www.papermag.com Open in urlscan Pro
2606:4700:e4::ac40:af1d  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

/search/

<form action="/search/">
  <button aria-label="Submit" type="submit" class="menu-global__submit fa fa-search" value=""></button>
  <input aria-label="Search" placeholder="Search..." type="text" name="q" class="menu-global__text-input">
</form>

/search/

<form action="/search/"><input name="q" class="search-form__text-input" type="text" placeholder="Enter Search Term"><input type="submit" class="search-form__submit" value="Search"></form>

Text Content

 * Home
 * LGBTQ
 * Sex & Dating
 * Fashion
   * Beauty
 * Beauty
 * Nightlife
 * Famous People
 * Internet Culture
 * Entertainment
   * Music
   * Famous People
   * Film/TV
   * Internet Culture
   * Nightlife
   * Art
 * Born this Way
 * Break the Internet ®
 * Care
   * LGBTQ
   * Sex & Dating
   * Politics
   * Black Lives Matter
 * Pride
 * Politics
 * It's Nice to Laugh
 * America
 * Born This Way
 * TXT


 * Log in

Fashion
Beauty
Entertainment
Music
Famous People
Film/TV
Internet Culture
Nightlife
Art
Break the Internet ®
Care
LGBTQ
Sex & Dating
Politics
Black Lives Matter
Born This Way
SHOP







Care


THIS ULTRA-DISCRETE COMMUNITY TACKLES THE WORLD'S BIGGEST CHALLENGES


Abby Schreiber
13 August 2020

"The top conferences and communities out there have essentially become
'Coachella for professionals,'" Joshua Jordison explains. "Here's what I mean by
that: People don't really go to Coachella to listen to music anymore. They 'do
it for the 'gram;' they go so they can be seen by others." Though Jordison is
diplomatic and doesn't "name names," it's hard not to look at something like
Davos without seeing his point (especially when you're just as likely to read
headlines about "Record private jet flights into Davos as leaders arrive for
climate talk," as much as any news about important discussions or policies
coming out of the conclave).



Along with speaker and author Wes Chapman, Jordison is the co-founder of The
Human Gathering, an ultra-discrete members-only private community that gathers
some of the most successful, influential people in the world to tackle global
systemic challenges ranging from human trafficking and homelessness to
institutional racism, the global food crisis and more.

In its first iteration, THG would host biannual weekend gatherings for members
at private properties in idyllic settings like Malibu where attendees could
participate in discussions about global issues, connect with like-minded peers
and take time and space to unplug, reflect and recharge in nature. More
recently, Jordison and Chapman have acquired a private ranch in Idaho so as to
have a permanent clubhouse of sorts for members to enjoy on their own, as well
as convene at for gatherings.

For members who attend these events — much like the community itself — the
weekend isn't distinct because of its swankiness (although with a private ranch,
a chef and other amenities, the experience is certainly upmarket). Nor is it
special because of the caliber of who you'll meet (though the group includes
CEOs and leaders of major Fortune 500 companies, as well as fireside chats with
people like the former president of the Oprah Winfrey Network Sheri Salata,
X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis and Obama's former Deputy Press Secretary Bill
Burton).



What sets it apart from anything else attendees are likely to experience in
their day-to-day life, let alone at these other name-brand conferences, is the
fact that thanks to careful planning and thoughtful, intentional execution,
Jordison and Chapman have created an environment where members must set aside
any type-A tendencies, go with the flow and put their trust in the founders'
hands.

No one is given an itinerary in advance and everyone is expected to relate to
other members as equals — something only enhanced by the fact that the Human
Gathering's relative secrecy has prevented it from becoming a social calendar
status symbol. "We don't kowtow to our members," Jordison says. "I don't care
how seemingly powerful or impressive a person is. Inside of our community,
everyone is equal. There is no social hierarchy between our members, perceived
or otherwise." They also don't publicize the names of their members (and, as of
2019, have stopped taking photos at gatherings).

While these large-scale gatherings remain on hold due to the pandemic, and
Jordison and Chapman are re-envisioning how these retreats could both become
more intimate and more frequent going forward, the community itself is
continuing to thrive as members sustain their connections and relationships
year-round, rather than over the course of a single weekend.



PAPER spoke to Jordison about the enigmatic and unconventional community he
started, and about how our surreal times have brought members closer together
than ever.



In your own words, how would you describe The Human Gathering?


