Dean Kotiga (born in 1988 in Motovun) is one of the most famous Croatian quizzes and a long-time “hunter” in the popular quiz Pursuit on HRT. According to his education, he is a professor of comparative literature, and he became recognizable to the general public by his sharp mind and witty comments at the Potjera quiz table. The combination of knowledge and humor gained him a large audience on television and social networks. In this article, we present a detailed biography of Dean Kotiga, including his quiz successes, education and interesting things from his private life.
Dean Kotiga in the role of “Hunter” in the Potjera quiz (HRT). He is known for his quick thinking and witty remarks in interaction with the contestants and moderator of the show.
Early life and education
Dean Kotiga was born in 1988 in Motovun (Istrian County), and received his education in Zagreb. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zagreb with a degree in comparative literature and completed his undergraduate studies in history. Already during his studies, he showed a passion for culture and knowledge – he published texts about the film and collaborated with the portal filmoscope and the Croatian Radio broadcast on the Third Program. Kotiga has been dedicated to learning and perfecting his whole life, and his role models among quizzes and intellectuals were Lazo Goluža, Bobby Fischer and the comedy group Monty Python.
- Education: Master’s degree in comparative literature and completed his studies in history at FFZG.
- Media cooperation: wrote film reviews and participated in radio shows about film (portal filmoscope) ).
Quiz career and chase
His passion for quizzes appeared already in his teenage years. In 2006, he participated in HRT’s quiz Who wants to be a millionaire?, where he won HRK 32,000. The following year, as an 18-year-old, he excelled in the Croatian quiz – he won in “Kviskotecs” and at the same time surpassed the competitors twice his age. Those early victories confirmed that Kotiga is a born quiz player.
A few years later, in 2013, he made an important step forward in his career – he became one of the first Hunter in the chase quiz. In interviews, he explained that HRT chose him after passing a written test and an oral interview for the role of a hunter. The team of hunters at that time consisted of Mirko Miočić, Morana Zibar and Dean Kotiga. Thanks to a combination of quick thinking, witty remarks and a good relationship with host Tarik Filipović, he quickly became a favorite among viewers.
Key career quiz events
- 2006. participates in Who wants to be a millionaire? (HRT) – conquers HRK 32,000.
- 2007. The winner is the quiz Kviskoteka (HRT) at only 18 years old.
- By writing a question: For some time, Kotiga was also the author of questions for HRT’s quizzes (eg. Who wants to be a millionaire?, All in 7) ).
- 2013. He is invited to become a hunter in a quiz Pursuit (HRT), together with Mirko Miočić and Morana Zibar.
- 2013: He was nominated for the Večernjakova Ruža award (“New Face” category) for his exceptional performance in the quiz.
Greatest successes and international recognition
Dean Kotiga also entered the world quiz card. He achieved the most significant success at the end of 2023. International Quiz Championship (IQA) in Spain. In the competition of the world’s best quizzes, he achieved a top result – he won first place in the individual part of the competition. The Croatian Quiz Association declared its victory the best international success of a Croatian quiz player in history. In addition, Kotiga handed out a gold medal in the literature category at Torremolinos, and his team The Rolling Scones He was first in the team part of the competition.
Confirmation of his extraordinary quiz skill arrived in 2025, when he won with the Croatian national team (in which, along with him, Lovro Jurišić, Neven Trgovec and Domagoj Pozderac) won silver medal at the World Quiz Championship in Caserta, Italy. In the individual and pair competition, he also won medals, confirming himself as one of the most successful Croatian quizzes in the world.
- 2023 (Spain): First place on IQC in the individual quiz (gold medal).
- 2023 (Spain): Winner with the “Rolling Scones” team in the club competition.
- 2025 (Italy): Second place (silver) on IQA with the Croatian national team.
- Nominations: Nominated for the Večernjakova rose 2013 award in the “New Face” category due to the popularity of Potjera.
Private life and interesting things
Although he is exposed to the public as a TV quiz, Kotiga keeps privacy very carefully. He lives in Zagreb, and revealed few details about his family and private life in the media. It is known that in 2022 he revealed to the audience during the filming of the Potjera show that he became father – He had a son who was born in 2021. So far, he has not revealed his partner’s identity and tries to keep the family away from media attention.
He is a member of an educational and successful Motovun family: the parents of Mirjana and Miro Kotiga are known for growing truffles and run the company “Miro Tartufi” in Motovun. His younger sister Deana works in Great Britain as an anthropologist and ethnographer.
Out of quizzes, Dean’s interests are related to film, art and music. He is a passionate lover of films and literature – as a student he often reads classical authors and accompanied contemporary directors. Among his favorite directors are Billy Wilder, David Fincher, Federico Fellini, Jean Renoir and Martin Scorsese. During his youth, he enjoyed going out to electronic music and concerts – he recalls how night performances by famous DJs such as Sasha, Carl Cox and Digweed were unforgettable. He also likes to cook, visit museums and restaurants, travel and, above all, make people laugh with his comments. His sense of humor is often visible online: for example, in 2025, he jokingly said that they are the only people on HRT who do not know what a quiz is Pursuit – Guardians at the entrance to the building, which caused numerous smiles and media attention.
Conclusion
Dean Kotiga is a combination of erudites and entertainers whose career is developing on television screens and quiz-scenes around the world. From student benches to gold medals in the world championships, he managed to turn his hobby into a professional career. His story proves that even the greatest quiz successes can be achieved with dedication and talent.
Finally, we invite you to follow us on social networks and share your opinion: What’s your favorite Dean quiz moment? We would love to hear your comments below the article. If you are interested in more about quizzes and popular faces of Croatian TV, let us know – we will be happy to write about them!
