Hunter Huebsch & Ted Growney
Hunter Huebsch & Ted Growney
📍 NYC & Connecticut | Co-Founders, Didit
Why Hunter and Ted?
I’ve known Ted since college and I was a fan of one of Ted and Hunter’s earliest projects, a music blog called “Sound above the Seal”. We reconnected when I shared perspective on opportunities within gaming for their startup, Didit.
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Hunter’s Self-Description
I am very high energy, ask a million questions. Super curious, am interested in learning about everything. I love lemons, fly-fishing, tying flies, science, space, good design, my family, steak, bernese mountain dogs, and coming up with simple solutions for complex problems.
Follow Ted on Instagram & Twitter
Ted’s Self-Description
Left-brained extrovert who loves hockey, bacon, and crossing things off the to-do list. Mental wheels are always turning.
Hunter & Ted’s Recommendations
Written in their own words and each recommendation attributed…
Beer Recommendation
Though I've become more of a wine guy in the past few years, MBC is worth mentioning here as I think they produce the very best beers on the planet. If you enjoy a cold, frosty IPA, you've got to check out their "Lunch" beer. "Peeper" and pretty much all of the others are delicious too. Just don't have more than 2-3 if you have things to get done afterwards! - Ted
Brand Recommendations
Aime Leon Dore, HAY (democratic, quality Danish design for reasonable prices), Nike (the swoosh is the best logo in the history of logos) - Hunter
Content Recommendations
Hunter actually recommended this and it's a great self-help read about how doing small things consistently over time can lead to ultimate happiness and success. I've already adopted a few new habits and I can see the results paying off due to firm commitment and repetition. - Ted
Discussion Materials: Tales of a Rookie Wall Street Investment Banker by Bill Keenan
Absolutely hilarious book written by a former pro hockey player who got his MBA and then joined an investment bank. Pure comedy and very relatable if you ever did a 2-year IB program or still work in the industry! - Ted
The Mill House Podcast, Jack Carr Novels, Physiological Thrillers like Inception, Lenny's Newsletter, @accidentallywesanderson, @fuck.the.taxman - Hunter
Movie Recommendation
Ice Guardians on Amazon Prime Video
If you've ever wondered why in 2023 guys are still allowed to legally (kind of, 5-minute penalty) street fight on the ice in the middle of the game, this is the documentary for you! Particularly for non-hockey fans, it demonstrates why this is still part of the game and really illuminates the role of the fighter in the NHL. Though the sport is rapidly evolving towards more of a fast-pace, skill game, you'll still see the occasional fight at games and this explains why. - Ted
Digital Recommendations
I absolutely love this app for viewing/writing wine reviews & ratings. The ability to scan a wine label (or menu) and instantly see thousands of reviews & ratings from other wine lovers as well as average pricing is fantastic and extremely helpful. I've written over 250 reviews myself which are a combo of tasting notes but also satire if you are into wine and want a chuckle (Teddy Growney is my username). Vivino also has some great deals as they're plugged into a ton of big retailers and distributors across the nation. - Ted
Didit (lol), Feedly (consolidates blogs, RSS feeds, sources into one stream), Flashscore (best sports app for international live statistics and leagues), Apple Shortcut's app is super powerful if you put the time in to learn how to create automations that handle repetitive tasks that you face regularly. - Hunter
Music Recommendations
See them live, so electric - Hunter
Awesome indie rock band out of Oregon. I've seen these guys in concert twice and they do not disappoint. Top songs I'd say are Warm Blood, IMHO, White Noise, Slow Motion. Check them out on Spotify if you like indie/alternative/rock. - Ted
Travel Recommendation
Go see the northern lights in Iceland during the later fall or early spring. It will change your life. Go alone. Stay in a hostel. - Hunter
Professional Recommendation
Skip lunch. Work in time-boxed sprints. The moment you feel frustrated or 'stuck', recognize this feeling. Stand up, leave your desk, go outside, without your phone and walk for 15 minutes. You will return with a clear path forward. Revisit your list of "BIG" overarching priorities (in life and work) each week. Make sure your discrete tasks and to-dos align with those. - Hunter
Well-Being Recommendations
As an entrepreneur scaling an early stage startup, balance is extremely hard to find. I need to take care of myself in order to properly care for the business. I NEED intense exercise (heart rate over 165 for at least 30 minutes per day). I am single and haven't drank alcohol since 2015 and have friends that I like to hang out with. Thus, I can't work 14 hour days. My most efficient working hours are from 7:30am - 4pm and then again from 7:30pm or 8pm to 10pm after which I shut down electronics and read books until I pass out. It's important to me to maximize my productivity, mental clarity and focus during the hours I dedicate to Didit. I have spent years experimenting and have found what is optimal for me. I train my body to run on fat NOT glucose (carbs). Therefore I am Keto and only eat one meal a day, it's usually 1.5 - 2 lbs of fatty meat (love big steaks) and some veggies. By not eating during the day I don't have any ebbs and flows of energy and focus. I find snacks and lunch to be very detrimental to my day. I do a 48 hour fast every two weeks, I usually do it on Mondays, which I call "No-Muck Mondays". I drink a mixture of Japanese long-jing dragon well #143 tea with Pu-er tea, turmeric and ginger in the morning with MCT oil. I also sleep on an Eight Sleep Mattress which is cooled to 65 degrees, my sleep is incredible because of this. When my body is running on fat and I sleep for a minimum of 7.5 hours my productivity is 1.5 - 2x than otherwise. I also take 3-4 15 minute walks per day to clear my head and think about problems my business faces. - Hunter
Whether it's a hockey game, practice, peloton ride, pickleball or paddle match, I try to break a solid sweat every single day. Definitely helps me with focus & productivity at work and has had tremendously positive ripple effects throughout the rest of my life. - Ted
Final Recommendations
Send short but thoughtful handwritten letters to the people who make even the slightest positive contribution to your life on earth 😃 - Hunter
Life Advice segment at the end of each Ryen Russillo podcast. I'm not a huge basketball guy so don't often listen to the full pods, but in the last ~20-30 minutes of each show, Ryen and his co-hosts breakdown shockingly relatable life events and offer a very refreshing perspective on each listener-submitted example/question. You can click the time-stamp in the podcast description to skip to the Life Advice segment. - Ted
Personal Plug
Over the past year+, Hunter and I have been building an app that allows users to instantly connect with subject-matter experts and receive 1:1 advice over video chat. It's a great tool for experts & creators to engage with their following and monetize their time. Didit’s mission is to improve people’s lives by providing efficient access to personalized knowledge & advice. Google, Youtube, Instagram etc. are all great information & content resources, but sometimes problems are a bit more personalized and require context!
Download Didit: Instant Expert Advice on the iOS app store to check it out!
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I’m booking with Brian Sheehan (Wine) and Jane Ellington (Wellness).
If you want to help Ted and Hunter out, download the app and let them know if you have thoughts in the Comment Section:
Would love to hear what categories people would like on Didit from the user perspective. What types of experts would you pay per-minute to connect with over 1:1 video chat? What are some use cases you think are a good fit? - Ted