We are a private community that brings together some of the most incredible
executives, founders and amazing people in the world. We value [a member] being
a genuinely good, decent person above all else. Regardless of how prominent a
prospective member may be, if they aren't a genuinely good, decent person who
can be trusted, they cannot be a part of our community. We are the only
community in the world, with members of our caliber, that curates for this. Our
focus is authentic human connection, building real relationships and combining
forces to make the world better in tangible, measurable ways. We provide an
environment of trust, in which our members can connect.



Initially, The Human Gathering was just a conference but now it's a year-round
membership community. How did that pivot come about?


When we first started The Human Gathering, it was an annual, exclusive
conference. That grew into a biannual, exclusive conference. Over time, people
kept telling us they wanted to stay connected year-round. It became obvious that
the relationships formed at our conferences were like seeds that wanted to grow
into trees. There was a special magic to the way people interacted in the
environment we created. And so we decided to scale that environment, evolving
into a private community that operates year round. When we did that, things
really took off.

Why would someone want to become a member?


There are three main benefits to being a member of The Human Gathering:

1. The Network: Through our network of members, any person and resource can be
accessed. And it simply does not matter how lofty or arduous our members' goals
and dreams are: Being a part of The Human Gathering makes it far easier for our
members to achieve whatever it is they want to achieve and in less time than
they otherwise would be able to. It changes their professional lives, forever.



2. Authentic Relationships: We do not allow members to join our community unless
they are a genuinely good, decent person who can be trusted. Because of this,
all of our members are like-minded. They choose to live their lives in a
specific kind of way. Because they all believe they should treat others well,
our members form real, authentic relationships. Members find new best friends in
our community. And for many of them, it has been years since that has happened.
It impacts their personal lives, forever.

3. Change The World: As a community, we believe in the principle of combined
leverage for good. All of our members care about leaving their mark on the
world, by helping others. Our members all feel incredibly fortunate to lead the
lives they lead. And so, we like to tackle large, systemic problems. Whether
it's human trafficking, civil rights or homelessness, our members combine their
powers to make insane things happen.

Where did the idea for The Human Gathering first come from?

The Human Gathering was born out of frustration. Possibly more now than ever
before, human beings are starving for authentic human connection. The trouble is
that authentic human connection is insanely difficult to find. This is
especially the case for successful founders, executives and otherwise
well-connected individuals. For both my co-founder and myself, referring to one
another as "successful" or "well connected" still feels bizarre. We both came-up
from the bottom and worked hard to get to where we are today. No matter what
station I reach in life, I will always feel like that kid whose parents couldn't
afford to buy milk. Still, we saw clearly that our needs and the needs of our
peers were not being met. And so we decided to create something new.



There is no shortage of conferences and networking communities that cater to
successful founders, executives etc. Over the past decade, both my co-founder
Wes and myself joined dozens of these "elite" communities and conferences. Over
time, we noticed that all of them shared the same two problems. First, people
tend to join these types of elite communities because they serve as status
symbols. This creates a culture of pretentiousness, in which members are
constantly trying to impress each other. I find this to be particularly
annoying. I'm not a pretentious person. I'd much rather go for a hike in my
3-year-old Nikes than strut around in a new, shiny pair of Balenciaga sneakers.

Second, none of the conferences or communities we were a part of did anything to
vet their members for things like integrity, character or trustworthiness. In
the past few years it has become glaringly clear that there is absolutely no
connection between how successful a person is and whether or not they are a
good, trustworthy person. And I only need to say one person's name to illustrate
this point: Harvey Weinstein. I spent over a decade working in the music
industry and met a lot of Harvey Weinstein-esque individuals. Unfortunately, I
met many of these people through the most prestigious conferences and
communities out there. It became clear that no one was even acknowledging, let
alone trying to address this problem.




From a practical standpoint, how did you go about creating The Human Gathering
and finding members?


The first thing we did was lock ourselves in a cabin for two days, in Lake
Arrowhead, California. We white-boarded the entire vision for The Human
Gathering, forgetting to eat or sleep for much of the time. At its inception, it
honestly looked like we had a very slim chance of pulling it off. No one had
ever created anything like it before. We had to figure out how to solve several
seemingly unsolvable problems. And the first one of those was how to find
potential members for the community. We knew we would never be able to
advertise, as doing so would cast too wide of a net. To this day, we have never
spent a dime on advertising. This community has grown entirely through
word-of-mouth and organic outreach. In the beginning, what we did was call some
of our friends at various companies like Nike, Omnicom, CAA, the Recording
Academy and others. About 15 people formed a committee. And through that
committee, we started gathering names of individuals and companies that could be
a good fit for our community. If we think someone may be a good fit for The
Human Gathering, we simply reach out. Anyone can apply to be a part of The Human
Gathering. Many of our members find us through word-of-mouth. Each prospective
member goes through an application and vetting process. We take it very
seriously.

