Parientes: The Human Stories Behind Colombia’s Eastern Plains
How a cinematic campaign by WhereNext Creative showcases the ways WWF is helping communities protect nature and thrive alongside it.
In Colombia’s eastern plains, amid the sunlit savannas and slow-moving rivers of Casanare, Belcy Cerón chose a path few others dared. As neighbors cleared forest for rice and cattle, she let the wild stay wild, preserving patches of land that are home to howler monkeys, eagles, and woodpeckers.
"Many neighbors say that my property is not productive, that there are too many trees," Cerón says in a cinematic YouTube video that was recently produced by WhereNext Creative. "But for us, it is a great property, because we are surrounded by tranquility. We have oxygen, nature, and a cooler climate."
Her quiet path is part of a broader movement taking root in Colombia’s Orinoquía region, a mosaic of savannas, wetlands, and forests that is home to some of the planet’s most unique and threatened ecosystems. Over the past five years, 107 families across the region have signed voluntary conservation agreements as part of the World Wildlife Fund’s GEF Orinoquia project, preserving more than 74,000 hectares of land, an area roughly the size of New York City.
But preserving landscapes isn’t enough. If people who have never been to a place are going to care about it, they first need to feel connected. That’s where storytelling comes in.
“Many Colombians don’t know what the eastern plains are like, geographically or culturally.”
Why We Made Parientes
WWF Colombia partnered with WhereNext Creative to bring the stories of these unsung conservationists to life in a way that’s both cinematic and deeply human.
The result was Parientes, an integrated digital content library and storytelling campaign that includes:
Four mini documentary films
A three-part podcast series
A photo and video archive
An animated explainer video
The creative concept, developed by WhereNext Creative’s in-house team, was inspired by the regional word pariente, used affectionately in Colombia’s eastern plains to mean “relative” or “close friend.” It became the emotional thread linking all formats of the campaign.
Interview subjects were asked: What does "pariente" mean to you? Their answers revealed a shift in perception, as many now consider the rivers, forests, and animals not as resources, but as family.
"Through this series, we are showing our partners and the general public that you can make a good living while helping to preserve the environment," said Paula Andrea Siabato, WWF’s Communications Coordinator in Colombia.
REAL Audio + Video Natural History Production for YouTube
WhereNext Creative’s strength lies in merging journalistic depth with beautiful visual and audio storytelling, an approach honed through past projects like The Birders and our Netflix audio catalog for One Hundred Years of Solitude.
“Audio and video together help people connect more deeply to a place, and that connection is where conservation begins.”
WWF, which is known around the world for its giant panda logo, said that it wanted the videos to reflect the cinematic standards that the organization’s media products have also become known for.
To achieve that, WhereNext Creative sent a light and fast team of experienced natural history creators: a videographer, photographer, and audio technician to the field.
Long lenses were used to capture inspiring shots of the birds and mammals of the Orinoquía. Drones were used to capture the region’s immense landscapes, and specialized microphones were used to record everything from the croaking of frogs in protected areas to the bubbling sounds of the Bita River.
“Our goal is to transport the viewer to the places where the action is happening.”
“We didn’t use stock audio or foley because we know that authentic sound matters. When combined with strong visuals, real audio helps create a deeper emotional connection, especially on platforms like YouTube where viewers engage through multiple senses. And that connection is what makes people care about conservation,” said Sandra Eichmann, WhereNext Creative's General Manager, who led the production.
Impact That Lasts Beyond the Scroll
Unlike fleeting campaigns designed to ride a trend, Parientes was built for longevity. WWF wanted these stories to live on, not just in social feeds, but in classrooms, rural meetings, donor briefings, and search results.
Siabato said, “The videos and podcasts were placed on YouTube because of the evergreen nature of the content produced, so that people who are interested in conservation can find them for years to come."
But she also expects the videos and the podcasts to be shown at events with donors or stakeholders, where they can be used as conversation starters.
For the WWF team in Colombia, the aim of the series is threefold:
Inspiration for rural communities beginning their own sustainable development journeys.
Evidence for donors and stakeholders to visualize conservation impact.
Awareness for Colombians unfamiliar with the culture and ecology of the eastern plains.
"We want them to get to know that part of the country, and the families that are taking a shot at preserving it," Siabato said.
“There is a myth that conservation means not touching anything.”
Why It Matters for the Future of Storytelling
This campaign underscores a central belief at WhereNext Creative: beautiful content alone isn’t enough. To create impact, you must spark an emotional connection. That’s why our studio creates Content with Soul, campaigns designed to resonate across years, not days.
This work was also designed for the world’s most enduring content and search platform, YouTube, where we know both beautiful audio and video work together to create a more connected and lasting experience.
And it’s a blueprint we’re scaling, with the right partners.
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