Meet Todd Haberkorn

We were lucky to catch up with Todd Haberkorn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Todd , thank you so much for joining us today. There are so many topics we could discuss, but perhaps one of the most relevant is empathy because it’s at the core of great leadership and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your empathy?

I feel more often than not, we tend to see the world as ours and other things live in it cause we let them. And my goal with The Humane Beings, is to highlight that we share this place with the other creatures that live with us. When I see the selfless, endlessly compassionate people in animal welfare that give their efforts to animals that offer nothing in return but their trust – that hits a chord within me that inspires me. And another recharge for me is seeing that earned trust in an animal when we’re volunteering at various rescues on behalf of THB. Even though we don’t speak the same language, animals can communicate their gratitude in other ways which are so powerful, if you’re listening for it. And once you tap into your empathy, it’s addictive, you receive this jolt of joy when you put some effort towards something other than yourself. So why wouldn’t you want more of that?!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I work in the voice over world primarily as a director an actor. I’ve worked on many forms of vo from anime and animation to video games and commercials. I’ve had the great fortune of being in this industry for many years and along the way, I’ve met some fantastic people. And when you’re around amazing people, they inspire you!

And with that inspiration, it’s got me thinking about what I value. And one of my priorities is just kindness towards animals and just our planet in general. If there’s a sustainable way to do it, why not? And that thought process led me to asking the question, “is there a way to do that makes sense with my industry?” I didn’t want to open a sanctuary, myself, because I know that with my full time work in the voice over world, I wouldn’t have the energy to give the necessary focus something like that would take.

I wanted to put THB’s efforts towards that “sustainable” idea but for the animal foundations already doing great work in the welfare space. Many organizations have trouble securing funding as well as marketing their group…so, we hope to be a part of the solution for those issues. And thus, The Humane Beings was born.

When we visit an accredited rescue, we volunteer (to get our itch for animal interaction scratched), bring a “guest star” along for the ride (in the form of another voice actor who has a love for animals, too), and film the experience. Then we make videos about the organization we visit to get the word out about the group. We pick up the tab on logistics, filming crew, and volunteer hands that come on site to help with the financial burden many rescues face.

In taking this approach, our goals of giving a helping hand to a group working in the animal welfare space, opening the eyes of a voice actor who hasn’t taken the step to go to a shelter before, making videos for the shelter in question to raise awareness about them, and hopefully inspire empathy in the audience that sees it – all get checked.

We’re a unique foundation in the sense that we’re in animal welfare, but we aren’t a sanctuary, ourselves – but we help other sanctuaries already in existence. The Humane Beings is a little over a year old and already we’ve had the pleasure of working with lions, tigers, bears, bats, dogs, cats, and goats!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The most impactful qualities, in my mind, were:

-vision: Have one and reverse engineer how to get to that finish line. It’ll be a learning experience (if you do it right) that will do nothing but level you up.

-clarity: Be able to verbalize the “why” of your journey. For us, it’s to help animals and the people who put their efforts towards their care. There’s a purity in animals that we see in humans when they’re at their most selfless. And the world could always use more of that vibe.

-curiosity: If I went into this new adventure thinking I knew it all, I can only imagine the chaos that would follow. Instead, I try to be a sponge…and know that this animal welfare space is a completely different universe than the one I’ve been in for the majority of my life. But because I go into this knowing I am unarmed in the “experience” department of this endeavor, I’m learning about so many layers that I never thought of before within this realm. Its daunting and only strengthens my respect for the people who are steeped in this world open to close.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes. Yes. Yes. To find people that can take that initial excitement of joining a new endeavor and maintain that momentum and effort for the long haul…THAT is the biggest challenge.

The Humane Beings isn’t a shelter. So while we’re in animal welfare, it’s a trickier adventure because people that come aboard don’t get to walk through the door and see a puppy or help with a kitty when they stop by. We get that interaction when we go on site to help other organizations, but in between those times, we’re working on seeking funding, building our online presence, etc – and all of those efforts make us more effective in our mission, however, its devoid of fluffy creatures. So it’s tough to find people who understand the long game we’re aiming to tackle.

Right now, we’re seeking people who can help us in the social media front…developing sustainable, consistent content that can help our online footprint grow so we can be even more impactful when we’re pursuing our goals in animal welfare. Please reach out! Let’s chat 🙂

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photography: Christopher Corona

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