In this episode of TMN Creative Thinking, TMN founder Pablo Herrera reflects on his experience working alongside young creators Hasi Kapali and Emil Cinto while covering the Big Picture Learning Big Bang Conference in Dallas.

After three days creating content together, the conversation becomes an opportunity to discuss mentorship, potential, communication, real-world learning and what it means to create alongside young people rather than simply teach them.

Pablo explains why he prefers to focus on developing potential rather than detecting talent, and why the goal of the experience is to create something together that everyone involved can feel proud of.

He also discusses the role of popular culture in education and why titles and certifications should not define how people relate to each other.

The conversation explores one of the principles behind Teens Media Network: calling young people creators gives them real authorship. Rather than following a fixed educational strategy,

Pablo explains why each creator should be able to find their own way to learn, while mentors observe, provide feedback and adapt to the individual person and the situation.

Pablo also reflects on his own learning process, including the areas where he still needs to improve. Working with young people, he argues, means working with people, and that requires constantly learning how to communicate, give feedback and create an environment where people can work without unnecessary pressure while still maintaining professional standards.

When Emil asks whether Pablo's perception of them changed after working together, the conversation turns to how potential becomes visible through real experience. For Pablo, responsibility and communication are more important than talent alone. Interviews and training can provide an initial impression, but working together reveals how someone responds to responsibilities, feedback and the unexpected situations that happen during a real assignment.

The episode concludes with a discussion about the difference between real-world learning and simulation. Rather than completing an assignment for approval inside a classroom, young creators at TMN work on real projects, produce content for real audiences, meet people, make mistakes and improve through the experience.

The interview was conducted by TMN creators Hasi Kapali and Emil Cinto during the Big Picture Learning Big Bang Conference 2026 in Dallas, Texas. If you're interested in creative education, mentorship, learning by doing and creating with young people through real experiences, this episode is for you. Leave your questions in the comments.

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We create and share these conversations to explore how we learn, create, work together, and find our place in the creative industries. So if something in this episode made you think, helped you see something differently, or simply felt worth sharing — pass it on.

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