Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Natalie Tran of CAA Foundation Is Helping To Change Our World
Bring your whole self to work. Every bit of your lived experience gives you a perspective that is unique to you. Don’t hide any of it. No one in my family works in entertainment, so when I first started the learning curve was so steep. I felt like I was at a disadvantage. Over time, I realized that my personal experience and passions allowed me to approach work with a specific lens that spoke to different communities.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Natalie Tran.
Natalie Tran serves as the Executive Director of the CAA Foundation at leading Hollywood and sports talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Working to connect influential voices of the entertainment industry with social movements to accelerate equitable opportunity for all, Tran consults clients, executives, and corporations on their philanthropic and purpose-focused initiatives. She is a founding member of The Civic Alliance, a non-partisan group of over 1,250 member companies focused on building a future where everyone participates in shaping our country. Tran also co-founded I am a voter., a non-partisan awareness campaign that aims to create a cultural shift around voting and civic engagement. Additionally, she serves on the Board of The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), Power the Polls, and the Advisory Board of the Black Economic Alliance.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
My parents are refugees from Vietnam and embody the American Dream. My father was sponsored by a woman in Iowa and it gave me awareness and appreciation of what a difference one person could make in someone’s trajectory. Being a first-generation American, I also experienced the impact of service as a beneficiary of community programs when I was growing up. Of course, I had no idea that my specific job existed, but I did know I was passionate about scaling the impact of an organization because I knew personally what a difference it could make in someone’s life. In college, I volunteered with local organizations and upon graduation was referred to CAA for an assistant role within the CAA Foundation. I am so lucky that my first job out of college was at my dream company and 15 years later, I’m still here!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
The pandemic has certainly been full of interesting experiences. Although 2020 was an unbelievably difficult year for us collectively, it was also a transformational year for the CAA Foundation. With the pandemic, the racial reckoning sparked by the murder of George Floyd, and the presidential election all happening within months of each other, we found that our role as conveners and connectors was critical.
Within days of being sent home from the office at the beginning of the pandemic, we launched #FirstRespondersFirst with Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to provide support for our first-responder heroes. Within a year, we raised $12 million to support their needs and wellbeing.
In partnership with CAA Amplify, we hosted the first of a series of virtual townhalls in June 2020 featuring activists, celebrities, and movement leaders discussing actionable steps on how to create a more equitable and just future that had over 17,000 live views from across the entertainment and sports industries.
In July 2020, we helped clients Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade launch Social Change Fund United, dedicated to empowering communities of color by expanding and increasing Black representation in leadership, and building economic equity for the Black community.
In 2020, we also launched the Civic Alliance, in partnership with Democracy Works, a nonpartisan business coalition dedicated to helping corporate America level up their civic engagement. Within nine months of launch, it grew from 40 member organizations to over 800 companies including Microsoft, Airbnb, AMC Theaters, and Amazon.
We also leveraged our I am a voter. campaign to engage talent and brands in nonpartisan messaging to encourage voter turnout in the 2020 election.
It was incredible what we accomplished in that year, addressing each crisis with innovative solutions that brought our community together.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I first started out, I would assume that being young meant I should be quiet and observe. Then one day my mentor pulled me aside and said that if I am going to be in the room, I need to use my voice, otherwise there is no point in being there. The key takeaway for me was know your power. That was an important lesson! It taught me to trust my instincts and the voice that often speaks in your head but might be too afraid to speak out loud. This doesn’t always mean you need to be the loudest in the room. Knowing when to be quiet is also very powerful.
I share this with a lot of the young people I work with now — especially the young women. I am still learning every day!
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
At CAA Foundation, we connect the influential voices of the entertainment industry with social movements to accelerate equitable opportunity for all.
We dedicate hundreds of thousands of hours of service to our community, raise millions to support community organizations and the mental health of first responders, empower our clients to use their celebrity to raise awareness on the most pressing issues of our time, amplify diversity in Hollywood, both in jobs and in storytelling, and support the development of organizations and initiatives to drive civic engagement and participation in the voting process.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I love this question! At the CAA Foundation, we are very focused on impact at-scale, but it is also important to remember that individual impact has the potential to change a life. We are honored to support a cohort of deserving young people across the country and helping them to achieve their college dreams through our CAA Scholars program. The scholarships are made possible by the generous donations from our colleagues at CAA at all levels, from assistants to partners. Aside from the financial resources, we also provide them with professional development and leadership workshops, and opportunities to connect with leaders in the entertainment industry to help jumpstart their post-graduate careers.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve? How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
There are many kinds of leaders but to me, leadership is a verb. It is an action. One cannot be a passive participant in this role. Leadership is about taking action and being in service to others. It’s about creating an environment where a community can thrive. You’re not a leader if it’s just you!
