The Camp Social founder shares how intentional design turns strangers into friends and proves belonging can be built. Courtesy Camp Social
This Q&A is part of Observer’s Expert Insights series, where industry leaders, innovators and strategists distill years of experience into direct, practical takeaways and deliver clarity on the issues shaping their industries. At a time when loneliness is being called a public health crisis and nearly half of U.S. adults say they struggle to make friends, Liv Schreiber is proving that connection can be designed. And that joy is contagious when done right. As founder and CEO of Camp Social, a fast-growing community and events platform, Schreiber has built a business around something most of us crave but rarely prioritize: real human connection.
Her approach is anything but ordinary. Camp Social doesn’t rely on contrived icebreakers or staged exclusivity. Instead, it invites people to show up solo and leave with a sense of belonging, whether through group hikes, paddleboarding sessions, yoga flows or roundtable dinners. Ninety-nine percent of attendees come alone, and 100 percent leave with new friends. For Schreiber, the formula is simple but intentional: create an atmosphere that’s warm, energetic and safe enough for people to drop their guard.
From navigating intergenerational friendships to balancing the reach of digital platforms with the depth of offline experiences, Schreiber’s work is a reminder that social connection is a skill—and a business—worth cultivating.
What key ingredients make people feel safe and open at social events?
It starts with making people feel comfortable being themselves in a new environment. That means creating an atmosphere that’s warm, low-pressure, and welcoming, like freshman year of college, where everyone’s somehow in the same boat. At Camp Social, we do this through small details: encouraging people to come solo (99 percent arrive solo and 100 percent leave as friends), bonding over fun activities like paddleboarding, yoga and hikes instead of cringey group icebreakers, shared meals at roundtables, uplifting music, leadership staff and I demonstrating how excited we are to have our campers with us.
The goal is to make it easy for people to talk, laugh and connect, without overthinking it, feeling like they’re at home, not visiting.
Strangers arrive solo, but leave as friends. Courtesy Camp Social
How do you curate a crowd without making it feel curated?
I focus on vibe over visuals. It’s not about everyone dressing the same or looking the same. In fact, our wide range of ages and diversity are something I’m most proud of. We attract the vibe we put out: we want people who are kind, open, enthusiastic.
People you’d want next to you at a campfire or a dance party. It’s less about exclusivity and more about creating a room full of people who make each other feel good and come in with open, positive, excited attitudes.
What has building Camp Social taught you about female friendship, and what are we still getting wrong?
We’ve been taught that friendships should feel effortless, but real connection takes intentionality. Camp Social has shown me that most women want deeper friendships; they just don’t always have the time or space in their day-to-day lives. So we created a space where you don’t have to play it cool or play a game at all. You can show up, be yourself, and know that everyone else is looking to connect, too. It’s instant.
How do you balance digital reach with offline authenticity?
Social media gets people in the door, but what makes them stay is how they feel once they’re there. The offline experience majorly exceeds the online hype. That’s how it should always be. The American Psychiatric Association’s 2023 poll found 30 percent of adults experience loneliness at least once a week, and 10 percent feel lonely every single day, with adults 18 to 34 most affected. We need to feel joy and community in real life!
Thoughtful moments, epic goodies, good conversation, unexpected fun, that’s what keeps it real. When people leave saying, “I feel like I just made 100 new best friends,” that’s the win. And that’s what builds real community, not just a following. I’m uninterested in catfishing.
What advice would you give someone who’s moved to New York and doesn’t know how to make friends?
First of all, you’re not alone. A lot of people feel that way (1 in 2 adults in the U.S.), that’s why I started my businesses. Most people are just waiting for someone else to make the first move. So be the one who reaches out. Say yes to things. Invite someone for coffee, even if it feels awkward. You don’t need a million friends, you just need one incredible person. And if you don’t know where to start, that’s literally why we built Camp Social. You have to be a villager to have a village, so make sure you feed the flame once it starts.
