Meet the Founders
Spitter, Inc. was founded by online sports media veterans David Eckoff and Peter Gruman.
Eckoff and Gruman were part of the core team at Rivals.com (later acquired by Yahoo), and have led innovative online sports businesses at Scout.com (acquired by Fox Interactive Media), RealNetworks and Turner Broadcasting.
They’ve gotten the team back together again for Spitter.com.
You’ll find more about their backgrounds in their bios, below. And you can get to know Eckoff and Gruman through their Vanity Fair style “Proust questionnaires” that follow the bios.
David Eckoff
David Eckoff has been an innovator in Fortune 500 and start up companies, and has extensive experience developing online sports businesses.
Before co-founding Spitter, Eckoff served as Vice President, New Product Development & Innovation at Turner Broadcasting (CNN, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network). While in Turner’s New Products Group, he developed and launched PlayOn Sports, an online sports network that webcasts live games with the ACC, the Big Ten, the United Soccer League and more.
Prior to joining Turner, Eckoff was Senior Director at RealNetworks Inc. While at Real, he led the breakout live online video hit “CBS Big Brother 24/7″, invented the first of its kind online digital media marketplace, and developed live online sports broadcasts. He negotiated deals with CBS television, FOX Sports, ESPN, CSTV and more.
Before joining Real, he was Senior Vice-President at Rivals.com, a 180-employee start-up private company funded by Intel, Softbank, Hummer Winblad and News Corporation (Fox). While at Rivals, he developed the Rivals.com branded sports news network destination and grew its audience from startup to 1.5 million users per month.
Eckoff also founded InsideCarolina, a print magazine and paid subscription website covering University of North Carolina basketball and football. InsideCarolina was named by ESPN Magazine as the top college basketball website.
He is an avid fan of University of North Carolina basketball; and a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and New England Patriots.
Peter Gruman
Peter Gruman has been involved in technology startups and businesses for nearly 20 years, either as a founder, early employee or in senior management, including successful endeavors at Clarus Technologies Corp., Rivals.com, Scout.com, and RealNetworks. He is currently President of Accelitec, Inc.
With great enthusiasm, he follows the Wisconsin Badgers, Oregon Ducks, Portland Trail Blazers, Seattle Seahawks and Mariners, and the Carleton College Knights.
PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
David Eckoff
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Front row center, standing room only, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.
What is your current state of mind? Creating.
What is your greatest extravagance? Ultimate Ears 10 Pro custom in-ear monitors. Music so crystal clear it’s like hi-def for your ears.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Impatience.
What is the trait you most deplore in others? Indecisiveness.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Perfection.
Which living person do you most despise? To paraphrase Nelson Mandela: despising someone is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies. (I wouldn’t sign up for that.)
Which talent would you most like to have? To be able to compose and create music.
What is the quality you most like in a man? Integrity, decisiveness, action, wit.
What is the quality you most like in a woman? Same.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse? “I’m here to chew bubblegum and kick some ass. And I’m all out of bubblegum…”
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Hell on earth would be to meet the person you could have been.
What is your favorite occupation? I’m living it.
Who are your favorite writers? Authors David Payne and Michael Pollan; musician Jackson Browne.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction? Gandalf.
Who are your heroes in real life? My Dad, Michael Jordan and Bono.
What is your greatest regret? Apolo Ohno said it best: “No regrets!”
What is it that you most dislike? Spammers and telemarketers; disposable relationships; second-hand smoke; net-takers.
What is your most marked characteristic? Persistence and passion are tied.
How would you like to die? With a last thought like this: “Wow!!!! That was SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!! This is my life, and I’m proud of it and I would gladly live it again if only given the opportunity! Wow!” (via Keith Cunningham)
What is your motto? Anything you want to make happen, you can really create it right now.
PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
Peter Gruman
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
When my wife said “yes.”
What is your greatest fear? Just can’t risk mentioning it. Superstitious that way.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Cursing.
What is the trait you most deplore in others? Navel-gazing, followed by talking. Or both simultaneously.
Which living person do you most admire? John Wooden.
What is your greatest extravagance? Music.
Which talent would you most like to have? Dunking. Opposite hand. From a standing start.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I want to be 6′4″. Right now, and forever.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Two independent, creative, happy children.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? Bill Bradley.
Where would you most like to live? 1/4 San Francisco, 1/4 NY, 1/4 Paris, 1/4 Right here in Bellingham.
What is your most treasured possession? The friendship of my, uhhh . . . friends.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Extended business travel.
What do you most value in your friends? Curiosity.
Who are your favorite writers? Robertson Davies, PG Wodehouse, Cecil Woodham-Smith, John Le Carre, Richard Russo, AJ Leibling, Ian Frazier, Edith Wharton, David Mamet, Graham Greene, Walt Kelly, Ken Kesey, John McPhee, Oscar Wilde.
Which historical figure do you most identify with? Patrick Leigh Fermor.
Who is your hero of fiction? Flashman.
How would you like to die? Boots on. In the Dolomites.
What is your motto? Always ready. Sometimes prepared.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
First, let me say how proud I am of the work you guys have done in your “spare” time on this site. You are busy people, and I value in my friends their ability to live rich and full lives. Right on!
I also want to say that I am disappointed not to be listed in Grummo’s favorite list of writers. I’d say the trait I deplore in others is a lack of loyalty or authenticity in their compliments (LOL!)
Go get ‘em, guys. You’re living your passions and I admire you both.