What is the membership application process like?


We have several layers to our application process. In some cases, our research
into an applicant begins before they even apply. After a potential member begins
their online application our community manager spends hours researching every
applicant. We do extensive online research, far beyond what a prospective member
writes in their application. That information is then compiled and passed onto
our host committee. If our host committee approves an application, it goes
directly to myself and my co-founder. We make the final decision, without any
exceptions. The entire process takes weeks from start to finish.

Once someone is a member, what can they expect?


Our membership is designed to help our members authentically connect with each
other. We have figured out how to engineer serendipity, to the extent one can do
that. Serendipity can never be fully engineered, because then it wouldn't be
serendipity. However, it is possible to create an environment where the maximum
number of serendipitous collisions take place. We do exactly that.



Members get access to our private online portal that can't be Googled. This
password protected portal allows members to message each other, email each other
directly and interact in other ways. We also provide members with curated
introductions to each other, multiple times throughout their membership. A big
part of our team's job is to get to know members and introduce them to each
other, based on what they want for their lives and care about.

Members also have access to the private ranch, throughout the year and at
curated ranch gatherings. These intimate experiences provide an incredible way
for our members to connect, in one of the most beautiful, serene places in the
world.




Why do you intentionally want to keep membership numbers low?

When a community gets too big, authentic human connection breaks down. I've
watched it happen over and over again. Many communities before us have made the
mistake of growing too big, too fast. It always drives out the members who were
there from the beginning. We want to stay relatively small and exclusive
forever, because that will allow our members to form deep, long term
relationships with each other. By sticking to our vision, we are providing an
environment for our members to truly connect. And nothing is more important than
that. We will always be the smallest, most exclusive community of our kind.

Since The Human Gathering has been intentionally discrete, how do you combat
skeptics who may think the whole premise is "fake" or "elitist" or "cult-y"?


First, I don't think it's our job to convince everyone. Apart from doing
interviews like this one from time to time, we don't really worry about it that
much. Instead, we focus on the people who just get it. We aren't trying to grow
our community too quickly, so there's no reason to try and convince everyone
that we are what we say we are. Word of mouth has been spreading for years and
that makes a big difference.

In addition to that, time is always on our side. It is one of our biggest
assets. We have been patient in growing our community, focusing on quality over
quantity. We knew it would take time to build this community the way we were
doing it. We have now been building this community for 6 years. Each passing
year we have to worry less and less about skeptics. We knowingly went into this
with the understanding that we were doing this the "hard way," but we knew it
was the only way to build what was missing in the world.



While the country still navigates the pandemic, what kinds of changes have you
been making and what will in-person events look like going forward?


Like every business in the world, COVID-19 has impacted us. What we have chosen
to do with this impact is innovate. When we secured the ranch, long before
COVID-19 came on the scene, we had a 3-5 year plan to move away from the
biannual gatherings and move to more curated and smaller gatherings multiple
times per year.

COVID-19 showed us that we did not need to wait years to do this. We took the
plan we had and the obstacles that COVID-19 presented and we innovated. We added
a full-time Community Manager to our staff, whose solo occupation is to connect
members inside our community. We doubled down on preparing the ranch to safely
host our members. We added more virtual options inside our community and we
empowered our members to help each other through this unprecedented time.

What kind of impact has COVID had on members and the work they're doing
together?


Our community has come together more via COVID-19 than we could have ever
imagined. We have continued our work in the areas of civil rights and human
trafficking. Members have supported each other on every level. While what
happened to George Floyd has certainly renewed global interest related to civil
rights, we have already been deeply engaged in it for years. We've gotten to
know the families of Nelson Mandela, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Harriett
Tubman and many others over the past several years. It has definitely been
interesting to watch how engagement has changed. Many of the people
(non-members) we reached out to who were "too busy" a year ago are now clamoring
to come onboard our initiatives. I anticipate this increased level of engagement
from the general public tapering off, as it always does in these kinds of
situations. This is one of the reasons our community exists: to sustain that
level of engagement, always.




What is the most rewarding part, for you, about The Human Gathering?