Connection takes center stage when the setting is safe, joyful and real. Courtesy Camp Social
The Camp Social audience is anyone young at heart. What is so special about intergenerational friendships, and how should you go about making intergenerational connections
Intergenerational friendships are the secret sauce no one’s talking about! They stretch your perspective and bring a kind of grounding that same-age friendships sometimes can’t. Having a friend who’s 20 years older than you reminds you that things you’re stressing about might not matter in the long run, and having a younger friend keeps you curious and plugged in.
A 2023 Journal of Social and Personal Relationships study found that adults with meaningful intergenerational relationships reported higher levels of life satisfactionemotional regulation and even cognitive function. Another survey by Generations United revealed that 92 percent of Americans believe intergenerational relationships reduce lonelinessand only 26 percent say they have them regularly. That gap says everything. We need Camp Social.
What’s special is that both people bring something valuable to the table: stories, wisdom, humor, new references, new ways of thinking. It’s like finding prequels and sequels of your favorite book that you didn’t know you needed.
People must drop the assumption that friendship has to look a certain way. Stay open to connection in unexpected places, a coworker, a neighbor, someone at your gym or your mom’s best friend. Friendship is about shared energy and a mutual willingness to show up for each other.
Some of the most meaningful connections I’ve seen at Camp Social have been between people with totally different backgrounds, careers, and ages. That’s the beauty of it: we’re all just humans looking for people who get us. If you’re lucky, sometimes, that person who gets you isn’t in your age bracket. That’s the beauty.
Camp Social has grown quickly in a notoriously hard-to-scale space: human connection. What strategies have been most effective in translating something so personal into a sustainable, growing business?
Camp Social grew fast because I never treated it like an “event.” It feels like family, and I treat my campers and staff like family. We have created moments—charcuterie boards and firepits at sunset, letters-to-themselves stations and friendship bracelets, dance parties at dinner, customization of individual schedules and outdoor movie nights—that made women feel seen and part of something bigger than themselves. Word of mouth is our best growth channel. Every camper has become a brand evangelist because they weren’t just attending, they were belonging.
That intimacy scales when you build systems around it—surveys, bunk assignments, diligently trained staff who are an extension of me—so that every woman still feels like she got a personalized, magical experience, even at a 1000-person scale. The number of attendees and popularity don’t and will never matter to me. It’s the quality of experience that I’m responsible for.
From paddleboards to roundtables, every activity is designed for belonging. Courtesy Camp Social
Have you faced moments when scaling threatened to dilute the “magic” of Camp Social? How did you protect the integrity of the experience while growing?
Of course there were moments where I worried, but I just created what I wanted to experience and removed what would stress me as a consumer. To protect the “magic,” I doubled down on small touches—welcome notes, intentionally curated bunkmate pairings, surprise activations that feel intimate and are only brands that I actually use and love. Saying no to what doesn’t align, no matter the dollar offer.
The bigger we got, the more important it became to weave in micro-moments of intimacy and say no to the big guys that don’t align. Every human touch point matters, and scaling didn’t mean diluting. It meant more designing for intimacy at scale. It is a responsibility I’m grateful for.
Are there lessons from Camp Social that could translate into corporate or workplace culture? How can companies make teams feel more connected and creative?
Camp Social proved something I think every company should pay attention to: connection fuels creativity. People do their best work and stay longer when they feel emotionally safe and socially plugged in—without being attached to work 24/7. Provide communal meals that aren’t “networking” but true bonding. Activities that the company can offer for employees in their downtime or during lunch. Camp Social is proof that when you build infrastructure around belonging—and back it with intentional leaders and staff, productivity and retention follow.
A loneliness antidote: creating spaces where community grows naturally. Courtesy Camp Social
In your view, what’s the future of community-driven brands? Where do you see this space heading in the next five years, and how will Camp Social evolve to meet it?
We’re in a loneliness epidemic, but also a renaissance of community. The future belongs to brands that don’t just sell a product—they create belonging. In five years, I see community-driven brands blending IRL and digital seamlessly, offering memberships, products, retreats and always-on touchpoints that extend beyond one-off transactions. For Camp Social, that means scaling into memberships, global retreats and digital platforms where the magic of connection continues year-round. It’s not just camp. It’s a lifestyle. I’m glad the business world is finally listening.