Staff Spotlight: Samuel Lamery Pierre

This month we spoke to Samuel Lamery Pierre, a member of the marketing team for PMC-Haiti’s show Zoukoutap 3 (“To Limp”), about taking photography from a personal project to a profession, and how Zoukoutap reflects essential Haitian culture and traditions.

What is your name, position, and how long have you worked for PMC?

My name is Samuel Lamery Pierre, I am a Community Manager consultant at Village Santé, PMC’s Haitian marketing partner, and I am also involved in the marketing team for PMC’s Zoukoutap (“To Limp”) project. I have been working for Village Santé since December 2016 and for Zoukoutap since October 2018. The Community Manager is the one who is in charge of managing the digital community of an institution, company, and/or public figure.

What is your favorite thing about working at Village Santé?

What I like most about working at Village Santé is that the institution cares about our professional growth and allows us to express our creativity freely. Also what is important is the flexible schedule which allows me to both work and seize other professional opportunities.

What is one memorable story from your time at PMC?

I remember the launch day of Zoukoutap 3, this day impacted me very much because it allowed me to see how important culture and manners are to transmit to others. That day Zoukoutap made me relive our essence of being Haitian by promoting our gastronomy and our stories. For me it was important to live through such a moment, especially with the disappearance of our traditions through globalization.

What is one of the biggest challenges of your job?

For me the big challenge is above all the access to electricity and the internet, which is often lacking in the reality of Haiti. These two elements are more than essential in the creation of content to be able to respect our calendar.

Why did you decide to work for PMC?

I decided to work on the Zoukoutap project because I believe in community work and this project falls within the framework of my values. It was one more opportunity for me to share my knowledge to contribute to my community.

Tell us a little about your childhood, family, or favorite things to do outside of Village Santé and PMC.

I had a childhood where my parents were too protective. I can say that I was mostly alone. They were trying to keep me away from the problems that children and young people were facing.

In addition to working for Village Santé, I am a professional photographer and I work with other organizations like UNFPA on subjects related to midwives in Haiti. I also work on the career development of artists; I get involved in the management of public and administrative relations of certain artists to help them increase their audiences and personalities.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your work?

In 2017 I was named Jeunes D’or (Golden Youth) by the Elfe Global organization for my various collaborations and initiatives during the year. It was a special moment for me because it was thanks to photography that I had this recognition, and a few years ago I never thought that the photography that I had used as therapy after the January 2010 earthquake was going to open the doors of my professional career.