For over 35 years, QVC has made a name for itself as one of the flagship shopping networks in the U.S.

As it has gradually grown to become one of the more globally recognized shopping networks, it had never had a Hispanic influencer leading its content.

That is, until now.

In October 2022, Harianned Chaurel made history in becoming the first Latina influencer to produce content for its streaming platform. 

“It’s definitely something huge to be part of this historical moment,” Chaurel told AL DÍA during an interview. 

To her, it’s a microcosm of the gravity and power that the Latino community can have in any realm of our society. 

A media and communications professional originally from Venezuela, Chaurel has been in search of effective ways to utilize the skills she acquired in her native country since arriving to Philadelphia.

A multitude of trials and tribulations have all served as learning experiences as she eyes this newest chapter of her career. 

A Communicator’s Journey

It was at the age of 13 that Chaurel realized she wanted to get into the industry as a communications professional. However, she was unsure how exactly to break through.

Always involved in cultural activities in Venezuela, when Chaurel was 15, she participated in a teen pageant that takes place each year in commemoration of one of the most important battles in the South American country’s fight for independence — the Battle of La Victoria. 

The competition celebrates youth and promotes the desires to make a positive impact on the world. Chaurel ended up winning the competition that year. 

“When I won that competition, I had the opportunity from there to start as a hostess in a radio show in my hometown,” she said. “Everything started from there. I knew I wanted to get into the media.”

After graduating from high school, Chaurel attended the prestigious Universidad Central de Venezuela. She credits her time at the University as “a big opportunity,” where she learned from a great group of professors and journalists who were working in different fields within the media industry — from TV to newspapers and magazines to radio — during a time when digital media was just beginning. 

Thanks to that experience, Chaurel felt she developed a diverse skillset, in combination with her interests.  

“After I graduated… I dedicated my professional time working for artists,” said Chaurel. 

A lifelong fan of music and culture, she found a way to combine her passions and turn them into a career opportunity, writing press releases, helping artists take part in festivals and concerts, and much more.

Among her most prominent career opportunities was working as a press manager for Guataca Productions, a Venezuelan-based platform that aims to spread the talent of emerging musicians, promote their projects, and support a number of their initiatives.

There, she met a multitude of talented artists and musicians, including the multi-time Latin Grammy Award-winning musical group, C4 Trío. 

A Whole New World

Chaurel put together an impressive career résumé for herself while in Venezuela. 

A handful of years ago, however, she and her husband decided to start a new chapter in their lives, moving to the United States. 

“Being an immigrant changed everything,” said Chaurel. 

When first arriving to the U.S., she had many challenges — finding a job, learning a new language, and adapting to a new culture — among them. 

Chaurel notes spending the first few years in the U.S. taking in as much as she could to help her navigate this new world. 

However, finding the Venezuelan community in Philadelphia served as the biggest catalyst for helping her adjust to the reality of living in a new country. 

Subsequently, she connected with local organizations like Casa de Venezuela and HIAS Pennsylvania, both of which served as a big help to her.

More recently, Chaurel connected with Gente de Venezuela, where she currently serves as the organization’s Director of Communications. 

However, it didn’t stop there.

“After I found myself comfortable among my own people, I wanted to connect with the other communities,” said Chaurel. 

For her, that is when the real learning began. 

This led to a change in her mindset, where she realized that if she connected with all the diverse communities that make up the city, it would allow her to learn more about them and continue to succeed in the process of acclimating to her new environment.

Making QVC+ History

Chaurel had been familiar with QVC since she was in Venezuela and always had an interest in the network.

Despite this, she didn’t initially believe that the opportunity would one day present itself for her to become a part of the network. 

As an immigrant to the United States, she wasn’t able to immediately work in the field that she had been working in while in her native country — media and communications. 

While spending time working at restaurants, as well as an HR executive at a building maintenance company, she was able to develop more skills and learn how to navigate the corporate world in the U.S. However, these fields were in contrast to her previous professional background. 

Chaurel recently reached a point where she felt it was time to start pushing forward and find the place where she is “meant to be,” she said. 

“I started to look for a new job,” Chaurel added. “But I didn’t want just any new job, I wanted to get connected to media again… I wanted to get into communications or something related to my field, my background, and my experience.”

She found and applied for a position with QVC, as part of a new department that the network had created with a focus on multicultural production. 

Upon meeting Chaurel, the hiring manager envisioned her in a role in front of the camera. 

However, as a current podcast hostess (Venezolanadas) and going back to the beginning of her career in radio, Chaurel has often done her work behind the scenes. 

A consistent role in front of the camera would serve as a new experience; Albeit, a historic one, as well. 

The historic nature of the opportunity, in which Chaurel would become the first Latina influencer to produce and present content in Spanish for the retailer QVC and its streaming service, QVC+, served as among the biggest motivating factors.

“I think that was what convinced me,” she said, adding that the opportunity to find a new place to communicate in her native language and to her community was an important one to take. 

Chaurel hosts a weekly episodic segment called, “Hazlo con Hari.” 

In the segment, she promotes and sells products with the goal of helping Latinos embrace their roots, and improve the use of their time and money while learning something new. 

Chaurel understands that a big responsibility comes along with this role, and it’s not one that she shies away from. 

“I do this with all my love and respect for what I do, for the people that I’m connecting with, but it’s definitely something special,” said Chaurel. 

While it’s a new endeavor, Chaurel is eager to expand it into something much bigger for her community. 

“I think I will find a way to show from my experience that we can do everything we want to do if we are prepared, if we work for it, and if we face every single day without fear of losing where we come from and losing our roots, because that’s never going to happen,” she said. 

It’s that approach that she brings with her that guides her daily work. 

You can catch Chaurel on a new episode of “Hazlo con Hari,” each Friday on QVC+.