Strategy
Content direction, clear messaging, and a thoughtful plan for how a story reaches people.
A moʻolelo
studio.
A creative point of view, rooted in kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi.
01 / The company
Our kahua.
Māʻona Media is a Native Hawaiian-owned creative company. We care about the stories taking shape here in Hawaiʻi, and the people building businesses, creating opportunities, and doing meaningful work in our communities.
For us, storytelling begins with understanding: who you are, where your story comes from, and what you want to carry forward. Kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi shapes the questions we ask and the choices we make, from the first conversation to the words and images we put into the world.
Māʻona is home to our creative studio and the ideas we choose to build ourselves. Whether we’re helping tell your story or developing something of our own, we want the work to be useful to the people it’s made for.
Storytelling
Writing and editorial thinking that connect an organization’s purpose with its audience.
Creative direction
A considered point of view that brings words, visuals, and production into alignment.
02 / Brand family
Connected by intention.
Distinct in purpose.
Māʻona Media is the parent company behind Wehena.
Wehena is dedicated to Hawaiian language and knowledge. Its identity and purpose remain its own.
03 / Founder & leadership
Kawena Lei Apao
Founder · Business owner · Creative leader
Perspective that
guides the work.
Kawena leads Māʻona Media’s business direction and creative vision. A Native Hawaiian storyteller with a background in advertising and journalism, she brings more than a decade of experience in Hawaiʻi’s digital media landscape.
Her work is shaped by an upbringing immersed in mele, hula, and cultural practice, and by a commitment to supporting Hawaiʻi’s small businesses and Native Hawaiian organizations.
More about Kawena04 / Begin a conversation