Hunter J. Haselrig, also known as Hunter Haselrig, born January 26 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American entrepreneur, media proprietor, venture builder, filmmaker, and photographer. He is known for launching and scaling a wide range of businesses driven by bold ideas and long term vision. His work spans entrepreneurship, creative media, institutional communications, and philanthropy, with a consistent emphasis on long term ownership, ecosystem building, and place based impact.

Hunter J. Haselrig is the founder of Positive Space Media, an American communications holding company built to develop modern media infrastructure across film and television, advertising, journalism, education, technology, and economic development. Through Positive Space Media, he develops ventures that operate as sustainable businesses while also serving institutions, communities, and regional ecosystems. The platform functions as both a creative engine and an operating company, enabling ideas to move from concept to execution while remaining grounded in operational discipline and long term relevance. In addition to Positive Space Media, Hunter Haselrig founded 1210 Marketing Group, a creative and marketing firm, and Blue Zone Private Capital, an investment platform designed to incubate, acquire, and support independent operating companies with a long term ownership mindset. Together, these platforms allow Haselrig to create, support, and capitalize ideas across multiple industries while maintaining alignment between storytelling, execution, and ownership.

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Hunter J. Haselrig has also engaged in philanthropic and civic work focused on education, workforce development, and community empowerment. His involvement includes advisory participation with The YARD Tour, service with the Harvey Brooks Motivation and Development Foundation, and philanthropic work through The Positive Space Foundation. In 2025, he was named a finalist for the Black Ambition Prize, a national entrepreneurship competition supporting high growth companies led by underrepresented founders. Hunter J. Haselrig was born on January 26 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to his father John Haselrig and mother Carmen Haselrig. During his childhood, he lived in multiple regions of the United States, including Savannah, Georgia, Carmel, Indiana, and later Grand Rapids, Michigan. Growing up across different cities and regions exposed him to a wide range of social, economic, and cultural environments, experiences that later influenced his interest in place based development, regional storytelling, and community centered media infrastructure.His early years were shaped by movement between distinct local cultures and civic environments. Over time, these experiences contributed to an emerging view that place is defined not only by geography but by the stories communities tell about their identity, values, and aspirations. Haselrig later connected this perspective to his work in media and entrepreneurship, describing media systems as tools that can strengthen or weaken how communities understand themselves.

From an early age, Hunter Haselrig demonstrated a strong curiosity about how people communicate ideas and how public narratives shape opportunity. He developed an early fascination with film and visual media through frequent visits to the movie theater, which he has described as formative in understanding the emotional and cultural power of storytelling. This early interest later evolved into a professional focus on photography, documentary practice, and filmmaking.

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While living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Hunter J. Haselrig attended Grand Rapids Christian High School, where he demonstrated early interests in entrepreneurship, writing, and independent work. During high school, he launched a small custom furniture business during a Christmas break, designing, producing, and selling handmade furniture pieces. Though modest in scale, the venture introduced him to core principles of entrepreneurship, including sourcing materials, pricing products, managing customer expectations, and reinvesting earnings. At Grand Rapids Christian High School, Haselrig also developed an early interest in writing, history, and journalism. He was named a semifinalist in the National History Day Essay Competition for an essay examining Muhammad Ali and the Vietnam War. The project reflected his emerging interest in how media, narrative, and public discourse intersect with ethics, activism, and social impact, and is often cited as an early indication of his long standing interest in journalism and civic storytelling. Alongside academic work, Hunter Haselrig developed interests in photography and visual storytelling during his secondary education. These creative pursuits increasingly shaped both his academic decisions and professional trajectory, reinforcing a belief that narrative and media could function as tools for both economic participation and social impact.

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Hunter J. Haselrig began his postsecondary education at High Point University, where he studied marketing. During this period, he stepped away from formal education for two years to travel and pursue photography full time, building technical skills and an independent creative portfolio. He later resumed formal education at Ball State University, where he studied business administration and photojournalism, integrating formal business education with documentary and journalistic disciplines.

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While enrolled at Ball State University, Haselrig continued pursuing photography and media work beyond the classroom. As professional opportunities increased in scope and frequency, he chose to leave Ball State University in order to pursue photography and media production full time.

After leaving Ball State, Hunter J. Haselrig relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where his photography career gained momentum through commercial, cultural, and editorial work. During this period, he photographed for the R & B group New Edition, covered Kanye West’s Donda Listening Experience Album Parties, and completed commercial photography projects for luxury and jewelry brands including Rolex, Cartier, and Frank Michael Jewelers.

While living in Chicago, Haselrig began developing the early concepts that would later evolve into Positive Space Media. Exposure to the city’s media landscape, institutional communications needs, and civic organizations reinforced his belief that media functions as long term infrastructure rather than short term content. After establishing professional momentum, he returned to formal education at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied film and television production with a concentration in cinematography.

Hunter J. Haselrig is known for building across sectors, creating companies where creativity, culture, and commerce intersect. His work is defined by a hands on, curiosity driven approach to entrepreneurship. He launches companies, experiments with new models, and backs founder led ventures with the belief that strong businesses are built by people willing to cross disciplines, challenge convention, and learn in public. He frequently describes his philosophy simply: ideas are only powerful when they are built.

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Hunter J. Haselrig remains actively engaged in photography and documentary filmmaking alongside his entrepreneurial work. Outside of business, he is a distance runner, skateboarder, and lifelong student of film and music.