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 today advise a portfolio of impact startups, media projects and organisations on growth, partnerships, narrative and commercial strategy.

My current work spans climate, nature, storytelling and early-stage ventures, including Project Dandelion, where I lead impact and partnerships alongside my broader advisory practice.

Earlier in my career, I worked at National Geographic and FOX Networks Group, leading international campaigns across APAC, from The Walking Dead and Genius to the Oscar-winning My Octopus Teacher. Storytelling has always shaped how I think about change. Today, I also serve on the board of Wildscreen, one of the world's leading organisations championing storytelling for nature.

I partner with founders and storytellers who are trying to move things forward, whether that's building a climate startup, growing a purpose-led business, or creating media that changes how people see and act.

In every project, the challenge is the same: turning intention into something real, credible and capable of scale. My role is to help build the foundations—the growth, the structure and the narrative—so they can stand on their 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".