weeks to make the whole world care that Daniel was dying. This wasn't like, "this record is coming out this day, maybe"

Or "we have to move this video launch back".

This was sands through the hourglass time slipping away. This was death. This young man had kept himself alive well past Doctor's estimates. He had reached the end. You can feel in his interview, he didn't believe he could fight any longer. I decided I would fight for him. I decided to arm his wife with decades of experience moving people. One of my favorite quotes is by Ben Franklin, "in life, There are immovable people, moveable people and people who move". I've never wanted to be in a band, play an instrument, sing.. nothing like that. I move people, it's my gift. Moving people is my super power.

We had a lot of work to do. I built a spreadsheet and put Ashley to work. I told her that we would search online for the fan clubs, the groups, the social accounts for anyone in a fandom. The forums, boards, anything we could find where fans like Daniel might be.

I directed her to send them a direct call to action. We would put it bluntly in the first sentence to get a better open rate, "My husband loves Star Wars and he's dying. He needs your help!

add the video and the message for them to share. "Please @Disney, Let Daniel Fleetwood see Star Wars The Force Awakens before he dies #ForceForDaniel

.I would focus on my press keys, famous clients and friends. Her hashtag was perfect, "#ForceForDaniel.

2 weeks, maybe, a genre I don't know, no staff, no team, no direct fan base, no content, just a desperate dream. The feeling was close to imposter syndrome, but real.

I asked myself several times what the f*ck I thought I was doing. With all the tools in place, it takes about 72 hours to get a song in all the places for it to pop. 72Hrs to position it in places I've spent years building. Maybe two weeks, The countdown was on. We were racing against time like I never had before.

I can think of many times, early in my career, where local DJs would say, "she can't book those DJs". Or my friends thinking I was nuts, I was a young girl with huge dreams. There were many times in my life where I was the only one who believed I would accomplish them.

I went all in with my skills, talent, and compassion. Of all the things I've done in my life, this is the one that still moves me. I still get emotional.

Many times I've gone out of my way to help a fan meet an artist they love. I used to request 10 passes for the shows I was attending, In case I saw fans online, or even outside that couldn't afford to get in.

I always loved, especially working Disco Donnie's accounts, knowing which fans online were super fans. Sending them DMs as if it was Donnie, or the artists, to give them tickets to the festie. Sometimes I'd even send Donnie out front to get the kids that got jacked on fake tickets. There's one fan. Bianca, She was a super fan of one of my artists. She was 13, far from being old enough to ever see any of them live. She was a hilarious kid. We made her famous in her school. I started a trend, "You're not really famous if you don't follow Bianca". All the big artists followed her. She would photoshop herself into concert photos doing the Jesus pose behind DJs and the artist would retweet them. At the time I didn't know it, but young Bianca is part of the LGBTQ+ community. I cant imagine the struggle for a middle school girl finding her identity. Becoming the most famous fan of EDM online. I know that social media, for all it's downfalls, can really alter the course of a fan's life. I think that's why I love it so much.

I believed, If I could connect Daniel's love for Star wars to every other super fan of anything, We could harness the power of the internet to get Disney to bend to our will.

It burned a few days for the open rates to stack up and the tweets to strat pouring in. within 5 days it was trending on Twitter.

The worldwide press was picking it up. Radio Shows were airing it, Talk shows were covering it

As each day passed, I felt overwhelmed with fear that we wouldn't have enough time. Howard Stern booked JJ Abrams to come on his show and talk about it.

The 501st legion of Stormtroopers came to his home to bring him a bit of Star Wars.

Fans made patches, signs, podcasts, asking people to share.

Daniel, a young man in Spring, Texas felt seen. it felt like the whole world cared.

Chewbacca and Luke Skywalker joined in on the social posts "Disney, please help dying fan Daniel Fleetwood, see Star Wars- #ForceForDaniel"

That weekend, some of the cast of Saturday Night Live had shirts made that they wore as they came out at the end of the show, "#FORCEFORDANIEL". It was incredible. It was so big and so loud, Disney would never live it down if they didn't deliver. That was the goal. Make it so loud they had no other choice.

Time magazine, People, MTV, TMZ, Entertainment tonight, Late Night Talk shows... . it was every where in every language.. I called on my friend, Lance Armstrong to help. He called Kathy Marshall, the President of Lukas Films. It started to feel desperate.

On the 10th day, Ashley got a personal call from JJ Abrams. She and Daniel signed a mountain of nondisclosures. The next day, Daniel's wish came true. The executives flew in the film, set up their own projector and sat with Daniel as he watched The Force Awakens. Several times he passed out during the viewing from all the pain medication. The team would pause the film and wait for him to become conscious again, not wanting him to miss a thing. Ashley had told them they didn't have to do that. They insisted they could wait.

When it was over they talked about the film and the characters, reveling in his excitement. Young Jedi Daniel Fleetwood became one with the force the following day.

Chewbacca, recognizing AShley was suddenly alone for the holidays, invited her and her family to spend Christmas with him.

Months later, in an incredibly moving tribute, fans wore their force for Daniel patches, and some made signs with the hashtag. They placed signs in empty seats, and some bought an extra ticket to watch the edited version on the big screen with the spirit of Daniel.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the highest-grossing film in the Star Wars franchise based on total box office revenue, with over $2 billion worldwide and holding the record for highest domestic (U.S. and Canada) lifetime gross. It also broke numerous box office records upon its release in 2015.

Key Highlights

Domestic Champion: It became the highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. domestic market, surpassing Avatar in just 20 days.
Worldwide Success: It grossed over $2 billion globally, becoming the fastest film to reach $1 billion and the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
Record-Breaking: The film set records for the biggest opening day, biggest opening weekend, and fastest film to reach milestones like $500 million and $1 billion.

A true testament to the power of a super fan's love, a wife on a mission, and the skill of a marketing girl who believes anything is possible.

Daniel's ashes were placed in a custom made lightsaber urn. His Widow, Ashley, has since remarried and has beautiful children. As for me, I've heard music I've put out in the farthest corners of the globe. I'm proud of my legacy and my influence on the artists I've worked with. Of all the mountains I've moved, this one means the most to me. I'm certain Daniel rests in a galaxy far far away, in peace.

add in major brands were posting it and rand paul (while running for president.)

Being a super fan is a commitment. A commitment I have tried to honor through my work. For me, there is nothing more beautiful than seeing thousands of fans converge in a field and forget all their worldly problems. Seeing them move and bounce to the beat, screaming the words to the songs we work so hard to deliver to them.

It's an honor and a privilege to work in the arts, helping artists realize their dreams.

I've said to each of my artists, as we're discussing giving me the keys to their fan bases, "you don't have to worry. I'm going to treat your fans the way I would want to be treated, because I too am a fan."

I'm a super fan. I love music and art so much that I made it my entire life.

On Jay Z''s "The Black Album" he describes it masterfully, "It's my life, my pain and my struggle. The song that I sing to you is my everything." "it's my joy and my tears and the laughter it brings to me, it's my everything."

I know the lengths a super fan will go to, because I know the lengths I went to in order to get where I am. It's real love, it's sacrifice, it's magical, it's passion, it's relentless pursuit. All my favorite people in the industry are super fans. I love our super fan stories of how we got to top of the stages.

This story, This is the story of Daniel Fleetwood, a super fan..

I was sitting on Facebook one day and a friend of mine posted a news story from back home. I pressed play and kind of regretted it. I knew I couldn't look away. It was a heavy feeling.