Home | Hiraeth Studio 1

Where impact start ups and stories
take shape.

Working with stories and organisations protecting what matters most.

Hiraeth Studio builds growth and narrative systems for impact. Poppy the founder, works with startups as a fractional CMO / CGO, stepping in at formation and early scale to design the commercial and marketing foundations - then handing them over once they’re built to last.

In parallel, she partners with filmmakers, brands and media platforms to develop impact campaigns, shaping strategy, partnerships and distribution to turn stories into action.

Different contexts, same focus: growth that is credible, scalable, and true to its purpose.

How I work

Growth & Commercial Foundations

Narrative & Impact Campaigns

Embedded Leadership

Strategic Advisor & Workshops

I work with founders at formation and early scale to build the foundations that allow a business to function in the real world - commercially, strategically and structurally.

Clarifying positioning and narrative
Defining revenue logic and partnerships
Designing growth principles and early traction strategy
Building the first marketing and commercial systems

This is not about speed - it’s about getting the structure right for growth.

I work with filmmakers and platforms to shape how stories move beyond the screen - into audiences, communities and action.

Impact and content strategy
Brand and funding partnerships
Distribution and audience design
Campaign architecture and coalition-building

The aim is not just reach, but resonance, and meeting the right audience where they are.

I step in as a fractional CMO / CGO or strategic partner, working closely with founders and teams during critical phases of development.

I work in defined phases, designed to build independence rather than reliance. The work is hands-on, and I help shape direction, clarify how your work connects with audiences and partners, and put the right foundations in place - then step away once it’s ready to move forward without me.

For founders and teams who need clarity at key moments, I work with a small number of organisations on an ongoing advisory and workshop basis - providing strategic input on positioning, go-to-market, partnerships, impact storytelling and growth decisions as they evolve.

This is lighter-touch, but high-trust: a sounding board, a sense-check, and a way to navigate complexity without overbuilding too early.

About Poppy Mason-Watts

I grew up on the coast in Wales - a place shaped by landscape, weather and a strong sense of belonging. It’s also a place where change feels visible. Over time, I’ve watched that environment shift, and with it, my understanding of what’s at stake.

Since then, I've spent 17 years living and working internationally, across Asia and Europe, building media platforms, scaling businesses and working across cultures and systems that approach growth, impact and storytelling in very different ways. That perspective shapes how I work now.

I called this studio Hiraeth because the word captures something I feel deeply about the moment we’re in. It's a Welsh word that describes a longing - for a home, a place, or a time that can’t quite be returned to, or perhaps never fully existed. For me, that reflects the climate and societal challenges we face today: a sense that something valuable is being lost, and a responsibility to build something better in its place.

That belief sits behind the work. I co-founded WaterBear, a global impact streaming platform, and now lead impact and partnerships at Project Dandelion.

Earlier in my career, I worked at National Geographic and FOX Networks Group, leading campaigns across international markets - from The Walking Dead to Genius, and led the awards campaign for the Oscar-winning My Octopus Teacher. Media has always been central to how I think and work. I also serve on the board of Wildscreen, supporting one of the world’s leading organisations at the intersection of storytelling and the natural world.

I partner with startups and storytellers who are trying to move things forward - whether that’s building a business in climate or sustainability, or creating media that shifts how people see and act.

In both cases, the challenge is the same: turning intention into something real, credible and capable of scale. My role is to help build that - the growth, the structure, the narrative - so it can stand on its own.

Hiraeth (pronounced HEE-reyeth)

is a Welsh word describing a deep, soulful longing, nostalgia, or yearning for a home, place, or time that cannot be returned to - or that perhaps never existed. It combines feelings of homesickness, grief for lost places, and profound melancholy.

Hiraeth is often used to describe an abstract, emotional bond to a past way of life or a place. Examples include:

Missing a homeland: A Welsh person feeling a deep ache for Wales while living far away.
Nostalgia for the past: Yearning for childhood or a simpler time.
A "lost home": Feeling a deep sense of longing for a home that has changed or been destroyed.
Intangible longing: An artist's longing for a creative, perfect, but unattainable "home".

17+ YEARS GLOBAL EXPERIENCE • EMEA • APAC • IMPACT SPECIALIST

Where impact start ups and stories take shape.