Without question, it is being able to connect some of the most influential
people in the world and then step back to watch the magic that comes from that.
In my early twenties, I realized that I had a gift for connecting interesting,
powerful people. I just started doing it. And because I didn't come from a
particularly influential family, it was one of the ways I lifted my family out
of poverty. The Human Gathering allows me to make high level connections at
scale. I get to watch the ripples of impact from those connections, for years to
come.

Those connections are truly powerful. Seeing what can come from truly
like-minded, diverse and good people is astounding. From the philanthropic
works, to the partnerships our members develop; watching our members shape the
world is truly remarkable.



What do you hope will be the legacy of each Human Gathering?


While our mission statement — "We are a private community of connected leaders
with one mission to impact the globe unheralded leaving a mark for generations
to come" — is truly our cornerstone approach, we also live by the statement,
"Making the impossible possible."

As a community, we love to tackle large, systemic problems. Due to the caliber
of our members, we have the ability to solve problems that few others can solve.
All of our members care deeply about leaving their mark on the world — a
positive mark. Walt Disney once said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
That quote really resonates with our team and all of our members. Alone, there's
no doubt that each and every one of our members are extraordinary individuals.
But together, we have the power to change the world for the better and leave
behind a legacy that is carved into the history of humanity, forever.

Photos courtesy of The Human Gathering






Related Articles Around the Web
 * The Human Gathering | Human Gathering ›



You May Also Like
Fashion


THOSE MIU MIU MINI SKIRTS ARE ALREADY A HALLOWEEN COSTUME

Music


ELLA ROSA HOLDS 'NOTHING SACRED'

Film/TV


A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE JANET JACKSON SUPER BOWL SCANDAL IS COMING

Fashion


TORY BURCH TALKS SAWEETIE, THE MET GALA AND AMERICAN FASHION

Music


FLOWERKID TURNS HURT INTO HEALING WITH 'VODKA ORANGE JUICE'

Fashion


DOMINIQUE! BELLA! AMBER! MUGLER'S LATEST SHOW TURNS UP THE HEAT



 * 0
 * 1
 * 2


LGBTQ


RISK AND REWARD: INSIDE NIGERIA'S THRIVING DRAG SCENE

Fashion


THE FASHION ILLUSTRATOR WHO COUNTS BEYONCÉ AND JACQUEMUS AS FANS

Fashion


PAPER FASHION: CHARACTER STUDY

Fashion


TIERRA WHACK'S FIRST VANS COLLAB BRINGS HER WHACKY STYLE TO LIFE


Music


FRANCES FOREVER ON BEING A 'CERTIFIED FOOL'

Care


'THE APHRODISIAC KITCHEN' IS A QUEER COMING-OF-AGE COOKBOOK FOR HEALING

Entertainment


JOE GOLDBERG FROM 'Y OU' IS OBSESSED WITH CARDI B

Fashion


THE VILLARROEL SISTERS' NEW JEWELRY COLLECTION WILL TAKE YOU PLACES


Music


CROWD CRUSH KILLS EIGHT AT ASTROWORLD FESTIVAL


Paper Magazine
Music


ANGELUS IS THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR TIMES


Paper Magazine

LGBTQ


HARRY STYLES HELPED A FAN COME OUT TO HER MOM DURING HIS CONCERT


Sandra Song
Famous People


GUY FIERI AGREES TO OFFICIATE KRISTEN STEWART'S WEDDING


Sandra Song

Music


PAPER MIX: MAYA JANE COLES


Matt Moen


Fashion


MEET THE ARTIST WHO CREATED CARDI B'S WEARABLE SCULPTURE

Music


IV4 WANTS THAT 'STROKE'

Music


SOUND OFF: 10 NEW SONGS YOU NEED TO HEAR NOW

© PAPER. All Rights Reserved
AboutContactRSSPrivacyTerms



PRIVACY PREFERENCE CENTER

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your
browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you,
your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you
expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can
give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to
privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the
different category headings to find out more and change our default settings.
However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site
and the services we are able to offer.
More information
Allow All


MANAGE CONSENT PREFERENCES

STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES

Always Active

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched
off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you
which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy
preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block
or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.

PERFORMANCE COOKIES

Performance Cookies

These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and
improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the
most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All
information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you
do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and
will not be able to monitor its performance.

TARGETING COOKIES

Targeting Cookies

These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may
be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you
relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal
information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet
device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted
advertising.

Back Button Performance Cookies



Vendor Search Search Icon
Filter Icon

Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label

Reject All Confirm My Choices


By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your
device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our
marketing efforts.

Cookies Settings Reject All Accept All Cookies