Hawaii Creators fosters community, collaboration across the Aloha State
Hawaii social media gives island talent and voices a global audience, and Hawaii Creators helps them thrive.
The timeless traditions of storytelling and collaboration in Hawaii have a new home with the launch of Hawaii Creators (HawaiiCreators.com), an open community of artists and performers spanning the Hawaiian Islands.
Originally founded in 2016 as Hawaii Social Media Services, the name Hawaii Creators reflects the greater diversity and inclusiveness of today’s traditional and digital platforms for expression and interaction.
“Even before the web and social media, technology was a transformative force in connecting people globally,” says co-founder Peter Kay, a serial entrepreneur and life-long media maker. “Hawaii, despite its isolation, embraced its potential and power to entertain and educate people around the world, and today that potential is limitless—everyone deserves to be seen and heard.”
“Hawaii Creators is not a clique or a club, and we even shy away from the word ‘influencer,’” says co-founder Ryan Ozawa, a native Hawaiian journalist with more than 30 years’ of experience in online publishing. “We welcome people who create because it’s a passion or calling as much as those who see it as a career, and we measure success by the number of stories told and lives touched, not the number of likes or brand deals.”
While online community building is a distinct strength of Hawaii Creators members, the group is also committed to real, in-person, face-to-face interaction and events.
“Coming out of the pandemic, I think people crave the warmth and energy you can only get when gathered in the same space,” says co-founder, musician, and event organizer Emi Hart. “Hawaii Creators will bring people together to forge deeper connections, learn together, and truly appreciate our island home.”
The heart of Hawaii Creators are the words, images, sounds, and flavors its members share with the world. As a group, Hawaii Creators will focus on helping people who are new to content creation and digital media, providing training and one-on-one mentorship, connecting members with each other for collaborative projects, and organizing meetups, presentations, and workshops.
“Everybody has a story, and we’re going to help people tell theirs,” Kay says. “Next month, we’re launching a series of live-streamed Hawaii Creators conversations—interviews with members where we can learn who they are, why they do what they do, how they’ve grown, and where they’re headed.”
“If someone wants to make a living as a creator, we’ll share all the knowledge and tools we can to help them succeed,” adds Hart, who was the first community manager for Yelp Hawaii and organized some of Hawaii’s most successful social media campaigns. “But Hawaii Creators celebrates everyone, and many of our members freely share their mana‘o, their aloha, simply because it makes people happy.”
Hawaii Creators collaborate online in the Hawaii Creators Facebook Group and a satellite LinkedIn Group.
About Hawaii Creators
Hawaii Creators is an open, inclusive, supportive, and collaborative community of storytellers, artists, and performers in, from, and inspired by the Aloha State. The group comprises creators in every medium, from authors, bloggers, and podcasters to YouTubers, Twitch streamers, lifecasters, and broadcasters. Founded in 2016 as HawaiiSocial.com (dba Hawaii Social Media Services), Hawaii Creators has seen dozens of platforms come and go, but the irresistible spirit of the islands has consistently sustained and grown the reach and influence of Hawaii’s people. For more information, visit HawaiiCreators.com.
