Jason Hunt is the CEO and co-founder of Merged Media, a digital marketing agency in Canada. In this Inside A Hustler’s Brain episode, the Jason Hunt AI playbook covers how his agency runs client intel, research and ad campaigns on Claude, why copywriters became copy editors, and why mindset still wins.
AI won’t save your business. Your mindset will. That’s the message from a founder who built an AI product, watched big platforms kill it within months, and still went all in on AI.
In the latest episode of Inside A Hustler’s Brain, I caught up with Jason Hunt, CEO and co-founder of Merged Media (Canada), at Affiliate Summit East 2026. This Jason Hunt AI conversation is short, sharp and practical, recorded just minutes before he went on stage.
Jason and I go back years. We last met in Prague in 2023, and I first interviewed him at DMIEXPO Israel in 2019 (read that Jason Hunt interview here). A lot has changed since then.
Quick Facts: Jason Hunt and Merged Media
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Guest | Jason Hunt |
| Role | CEO and co-founder of Merged Media |
| Company | Merged Media, a digital marketing agency in Canada |
| Main AI tool | Claude (one project per client) |
| Product he built | Chatello, an AI web chat product (late 2024) |
| Age | 45 (still plays rugby) |
| Recorded at | Affiliate Summit East 2026, minutes before his stage talk |
| Host | Jitendra Vaswani |
| Podcast | Inside A Hustler’s Brain (YouTube) |
In This Episode, We Unpacked
- The AI chat product Merged Media built, and how big platforms killed it
- How the agency runs client intel, research and ad campaigns through Claude
- Why AI isn’t cheaper, but the output is much better
- Why copywriters became copy editors
- Who actually got laid off (hint: not because AI took their jobs)
- Which audience converts best with AI content, and why authentic content still wins
- Jason’s best advice: always keep learning (he plays rugby at 45)
- How to network at events without being sleazy
Watch the Full Jason Hunt AI Playbook Episode
What Is the Jason Hunt AI Lesson? Don’t Build What Giants Can Copy
In late 2024, Merged Media built its own AI web chat product, Chatello, from scratch. The team was excited. But within months, big platforms like Wix and HubSpot released their own versions, and Merged Media couldn’t monetise it. They ended up giving it to clients for free.
The lesson: creating a new AI app or tool in this space is extremely competitive. Instead, Jason focused on using AI to do the heavy lifting inside the agency.
How Does Merged Media Run Its Agency on Claude? The Jason Hunt AI Workflow
Here’s Merged Media’s AI workflow, which any agency can learn from:
- ICP call: every new client starts with a recorded intel-gathering call
- One Claude project per client: that intel feeds a project so everyone in the agency knows everything about every client
- Competitor research is done through AI and embedded in their system
- Meta and Google ad campaigns are run through Claude
- Weekly Slack updates on client performance keep the whole team informed
The result? Better efficiency, better QA and less “meaningless communication” internally.
“Not necessarily cheaper, because we do pay a lot in credits, but the output is way better.” – Jason Hunt
Work that a handful of VAs used to do can now be done by Claude, not at a lower cost, but at much higher quality.
For a look at agency success in the LLM era, read Adam Chronister’s agency playbook.
Did AI Replace Copywriters at Merged Media? Who Got Let Go
Did Jason lay anyone off because of AI? Not exactly. His copywriters became copy editors. They now spend more time on creative ideas and editing AI content, because people can spot AI writing “a mile away”: em dashes and overused words like elevate.
Apart from some VAs doing tedious work, the people who had to go were managers who couldn’t adapt. Jason called them “romantic traditionalists”, too attached to the old way of marketing and reluctant to adopt AI.
That changed how Merged Media hires: new talent must be able to “speak AI” and use tools like Claude.
I’ve seen the same pattern everywhere. Read Siddharth Ajmera on how AI automation is changing jobs.
AI Content vs Authentic Content
Jason is impressed by how fast image generation has improved. He rated ChatGPT and Gemini highly for images (and was less kind about Claude for that).
Testing AI content on a brand they part-own, they found older audiences, especially baby boomers, convert very well with AI content, while Gen Z sniffs it out immediately.
But the best-performing content is still authentic founder-story content: a business owner talking to camera in an amateur style that doesn’t look like an ad. That’s what stops the scroll.
Mindset Lessons From Jason Hunt about AI
His advice on AI for entrepreneurs and affiliates: automate the tedious tasks so you have more time for what AI can never replace, like calling a client, having a real conversation or going out for lunch.
The best advice he’s ever received? Always keep learning and stay young. At 45, Jason still plays rugby.
“If you don’t use it, you lose it.” -Jason Hunt
- Worst advice: “Stay for one more drink.”
- Advice nobody should follow: buy Instagram followers. Vanity metrics no longer matter
- His hero: his dad, who started with nothing, raised his three younger brothers and always put family first
- Who he’d love to quiz: Gary Vaynerchuk, a big influence when Jason started in 2016
Back then, his office even had an “EPLG” tradition, short for empty parking lot grind. The last person to leave took a photo of the empty lot and shared it with the team. Hustle culture has changed since then, and Jason would love to ask Gary Vee how his advice has aged.
As AI does more heavy lifting, Jason believes your brand voice, authenticity and relationships are all you have left.
For another founder’s take on life lessons, read Yogesh Chabria’s lessons and regrets.
How Does Jason Hunt Network at Events Without Being Sleazy?
Jason’s one tip: don’t sell too hard. When companies give staff strict sales targets for a trip, those reps turn into sleazy salespeople chasing every handshake. People see through it.
After a decade of attending shows like this, Jason says the people he does business with aren’t people he met today. They’re people he met at a show and is still talking to five years later. That’s exactly how our friendship started too.
Key Takeaways From the Jason Hunt AI Playbook Interview
- Don’t build AI tools that big platforms can copy overnight
- Centralise client knowledge in AI so the whole team benefits
- AI often isn’t cheaper, but the quality gains are worth it
- Writers who edit and add ideas stay valuable
- The biggest risk is refusing to adapt
- Authentic founder content still beats polished ads
- Build long-term relationships instead of hard-selling at events
FAQs About Jason Hunt and Merged Media
Jason Hunt is the CEO and co-founder of Merged Media, a digital marketing agency in Canada. He speaks on AI, marketing and personal development.
It records an ICP call with each new client, feeds that intel into a Claude project, does competitor research through AI, runs Meta and Google ad campaigns through Claude and posts weekly performance updates in Slack.
His copywriters became copy editors. Apart from some VAs, the people let go were managers who refused to adapt to AI, not people directly replaced by it.
Jason found AI content converts well with older audiences like baby boomers, but authentic founder-story content still performs best overall.
Don't sell too hard. Build genuine relationships, because the best business often comes from people you keep talking to for years.
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If this conversation with Jason Hunt gave you even one idea, share it with a friend who needs it today. One conversation can change someone’s life.
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known figure in the SEO and affiliate marketing communities. He is regarded as a legitimate authority due to his deep knowledge and game-changing contributions to the field. He is the founder of Digiexe.com, a digital marketing agency, and VenueLabs.com, a full-service PR marketing agency. His strategic acquisition of AffiliateBooster.com has further solidified his status as a leader, bringing forth groundbreaking solutions that are revolutionizing affiliate marketing. Follow Jitendra on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn