From Humboldt to Hulu: Fortuna High School Alumni Dan Philips Speaks About His Journey to Hulu

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FORTUNA, Ca. (KIEM) – A Humboldt County native returns to his roots.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been back in here,” says Hulu Chief Technology Officer Dan Philips, “first thing I’m thinking of is remembering wrestling meets, or even pep rallies that we have as students. So it’s that flush of old memories that really hit you.”

But even though he holds such a high-ranking position, he never forgets where he came from.

“I actually started out in Bridgeville, went to high school here, through my college career all the way to being the CTO for a company like Hulu,” said Philips.

Dan spoke to Fortuna High School, his alma mater. There he shared his journey and how he ended up at one the major streaming services in United States.

“Attending both CR and Humboldt and then transitioning that into the tech world and into the Silicon Valley has been quite a journey.”

Dan earned his degree in Computer Information Systems.

From there, he went from Humboldt to Hulu and it’s been nothing but amazing.

“I’m living my dream,” said Philips.

Now he wants to share his knowledge and experiences with budding young minds.

“I want them to think about what is they want to do,” says Philips. “What’s their dream, think about where they want to go.”

It’s a proud moment for the school community to see one of their own thriving.

“It warms the heart a little bit to see former alumni want to come back and want to give back to the school that was part of making them successful,” said Principal Clint Duey.

Earlier this morning Dan also spoke at Bridgeville School, his old middle school.

Dan and his wife now live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hulu is based in Southern California, but he flies back and forth between the Bay and Los Angeles.