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My name is Grant Haugen, and as a student-athlete, balancing a packed schedule with meaningful work seemed almost impossible—until I joined High Rise Academy. This program gave me flexibility, structure, and mentorship that helped me grow both personally and professionally.
How I Found the Program
My older brother, Dylan Haugen, went through High Rise Academy before me. He moved up into leadership roles and now mentors others, including me. Watching his progress convinced me to give it a shot.
One of the reasons I didn’t take on a traditional job is because fitting regular work hours into the school year is extremely difficult when I have both academics and sports. The Academy gave me the flexibility to work throughout the day without falling behind on other responsibilities.
Why This Work Matters
Most in-person jobs that high schoolers get—such as working in fast food, retail, or landscaping—don’t usually build long-term career skills. At High Rise Academy, I’ve learned to:
- Leverage AI to improve my production and efficiency
- Edit AI output into high-quality work
- Communicate professionally across remote teams
These skills apply across many industries and help me stay relevant as the workplace evolves.
What I Actually Do
Introduction video
When I first joined the Academy, I created an introduction video to share in our Facebook group chat, Digital Marketing with Dennis Yu. In the video, I talked about why I thought the program would be beneficial for me, my past experiences, the reasons I joined, and the skills I hoped to build. It was a way to introduce myself to the rest of the community and start connecting with other people in the program.
Repurposing Long-Form Video Content
One of my core tasks is transforming long-form YouTube videos into structured blog posts. While AI tools like ChatGPT assist with the first draft, my role focuses on:
- Understanding the video’s purpose and audience
- Aligning the post with BlitzMetrics’ content guidelines
- Adding relevant internal links that support our content ecosystem
- Editing for clarity, tone, and SEO value
It starts with capturing what we’re doing in the real world and then using tools like ChatGPT and Descript to turn that into structured content that meets Google’s standards for helpful, experience-based content. This gives us a way to share what we’re already doing across platforms while building long-term visibility online.
Supporting the Weekly Newsletter
I collaborate on the BlitzMetrics weekly newsletter, helping gather project updates, wins, and team milestones and shaping them into content that’s easy for our community to skim.
This work keeps me informed on multiple projects and helps me improve how I communicate.
Creating Interactive Video Sequences
I’m also creating interactive video sequences that guide users through a conversation-like experience. These sequences help us identify where someone is hurting and then direct them to the service or training that fits their specific needs. It feels personal and helps us be more useful at scale.
The Strategy Behind Our Content
I’ve also learned about the strategy behind our content. One part of that is the Content Factory, which directly shapes the kind of content we should be creating. Whether it’s repurposed videos, newsletters, or interactive sequences, this process ensures everything we produce is built for long-term visibility, aligned with Google’s standards, and driven by real-world experience.
Lessons I’m Taking Away
This program has taught me far more than technical skills. I’ve learned the importance of:
- Getting clear on goals before writing any content (understanding GCT)
- Using AI effectively as part of a larger workflow
- Editing drafts with a focus on quality
- Interlinking content to build authority
- Operating professionally in a remote environment
I’ve been fortunate to work directly with Dylan Haugen, Dennis Yu, Jack Wendt, and so many others on the team. Dylan and Dennis have guided me closely and provided feedback that’s shaped how I approach content. I’ve worked with each of them on different projects, whether that’s newsletters, blog repurposing, or other internal tasks.
Looking Ahead
I’m grateful I found High Rise Academy when I did. It gives me the chance to build meaningful skills while managing my responsibilities as a student-athlete.
I want to keep building on this foundation—developing a deeper understanding of how to use tools to my advantage, improving how I communicate professionally in remote work environments, and learning what it means to contribute at a high standard.