The Sun (National): Trend Hunter and Jeremy Gutsche Profiled

We’re barely into 2008, and already Trend Hunter has received a ton of media mentions. Adding to the long list of TV, radio and print media exposure, we can proudly add our recent full page feature which was syndicated nationally in the Canadian Sun papers, including the Toronto Sun, Calgary Sun, Edmonton Sun, Winnipeg Sun, 24 Hours, Canoe and the London Free Press.

The article, titled, "What’s Cool Before it’s Cool," profiles the community along with our founder, Jeremy Gutsche and one of our top contributors, Angela Lowe.  Thanks to all of our contributors for helping make Trend Hunter the coolest trend spotting community on the web!What’s cool before it’s cool
Getting information on tomorrow’s trends today

By ANN MARIE MCQUEEN

Not surprisingly Jeremy Gutsche, founder of Toronto-based online Trend Hunter Magazine, is always on the lookout for something new.

Trend Hunter was born while the 29-year-old was still earning his MBA. He later launched it as a place to find new ideas and interact with people of a similar mindset.

"I’ve always been insatiably curious, entrepreneurial and probably have a short-attention span," he says. "What that means is, I was always looking for my next big business opportunity or a new idea."

Two years later, Trend Hunter is getting about 1.5 million page views a month, making it, by Gutsche’s estimation, the world’s largest trend-spotting web presence by about double. The site works from the ground up, with some 20,000 members filing trends, though there are only about 1,000 to 2,000 who regularly submit. Gutsche, who also works four days a week as the director of innovation at Capital One, says Trend Hunter publishes about 30 out of 50 submissions each day.

Trend hunters are either interested hobbyists or industry insiders, working everywhere from fashion to advertising. While civil, contributors are quick to point out when an item doesn’t measure up, usually with a "too old!" says Gutsche.

Toronto resident Angela Lowe, who runs http://www.gushmagazine.com, is one of the site’s top trend hunters.

"I’m always the one who’s telling everyone about new things and crazy ideas," says Lowe, who admits she gets bugged whenever someone in her social circle is ahead of her. "It’s like ‘why wasn’t that on Trend Hunter?’"

Gutsche has attracted a lot of attention for the site, translating into 30,000-plus references from print and online media. But though the world’s mainstream media frequently mines Trend Hunter for news items, outlets don’t always attribute them.

"Sometimes we’ve found our exact wording in headlines of newspapers a couple of weeks later," says Gutsche.

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Some of Trend Hunter’s top picks:

VENDING UBIQUITY

Pop, candy and chips are old school. Vending machine companies have started making machines which can dispense everything from bicycles to golf balls to nail art.

RENTAL CULTURE

With so much emphasis on choice and luxury, people are renting everything. A Toronto company already provides luxury auto timeshares, meaning customers can drive a Ferrari one week and a BMW the next. U.S. firm Flex Petz rents out puppies—through a local shelter—for those who can’t quite commit full-time.

NEUTRICEUTICALS

Multitasking food and skin products are the next big thing. A few examples: Diet Coke Plus has vitamins; the makers of Borba Skin-Care Chocolates claim its ingredients boost skin; and Pomegranate Wine offers antioxidants.