Hamilton Heights’ junior Tyler Tuntland, his parents, Jason and Kelly Tuntland, and Grant Venable, Hamilton Heights Class of 2020, have been doing something pretty cool in their spare time.
They were among the participants in a reality TV inventor show, Make48, whose challenge was to produce a solution for food perseveration.
Make48 is a 48-hour competition where teams are given a challenge for which they build a physical prototype, create a sales sheet, and produce a one-minute marketing video, all to pitch in front of industry-leading judges. The twist is that we have tool technicians and access to a space full of equipment and tools, all to help the teams build almost anything their imaginations can come up with to solve the challenge. To come out on top, collaboration is the key to success. The team that claims first prize will win $10,000, the trophy, and bragging rights for the year!
The Mavericks team involves two Hamilton Heights Huskies who are pooling their imagination, creativity, and talent to literally make and market a prototype solution for food preservation on Season 6 of Make48. (From left) Jason Tuntland, HHHS junior Tyler Tuntland, Grant Venable (HHHS ’20), and Kelly Tuntland. (Photo provided)
“This experience began because my mother was obsessed with the show, Make48,” recalled Tyler Tuntland. “My parents started talking about it and we ultimately applied to participate when the show would be filmed in Indiana. We were thrilled and felt extremely lucky when we got word that we were accepted!”
“We each seem to have a specific gift in terms of what we could contribute to the overall competition,” continued Tuntland. “Grant is a sophomore at Purdue studying aeronautical engineering. He knew how to use 3D computer modeling to help create our invention and has a knack for thinking outside the box. My dad is a jack of all trades. By day he’s a fleet manager at a local automotive company. By night, he transforms crashed airplane cockpits into flight simulators for training at flight schools. My mom has a lot of passion and is a hands-on type of person. Having watched the show for several seasons, she brought a great deal insight and vision. I was all in by a desire to create something that would ultimately help people and give back to those in need. No one should ever go without food.”
When asked about the team’s name, Tuntland shared that they were all into airplanes and they had just watched the new Top Gun movie. When his dad suggested “The Mavericks” it was a unanimous yes.
Tuntland admitted that early on it was intimidating with teams consisting of many individuals who were college educated with degrees in engineering, even some college professors were participating.
“What really stuck out to me was that I was still in high school, and Grant was just two years into college,” Tuntland said. “My dad was homeschooled and never able to get his high school diploma. Yet, he is a self-taught and one of the smartest men I know. Together we believed we had a fighting chance.”
“I love creating with my family and friends,” added Tuntland of his experience on Make48. “If you can think it, do it. The only failure is not trying!”
His team, The Mavericks, are among the teams competing in Season 6 competition.
A preview of Season 6 competition, filmed in Indianapolis, can be viewed on YouTube at tinyurl.com/24ej8324. Want to know how The Mavericks held up to the competition? The show will be aired exclusively on This Old House Makers Channel – Roku TV (Channel 458) at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22 at tinyurl.com/5n7s26kx. The winner of this competition advances to the national competition next month in Kansas.
Hamilton Heights High School’s Grant Venable (’20), Jason and Kelly Tuntland (Tyler’s parents), and Tyler Tuntland (’24) are competing as The Mavericks team on Season 6 of Make48. (Photo provided)