I built Umber + Onyx because I saw a gap in how communication is understood—and how access to this work is controlled.

The idea first took shape during a Toastmasters meeting at my Freddie Mac chapter, MacToast. I wasn’t just listening to speeches; I was watching outcomes. The same message could move a room in one moment and fall flat in another. The difference wasn’t talent or intelligence. It was alignment—between language, leadership presence, and the culture of the room.

That insight was reinforced later when I conducted an area visit as an Area Director to the Capital One Cyber Chapter. Different chapter. Different industry. Same pattern. The strongest communicators weren’t just polished speakers—they understood how meaning moves through people and systems. When alignment was present, communication worked. When it wasn’t, even good ideas stalled.

I had already been seeing this in my professional work across nonprofits, education systems, and corporate environments. Communication was constant, but intention was inconsistent. Strategy lived in documents, not in people. And too often, the knowledge required to do this work well was guarded—passed through informal networks, unspoken rules, and access that wasn’t equally available.

That is not a talent problem.
That is gatekeeping.

Umber + Onyx was built to challenge that directly.

The name reflects the standard I set for this work.

Umber is an earth tone—grounded and contextual. It represents communication rooted in clarity, lived experience, and real-world conditions.
Onyx is strong and structured. It represents discipline, backbone, and the resolve required to stand behind decisions once they are communicated.

Together, Umber + Onyx signals how communication should function: grounded and strong, thoughtful and durable. It is also a deliberate nod to the importance of Black, Brown, and Indigenous voices in shaping how communication actually works—voices that have long influenced the field without being fully credited or centered.

Beyond client work, Umber + Onyx exists to remove barriers to entry in this industry.

We teach the work.

Through our courses, professionals learn how to build real communication systems and portfolios by sitting at the desk, building the practice, and leading the room. We focus on how the work actually happens—not theory without application, and not shortcuts without substance.

We also build community.

Our community creates space for peers to connect across roles and industries, exchange real-time feedback, share job opportunities, and grow together. This is not networking for show. It is relationship-building grounded in shared work, shared language, and shared standards.

We believe communication should not be a closed profession guarded by proximity or pedigree. It should be a discipline people can learn, practice, and lead with integrity.

At Umber + Onyx, we help organizations communicate on purpose—and we help professionals claim their place in the field while doing it.

That is why Umber + Onyx exists.
And that is the future of this industry we are building toward.

Kam Hodge
Founder & Owner
Umber + Onyx Communications Agency

P.S., I refuse to let OpenAI and other LLMs commandeer em dashes. They’re my favorite characters next to ampersands and octothorps.