What community can do: Culture often drives policy. At the CAA Foundation, we are uniquely positioned to help connect the biggest influencers of our time to the right causes. Content and social media are key to spreading cultural narratives so I would encourage our community to leverage their platforms for good and we are here to help! Our Full Story Initiative serves as a resource to all to help drive authentic and equitable narratives on content.
What society can do: This is an open invitation to join our efforts! What we have learned, is that many people are passionate about making an impact, but they often try to do this work alone, like launching their own foundation or creating (potential) duplicative initiatives. What I would urge is a willingness to collaborate and find like-minded people to partner with and share best practices. Our impact will be much greater if we work together.
What politicians can do: Politicians are key because policy is how we create systems change. As Americans we need to be active participants in creating the society we want to live in. Aside from participating in local, state, and national elections, we can engage with our elected officials by writing letters, participating in townhalls, and reading local news so we are current on issues affecting our community.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Bring your whole self to work. Every bit of your lived experience gives you a perspective that is unique to you. Don’t hide any of it. No one in my family works in entertainment, so when I first started the learning curve was so steep. I felt like I was at a disadvantage. Over time, I realized that my personal experience and passions allowed me to approach work with a specific lens that spoke to different communities. At CAA, having a unique perspective is valued and welcomed.
Let people rise to the occasion. When I was starting out, I was so fortunate to have mentors that trusted me with big projects. Even though I may have been young or underqualified, they gave me an opportunity to prove myself. It’s important not to assume that someone’s age means they can’t handle the job. Let people surprise you!
Small actions can have large impact. People often underestimate small actions such as writing a thank-you note or making a call to check in on someone. These days, in an effort to be efficient, we send texts or an email. The sound of someone’s voice or the art of expressing yourself through written word can be a beautiful moment in someone’s day! You might turn someone’s bad day into a good one, and that energy is contagious. For example, when I’m driving to work in the morning, I use that car time to call my colleagues on the east coast. Even if it’s to say “Hi! How are feeling? What are you excited about?” I often learn things that enable me to be a better colleague.
People define “partnership” in different ways. Find people and organizations that have the same definition of being a good partner as you. You often need many partners when building campaigns. Some might come in with financial resources but do not want to be a part of the ideation process. Others might be critical to the strategy. Have the tough conversations early on, and make sure you understand roles and responsibilities so you don’t end up being disappointed down the road.
Get comfortable in the gray zone. Not everything in life or work is black and white. There will be many times where it’s not about “this one” or “that one” — it’s often a case of holding two opposing truths at the same time. There are times when I am surprised by Gen Z’s approach to work, yet I am also in absolute awe of how bold they are. It’s really forcing companies to rethink how culture and values need to be represented in every facet of work and, ultimately, I think that makes us more successful.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
The belief that every action can make a difference, and that everything we do can create a ripple effect of good. Whatever keeps you up at night, or tugs at your heartstrings, there is something each of us can do to take action. We can achieve so much if we do it together. It’s why we believe in being conveners and connectors: we hope coming together inspires action!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Is it too cliché to say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” I believe there is always a silver lining and I always use this approach. When confronted with an impossible task or extreme circumstances, it may push me to the unknown, but I try to embrace that unknown because I know there is either a solution or a learning that will come of it. I’m an eternal optimist!
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Mackenzie Scott. I appreciate anyone who is willing to disrupt a very traditional ecosystem. Not only that, but she’s also agile. The recent launch of Yield Giving and her new open-call process is an experiment to find the best practices in philanthropy. She is willing to explore different approaches instead of relying on one specific method.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can follow the work of the CAA Foundation on our website, and on our social media channels on Twitter and Instagram. And please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn as well. I truly believe together we can achieve great things, so let’s get started!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!