Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Haberkorn.
Hi Todd, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always held a soft spot in my heart for animals since as long as I can remember – but not just dogs and cats, but all walks of life. As I grew out of my childhood and into adulthood, I thought of ways I could help animal kind. Making sure all my pets were adopted from rescues, for example. And that naturally turned into learning about other methods that give animals a leg up on this planet we share like switching to a more plant based diet.
So I was adopting animals and eating an animal friendly diet and that was helpful for a while and continues to be, however, I felt I could do more – especially with my online platform that I’ve thankfully cultivated through my work in the entertainment world. If there was a way I could help people strengthen their compassion muscles and make sustainable changes to their mindsets and lives regarding animals and this planet we share with them, that could be a win!
I tinkered on the best way to do this for a long while because while I’m trying to find my place in the animal welfare world, I’m always still full time in the voice over world; working on video games, cartoons, audiobooks, and anime.
When I looked into shelters and rescues in the United States, I saw there were thousands of them ranging in size and tenure. With that space having more than enough hands in it, I pivoted from my original idea of wanting a shelter of my own and thinking about the issues the existing rescues face: funding and awareness. Many of these shelters don’t have time to focus on those crucial elements (even though they must) because they’re busy with their mission: taking care of their animals.
I felt like our non-profit, The Humane Beings, could be a lighting rod that focuses on seeking out funding and raising awareness for shelters and rescues on their behalf so they could maintain their momentum of providing comfort for their rescues.
But we still wanted to be hands-on with animals, too. Our hybrid approach, when we work with a shelter, is to travel to their location, volunteer our services for a weekend, film the experience, and donate at the end of the trip. We cover the costs of the marketing materials created from the visit as we all as the expense of getting a camera crew to the location to film, in the first place. On top of assisting with whatever tasks are needed on site for the shelter itself.
Our goal with the content created from these visits is to inspire people’s empathy towards animals, highlight the shelter we’re filming and their good work, and let people know about what we do. Its a win win for all involved AND we get to hang out with animals and scratch our animal loving itch.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’re a very new organization – less than a year old. So, some of the challenges we face are our own awareness in a sea of information overload a lot of folks face as they scroll all day long on their phones. We’re building our digital footprint, but it’s definitely not overnight. Another challenge is we’re not a typical animal welfare entity. Most non-profits are a shelter or rescue…but we’re a foundation that aids rescues and shelters…and that’s not common in this space. Getting people to understand what our mission is can be a struggle at times, but once we get boots on the ground, the lightbulb goes off 🙂
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve been an actor for over 30 years covering a lot of mediums from stage and film to live events and voice over. VO, being the last component to my acting DNA, is actually the path that I’ve been on the longest at this point. I’ve had the pleasure of being the voice being everything from commercials for the NBA to video games like Monster Hunter: Wilds and Destiny 2. As well as anime such as Fairy Tail (353 episodes!) and Dragon Ball Z to cartoons like Ben10 and Big Nate.
This has led to opportunities to travel the world and meet fans while doing appearances and be on the receiving end of such kind people and heartfelt words of thanks from kids all the way up to adults about how projects I’ve been a part of have affected their lives. It’s a real honor to be able to connect with people in that way. I’m proud to be involved in shows and games that have gotten people through tough times in their lives and that’s transformed into traditions where those people share these shows they love with people in their world to continue the thread.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
That although humans are responsible for the majority of the problems animals face, they’re also, in great number, responsible for their salvation as well. Just gotta find those gems in the caves…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thehumanebeings.org
- Instagram: the_Humane_Being
- Twitter: beahumanebeing
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@The.Humane.Beings
Image Credits
Christopher Corona
