DINO PAULO - THE PUZZLE MASTER
Dino Paulo Co-owner of HintHunt and brand new members of the Workshop17 Watershed family, gave us an entertaining hour out of his crazy schedule to chat Survivor tactics, opportunities and the human spirit.
Always the entrepreneur, with a love for games and inclination for opportunity, it was a link that his friend sent him on the new world craze of themed escape rooms with 60 minutes to freedom, that set him on the HintHunt path and buying into the company in 2015. First opened in The Old biscuit Mill in 2013, followed by a space in Johannesburg in 2016 and finally, their current location at the V&A Waterfront, The Watershed in 2018. Like all companies, Dino talks candidly about the collateral Covid damage, but readily adds not only were they able to get through Covid, although losing two locations in the process, they’ve come out stronger than going in - growing at an unbelievable rate, they are focusing on bringing more experiences and focus to the Watershed branch before looking at new locations.
While HintHunt has been in the Watershed building for 5 years, it’s the first time they’ve had formal office space. Their Workshop17 office is literally 30 metres from their HintHunt site - which not only means they have more space to convert into escape rooms, but they’re accessible to the site and available to the staff for the day to day operations.
Dino pulls a few more cards from his sleeve, revealing them modestly and slowly. His spare time passion is jumping out of planes - a competitive formation skydiver since 2011,with only 650 dives under his belt (apparently this is nothing to write home about!) He loves both the sport and his team, Aerium - started in 2017 and made up of great friends and even greater people, with the goal of qualifying for the World Championships next year.
And then comes the trump card, this Survivor SuperFan, turned Survivor winner spills the beans on his Survivor past, the rejection, disappointment, losses and wins. From the 11-year old Dino who first watched the original American season and loved everything about the challenges and social strategy, to 2-time Survivor SA player and Season 9 Winner.
Season 8 in 2020 was hard, he adds “I was this super fan, super ready, super amped, with high hopes, high expectations, and I failed.” “I thought I had the tools that I needed, a great social strategy, sporting background, knack for puzzles, but yet it wasn’t enough and the failure was a hard one to swallow.
Roll on SA Survivor Season 9 in 2022, Dino went the distance, playing the full 39 days, winning a car and holiday and then took home the title. He won.
Dino is a sociable friendly guy, which he believes helped him build solid relationships - listening and hearing what people have to say builds trust (and that's not only a survivor skill but a real life one) He adds the many years of Survivor viewing honed his strategic and social game; not being pushy but rather collaborative is an important aspect of the game. HintHunt, was something that was spoken about and quickly got him the nickname the Puzzle Master, although it painted him as a bit of a target - more of a perception than a reality,” he adds “but perception is really what matters out there, isn’t it.”
The Endurance challenge which entailed hanging onto a rope while lying on an angled platform (which angles up every 5 minutes) with water pouring on your head was no mean feat, admits Dino. But he hung in for 38 minutes to win the Final Individual Immunity, followed by a 45-minute family visit with his then-fiancé (now wife), Kirsten. That night he voted Marian off the island and it was head on with Shane Hatting (the previous super villain). For the first time in the game, he knew he was going to win.
Day 39, and the game of 4D chess as Dino refers to it, culminated in the Final Tribal Council - someone was going home with the prize money and someone was not. With Kirsten and his younger brother Steven there to witness the reading of the votes. Dino pitched his case to the jury and won. He describes it as validation to his 11 year old self, who used to get bullied, got rejected one too many times, stepped way out of his comfort zone and finally accomplished something that he’d set his heart to. “I came out to do what I truly love doing, and I did it.” The human spirit is in all of use, this was an opportunity to find mine,
Dino admits, he’s lucky, he’s got an amazing wife, awesome hobbies, and a workspace with an incredible team of people, and an incredible business partner. He’s aware of the opportunities he's had in business and the safety net he’s been privileged to have - but he’s intent on creating opportunities for his own team, even on a small scale, by upskilling his staff so that as the business grows they all grow together.
“The difference between Survivor and the game of life,” ends Dino, “is that there shouldn’t be one winner, but rather a goal towards growth and accomplishment for everyone.”
