Interviews with purpose-driven business leaders who have dedicated their work to helping others and are making a positive impact in the world.
Camille Laurente is the CEO and Co-Founder of Hueman Group Media headquartered in New York City. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and learn more at huemangroupmedia.com.
TELL US, WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO?
I am Camille Laurente and I’m the CEO and co-founder of Hueman Group Media (HGM). HGM is a media company that inspires social change through impactful and high caliber podcasts. We specialize in producing podcasts for nonprofit organizations, for purpose companies, and thought leaders to amplify conversations around today’s most important causes and issues including gender and racial inequality, disability rights, mental health, and the climate and refugee crises, to name a few.
HGM podcasts cater to diverse, socially conscious, and deeply curious audiences. With the power of storytelling and riveting conversations, we activate listeners to take action and make a positive impact in their communities.
HOW DID YOU GET HERE?
I’m a former corporate lawyer who wanted to make a more tangible impact in the world. I moved to New York City from the Philippines in 2014 to pursue my master’s in international affairs at Columbia University. I specialized in media, advocacy, and communications. It was during grad school when I was exposed to the work of nonprofit and international organizations. I worked on projects and even interned at the United Nations, but felt that I wasn’t leaving much of a footprint in my field. I didn’t know back then that the seeds for what would become HGM had already been planted.
A few years later, I started to become an avid podcast listener. Around that time, I couldn’t find high-quality shows that focused on social impact and social change. So my husband and I produced and hosted our first podcast, “Sincerely, Hueman” — a show about kindness in action, which we launched the year after the divisive 2016 elections. I felt personally trapped by the toxicity and hate speech going around in mainstream and social media. I decided to work on a show that would highlight humans doing good, including the advocates, philanthropists, and changemakers whose stories need to be told.
Fast forward to today, we’ve collaborated and produced podcasts for incredible partners including The Elders, GoDaddy, MIT Solve, SAP Next-Gen, CORE Response, and many more.
Camille Laurente is the CEO and Co-Founder of Hueman Group Media headquartered in New York City. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and learn more at huemangroupmedia.com.
WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR? WHY IS THIS WORK IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Our work matters because podcasting can be a tool for social change and impact. Alongside our partners and clients, our mission as a media company is to really engage our listeners to take action around a myriad of social causes and the biggest issues we are facing today. Listening and knowing one’s story is a first, important step. Through our original and branded podcasts, our goal is to inform and engage our listeners to become a changemaker in their own right.
WHAT IMPACT ARE YOU MAKING?
Through our network of shows including “Finding Humanity,” “Sincerely, Hueman,” “Redefining the Influencer,” “Plucking Up,” and “Made Here,” to name a few, we have intellectually and emotionally connected with thousands of listeners all around the world. We often receive feedback from our audience letting us know how our podcasts have inspired and given them hope during challenging times.
Our listeners also use our shows as a resource in identifying organizations and social impact leaders they can follow and support.
WHAT (OR WHO) INSPIRES YOU TO DO THIS WORK?
I continue to be motivated by our partners and clients who do the hard work of doing good. Our partners come from both small and large organizations. We produce podcasts for clients with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. Their tireless efforts and passion to share their knowledge, build movements, and make a true difference in people’s lives energize and fuel our team at HGM. We are incredibly privileged to be working alongside leaders on the frontlines of positive social change — whether as individuals or organizational leaders.
WHAT’S YOUR VISION, YOUR BIG DREAM FOR THE IMPACT YOU WANT TO MAKE?
Our big vision is to be the leading media company for social change. While we’ve seen the podcast industry explode in recent years, there is still a lot of room for growth and innovation in the space. Since its inception, our company has focused on delivering exceptional services, while building long-term trust with our partners. We hope to scale this and create an amazing ecosystem of thousands of nonprofit and for-purpose organizations, alongside millions of socially conscious audiences who will benefit from our slate of shows and content.
WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING?
Currently, one of our biggest challenges is creating more awareness around our work at HGM. We are a bootstrapped company. We don’t have massive marketing budgets compared to much larger, venture- or studio-backed players in the industry. Our shows have grown generally through word-of-mouth and our clients find out about us through referrals and the relationships we’ve built over the years. As we continue to grow, we definitely have plans of expanding our marketing efforts and partnerships.
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORK YOU’RE DOING?
Working with us at HGM goes beyond hiring a production team. We are in the true sense of the word ‘partners’ to our clients. With our background in social impact and advocacy, we work closely with our clients to ensure that our podcasts provide value to our listeners. We meet our clients where they’re at — whether they have zero knowledge of podcasting or they’ve explored it in the past.
We also want to change any preconceived notions, if there are any, that only purely commercial or for-profit companies can create successful podcasts. Social good organizations already have the innate human, emotional element in their work that could resonate with audiences. This just needs to be captured and packaged in an engaging show.
Also, I know this is more than one thing, but I want others to know that you can build a successful company without sacrificing kindness!
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE OR WORDS OF INSPIRATION TO SHARE?
I have too many favorite quotes so I’ll just share something I hope will inspire readers: All of us have what it takes to create change. If there aren’t any opportunities coming your way, generate one. From my own experience, I took the elements from past careers and experiences and created something at the intersection of social change and new media (particularly podcasting.) I kept pursuing this path until my vision for HGM became clearer and our impact and success manifested itself in different ways.
HOW CAN OTHERS SUPPORT YOU OR YOUR CAUSE?
I would love for your readers to subscribe and listen to our podcasts at Hueman Group Media. As mentioned, we tackle everything from human rights issues (“Finding Humanity”), kindness in action featuring social good companies and nonprofits (“Sincerely, Hueman”), gender inequality (“The Fix”), small business stories of underserved entrepreneurs (“Made Here”), stories of service (“Redefining The Influencer”), and flipping the narrative around failure and success (“Plucking Up with Liz Bohannon.”) We’re so excited to also launch new shows in 2021!
Our other call to action is for leaders of nonprofit organizations or social impact brands, as well as individuals who want to elevate their personal brand in social impact and change, to work with us. We want to create powerful, high-quality podcasts that would help you meet your organization’s communications or marketing goals, while at the same time making an impact on audiences here and around the world.
Orapin Marketing + Public Relations helps purpose-driven companies increase visibility and grow their influence so they can scale their impact. We believe those who are working to make a difference in the world need to be known, supported, and celebrated. If you would like to be featured in INSPIRED IMPACT™, reach out to hello@orapinmarketing.com.