Childhood
Hunter Michael Branson spent the first five years of his life in a group home for boys. In 1976 Gerald and Margaret Branson adopted Hunter. He joined a younger sister, Chloe, and became part of a loving family in Georgetown, South Carolina.
Gerald, a civil engineer, taught Hunter a good work ethic and the value of a dollar. While Margaret, a strong willed teacher, instilled in Hunter a proper moral upbringing as well as the value of education. His parents also taught him never to dwell on the past and to always to be opened-minded about the future.
As a child, Hunter overcame many challenges, including Hodgkin's Disease and struggling to find himself. Throughout the duration of his illness, Hunter's mother stayed home and tutored him so he wouldn't fall behind in his studies. Once the disease was in remission and Hunter was healthy enough to go back to school he earned a starting position on the baseball team.
His senior year of high school, he interned for the South Carolina Representative in Congress.
College
Hunter was offered many scholarships due to his pitching ability, but turned them all down. Knowing he'd never be in the major leagues, he wanted to focus more on his studies.
While enrolled at Vanderbilt, he majored in economics and political science. He was an active member in intramural sports, Phi Beta Kappa, student film society, student body president, and hosted a weekly campus radio show.
Hunter graduated Magna Cum Laude. After graduation, he took a year off to travel around Asia. During his visit to Japan, he was inspired by their technological advancements of the Japanese as well as their forward thinking. Upon his return, Hunter completed the MBA program at Northwestern University.
Personal life
During a visit to his sister at Oberlin College, he met and courted Abigail Harper—an environmental science major. They continued to date throughout their education and were wed soon after graduation.
In 2002, Abby and Hunter welcomed a son, Maxwell Branson, into the world. Currently, they all reside in New York, NY.
Professional
Fresh out of graduate school, Hunter was offered a position at Macromedia. In 2004, he help found Brightcove, an Internet TV company. As SVP of marketing, strategy, and business development, Brightcove grew both financially and globally.
Political
Hunter always had an interest in politics and his work at Brightcove exposed him even further. During his work with CNN & The Wall Street Journal he saw both sides of the political system. Hunter realized that his beliefs didn't align completely with either side.
After the 2000 elections a group of young professionals decided to unite a severely divided country. They wanted a party that was built on a common ground. A party that not only appealed to independents, but also liberals and conservatives who felt that their opinions weren't being voiced.
The beliefs of The Brick Party appealed to Hunter and joined. Being one of their strongest supporters, Hunter earned the nomination for the 2008 election.