What is Huddler?
We like to say that Huddler is the next step in the evolution of online product review and research. Each "Huddle" is a community built around a shared interest - Green Products, Mobile Technology, and many more to come. We have created sophisticated content generation and interactivity tools designed to provide enthusiasts a forum to share their knowledge with the world, but in an interface that even a novice can take advantage of.
We were incorporated in March of 2007, but launched our first Huddle in March of 2008. Huddler HQ is in San Francisco, CA, so let us know when you're around!
Frank Farmer
1) What is your role at Huddler?
PHP/SQL hacker. I'm always either making it work faster, in a new way, or with something else.
2) What did you do before joining Huddler?
I started programming in junior high. Since then I've written bits and pieces in a dozen languages on a half-dozen platforms, and worked a few internships, including a few months working with a Java AJAX framework back before anyone called it that. Most recently, I hacked PHP/SQL for a small consulting outfit for a few years.
3) What do you do when you leave the office?
Rock some Guitar Hero, troll some forums, code a little something for fun -- a macro, a macro engine, a grease monkey script... And every once in a while I get out and take a hike or catch a show.
4) What is your favorite thing about working at Huddler?
I've been a forum regular for years, and coding for longer, so it's great to be able to put both of those together and be a part of building something great.
5) What future Huddle are you most excited about building?
Hmm. Guitar, PC hardware, video gaming, board gaming... Something geeky.
Cristina Foung
1) What is your role at Huddler?
Well, my business card says "Green Community Lead." But what that really means is that I do everything from answering users questions to networking with bloggers, from researching all the cool stuff going on in green to adding products to our database (arguably my least favorite thing to do).
2) What did you do before joining Huddler?
Pre-Huddler, I was in school at Brown University studying International Relations and Global Environment. I've been involved with a variety of organizations, including Breakthrough Collaborative, an environmental education preschool, the County of Santa Clara, a green architecture firm, to a community health non-profit.
3) What do you do when you leave the office?
I'm a big fan of being outdoors, photography, biking in Golden Gate Park, and hanging out in my favorite coffee shop (complete with all fair-trade deliciousness and San Francisco hippies, of course). A few things on my to-do list are getting back into Latin dance, going to see more live music, and expanding my cooking repertoire.
4) What is your favorite thing about working at Huddler?
It's exciting to work on something where what I do really matters - of course, sometimes it's a little terrifying too. But I wouldn't trade it in a million years for being a cog in the wheel of a large company. That...and maybe having the boys make fun of me.
5) What future Huddle are you most excited about building?
Well, of course I'd love to see different areas of green pop up, but I'd also be really excited about anything photography related.
Peter Galletta
1) What is your role at Huddler?
I have the honor of conceptualizing and designing the overall user interface, various Huddle themes and other graphical elements associated with huddler.com and our community of sites. I also get the opportunity to handle some of the front-end programming duties and information architecture.2) What did you do before joining Huddler?
Life before Huddler was spent as the Interactive Director of a small, but successful design and development firm in Washington, DC.
3) What do you do when you leave the office?
When not consumed with shades of white or the particular alignment of pixels, I've been living the American dream. I try to spend as much time as possible with my wife, kids and dog, in that order of course.
4) What is your favorite thing about working at Huddler?
Creative freedom? Ability to truly contribute? Being part of something with some actual technical merit (vs hamster dance). Too many to list.
5) What future Huddle are you most excited about building?
Hmm...another excellent question. I think the most self-serving response would be a DIY (Do It Yourself) Huddle with the focus being on residential home improvement and repair. Like so many other topics, there is a wealth of information on the world wide web, but it is scattered about and fractured to the point Bob Villa couldn't fix it. I believe we could create an excellent community for DIY weekend warriors and seasoned professionals to share tips, techniques and ideas.
Dan Gill
1) What is your role at Huddler?
I'm one of the two founders of the company and am the CEO. I
basically just try to do whatever I can to help grow the company from working
with investors, to brainstorming features with the team, to buying and cleaning
used furniture on Craigslist. It's glamorous.
2) What did you do before joining Huddler?
I had a very interesting, but nebulous role in operations
at a startup...we grew from 10 to 65 employees when I was there and it was an
amazing education. Before that, I was a gymnast at Stanford University and
competed for the United States National team.
3) What do you do when you leave the office?
I'm trying to rekindle a lot of old passions...mountain
biking, rock climbing, excessive eating...stuff like that. I also compulsively
check email and the status of the Huddles.
4) What is your favorite thing about working at Huddler?
Building something from nothing. It was not long ago at
all that it was just Ted and I driving across the country together with a few
paragraphs of a plan. We have a long way to go, but I'm very proud of the
progress we've made.
5) What future Huddle are you most excited about building?
I think we could make a really great photography focused Huddle at some point. I also want to see us expand Green Home out to include Green Building, Green Travel, Green Parenting, and more...who knows?
Ted Gill
1) What is your role at Huddler?
I am the other founder of the company and the CTO. Typically, I handle most of the front-end engineering for the site.
2) What did you do before joining Huddler?
I worked for two other startup software companies and founded a small services firm in the DC area before moving out to the Bay Area to start Huddler.
3) What do you do when you leave the office?
Usually I go straight home and get in front of the computer...it's pathetic really. Also, I'm a total car nut and I can't seem to kick my video game habit. The two weekends a year I involve myself with physical activity, it's usually on skis.
4) What is your favorite thing about working at Huddler?
I've wanted a web app with this functionality for far too long and we're finally building it.
5) What future Huddle are you most excited about building?
Probably the Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos action figure Huddle...who's with me?....Bueller?....