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UConn Basketball Game
UConn Basketball Game
Original photo by Mairead Gillespie
Culture

Marc D’Amelio: Tiktok Dad Today, Husky forever

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter.

In 2022, the D’Amelio family name may ring a bell for various reasons. Maybe you know Charli from the popular renegade dance or Dancing with the Stars, Dixie from her recent career in music, and their parents, Heidi and Marc, for starring in The D’Amelio Show. But, you may not know that Marc D’Amelio is a University of Connecticut alum and has been supporting the University in various ways since he graduated.

Dixie and Marc at one of UConn’s football games during the 2022 season

Marc’s Uconn history

Marc D’Amelio was a Political Science major at UConn who graduated in 1991. He came in as a transfer student from a local community college, and came to UConn for his last three years. Even though he graduated almost 30 years ago, he could easily relate to a typical UConn student today as he worked at Huskies [Bar], was a part of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and lived in Towers residence hall. He gives UConn high praise in various articles and attributes the university for helping him navigate being on his own and figuring out his life. He notes in UConn Magazine that UConn was an underdog when he went there, and watching it grow into the University it is today makes him proud that “when you say UConn, there’s not a person who follows colleges who doesn’t know where it is.”

Marc supporting the UConn Baseball team

Supporting uConn

Marc has shown that he loves UConn by being a season ticket holder at Gampel Pavilion and frequents UConn’s intense and exciting basketball games in the winter. He also supports UConn football in the fall at Rentschler stadium and UConn baseball in the spring at Elliot Ballpark. During sporting events, he often brings family along, showing that Heidi, Dixie, and Charli share the UConn pride because of him. He has also developed the D’Amelio Husky Collective, a system created to support UConn athletes in developing deals with various brands for social media and internet platforms. Along with visiting UConn and supporting their athletes, Marc can be found doing TikTok challenges supporting the Husky Ticket Project, or paying for all student’s drinks at Huskies or Ted’s after a UConn football win. Even when he’s not interacting with the University directly, he is bringing a positive light to UConn as a whole. His kind and compassionate words about the University hold weight and shine a light on Connecticut’s state school.

Dixie and Charli D’Amelio at a UConn Basketball Game (2014)

Tiktok dad now, Husky forever

Since his days at UConn, Marc has worked in New York as a businessman in the apparel industry and has recently launched D’Amelio Brands, LLC. Along with this, he has been a big support system for his daughters, Charli and Dixie, as they navigate life as new influencers. Despite his busy life between career and family, Marc has always made time for UConn and has proved that he is a TikTok dad now, and a husky forever.

Bailey Brake

U Conn '26

Bailey Brake is a Junior at the University of Connecticut serving as the merchandise chair for Her Campus UConn. Her love for writing, reading, and speaking originated when she joined a competitive public speaking organization at the age of 7. When she is not writing for HerCampus, she spends her time at UConn being a tour guide for incoming and prospective students. She also participates in HuskyTHON -an 18-hour dance marathon raising money for Connecticut's Children's Hospital- as the Director of Hospitality for HuskyTHON 2025. She is currently double majoring in political science and human rights and hopes to make a difference in this world for the communities that need it. In her spare time, Bailey enjoys baking, listening to Taylor Swift, dancing, and a good debrief session with her friends. There is always time for a shopping trip, car ride jam sesh, and ice cream stop in Bailey's schedule.