DAN
NEWTON
Founder of Stage X Studios
I build brands, communities and platforms that move industries forward.
My work brings people together, creates opportunity, and turns ideas into movements.
MY STORY
I spent twenty years employed, working hard, doing the right things, chasing promotions that never really changed much. I was good at my job, but deep down I knew I was trapped.
Twenty-five days of holiday a year. Someone else deciding when I could see my family, how much I was worth, and what “success” looked like.
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So I made a choice.
I built Cobra Consultancy Group, not to become rich, but to become free.
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Cobra started as my personal rebellion against the routine.
It’s a digital marketing and strategy agency that I built so I could work on my own terms, creating, advising, and helping other brands grow. It gave me back control of my time and my direction.
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But once I had that freedom, I wanted to do something that meant more.
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That’s when I built SETL, a community for school estates professionals across the UK. I’d spent years working with schools and saw how disconnected they were.
The same challenges, the same frustrations, but no one talking to each other.
SETL was my answer to that. A place for people to connect, share, and move the industry forward together.
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And now, there’s Stage X Studios, the next chapter.
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Stage X is the home for everything I create. It’s a studio that brings together my ventures, the networks, the podcasts, the creative projects. It gives me the freedom to explore new industries, build new communities, and turn them into businesses.
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It hasn’t been easy. I still work long hours. I’ve had setbacks, doubts, and sleepless nights. But this is who I am now, a builder, a creator, a guy who can’t sit still when there’s something to be made.
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Every project, every idea, every lesson adds up to one thing: freedom.
And that’s what I’m chasing, not comfort, not fame, just freedom and creative control.
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The next stop?
A creative agency empire, built on purpose, connection, and the belief that business can still be human.
A FEW OF MY PROJECTS
These projects began as ideas that wouldn’t leave me alone.
I built them to see what would happen, to connect people, test possibilities, and keep learning.
The goal isn’t scale for the sake of it; it’s progress, discovery, and momentum.
INSIDE THE LAB
This is where the real stuff lives, unpolished, unfiltered, and honest.
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Late-night thoughts. Experiments. Lessons from building multiple brands while trying to stay creative, balanced, and human.
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Inside the Lab isn’t about perfect strategy or polished advice, it’s the space where I think out loud. Where I share the wins, the mistakes, and everything in between.
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Business. Mindset. Creativity. Momentum.
Nothing’s off-limits.
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No polish. Just progress.
PROJECTS THAT MADE AN IMPACT
1 / SETL
Built the UK’s first digital community for school estates professionals, a space for collaboration, CPD and support.
Now home to 100+ members and multiple commercial partners, all connected through shared purpose and progress.
2 / Cobra Consultancy Group
Created a digital marketing and strategy agency that helps brands clarify their message, tell better stories, and grow without cold outreach.
Focused on creative content, digital campaigns, and community-driven growth.
3 / Behind The Chalkboard Podcast
Launched a national podcast giving school and estates leaders a real voice.
48 guests in one year, no sales pitches, just honest conversations about the people shaping education.