I met Julio Varela on Twitter almost at the same time I went from BearsFan07 to ginidietrich. Which means I’ve known him for almost three years. And he is worth every minute of getting to know!

A Harvard grad, Julio goes against every stereotype you have of those who went to school there. Yes, he’s smart, but the arrogance the school seems to breed missed him. He’s the most fun, down-to-earth, smart man I know.

And those are the beginning reasons he is today’s #FollowFriday.

Julio took a blogging and Twitter break as he started a new job last year. To say he was sorely missed is putting it lightly. I saw him for dinner last summer and the sparkle and mischievous was missing from his eyes as he described being off social media.

But he’s back…and he’s learned a few things that are going to help you.

A quick look at his resume: He’s the editorial director at Houghton Mifflin, where he works on textbook publishing. He is writing a book at night, called Franky Benitez, which you can read his on his blog. And, don’t hold this against him, he’s a Knicks fan, a Patriots fan, and a Red Sox fan. He’s also a huge Arsenal fan, but I know nothing about soccer so I can’t harass him about it.

The father of two, Julio is a huge supporter of Latino literature and isn’t afraid to call it as he sees it, even if it means taking sides with people like best-selling author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez.

Even if you’re not interested in reading fiction or care about his sports affiliations, he’s worth the follow just because he’s so much fun.

So follow Julio on Twitter, read his blog, and get to know him. I promise you…you’ll, at the very least, laugh until it hurts.

Gini Dietrich

Gini Dietrich is the founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks, host of the Spin Sucks podcast, and author of Spin Sucks (the book). She is the creator of the PESO Model and has crafted a certification for it in partnership with Syracuse University. She has run and grown an agency for the past 15 years. She is co-author of Marketing in the Round, co-host of Inside PR, and co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast.

View all posts by Gini Dietrich