We were lucky to catch up with Macherí Samuels recently and have shared our conversation below.

Macherí, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My passion project for the last few years has been to get the “The Scholar” television show off the ground. It is an edutainment show I created to give an opportunity to display some of Jamaica’s brightest in a trivia game show, where they can win funds towards furthering their education.

From a young age, my parents instilled in us a high regard for education. We didn’t have much but our parents made do with what we did have. My dad was a chemistry high school teacher and my mom was a dental nurse, who later went back to school for her MBA. When it was time for me to go to secondary school, their dedication to ensuring we had a firm foundation led them to uprooting the family and taking jobs at the school for benefits that would allow them to afford the school fees where they believed we would have the best education. I remember before we could fully enjoy summer holidays, we had to read our textbooks for the next year and write book reports; we may not have appreciated it at the time, but it was for our own benefit. Fast forward to the middle and that core belief that morals, values and intelligence would take us through the World has really paid off. I had the opportunity to complete a master’s degree in Paris, studying with people from countries I had only heard of like Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, Russia, Nicaragua and China. Imagine growing up in a small community in the rural part of Jamaica and having the opportunity to move to a big city like Paris. That opportunity completely enriched my way of thinking. The saying is true, that you don’t know, what you don’t know, until you do; being able to broaden my horizons, expand my limited view on what is possible and how it can be done, because of the interactions with people who were able to share a different perspective was simply invaluable. I decided to move back to Jamaica, but, because of my experience, I firmly believe the opportunities afforded me were because I decided to pursue higher education. So now one of my goals is to do my part in extending a helping hand to others as, i believe in building the future through education

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

To complete an internship for my Masters in Project Management and Business Engineering I had the good fortune of working with an amazing leader Guillaume Blain, at Hispano Suiza, a subsidiary of Safran that manufactured Aircraft transmission systems and power electronics such as gear boxes for business jets. This was my first exposure to aerospace, the industrial field, and the French business culture and though this was a very technical field it taught me two main things. One, at the core, a project is a project no matter the industry. There’s a goal and tasks to be completed that are interdependent on each other for the success of the project. And two, I did not like working on projects that would take years to see the final result. I needed to see more tangible results to appreciate my accomplishment.

I have the privilege of being a Jamaican, which means sharing in a rich culture of music, arts and entertainment, so when I moved back it was almost inevitable that I found myself in the entertainment industry working on events. Event Management gave me the opportunity to work on projects with a shorter life cycle, let my creative juices flow, use the practical side of my brain for problem solving, and best of all I do something I enjoy. As a project manager I get the unique opportunity of bringing visions to life and the satisfaction of seeing others enjoy, in real time, what my team and I were able to create for them. Whether it’s a festival for 7,000 people or a dinner for 25, I get to walk into a space and transform it in a matter of days or hours; each project is an exhilarating adventure every single time.

Undoubtedly, the pinnacle of my career thus far lies in the reflection of work I have done with Dream Entertainment over the last decade on our biggest brands. Dream Wknd- Jamaica Is the Caribbean’s Largest VIP Festival Experience, where Negril’s world-famous Seven Mile Beach comes alive for the region’s largest 5 day ‘weekend’ getaway. We make the most of Negril’s sensational beach experience and its riveting nightlife by hosting both daytime and nighttime parties. It is undoubtedly an unrivaled party festival experience. Xodus Carnival is a brand we have proudly built from the ground up, transforming it into what is now known as Jamaica’s largest carnival band. I take immense pride in being an integral part of planning and executing these remarkable achievements.

With the project experience I have gained over the years in event planning, bar and gate management, safety and security etc. I have now started my own company, Tribe Creations, where we plan and consult on events for clients, mentor others who wish to join the event industry and are able to pursue other projects like “The Scholar”, our tv show passion project that provides students an opportunity to win funds towards pursuing higher education. We’ve so far been able to complete the pilot and we’re very excited to continue to raise funds to begin the next phase for Season 1.

Any advice for managing a team?

In any team project, maintaining the focus and motivation of the team can sometimes be the deciding factor between a failed or successful project. As the leader you are ultimately responsible for the performance, so i’ll share four 4 things I believe will help,

Lead by example.
It may sound cliche but your behavior influences the team’s attitude and work ethic. I have seen this countless times, where demonstrating to the team that regardless of your rank, no task you expect someone else to do is beneath you. Events always have a time deadline, where work on decor and infrastructure need to be complete for the event to begin. Sometimes there are challenges that wear on the team and in those last few hours to the deadline, the team may be exhausted. However, as the leader, when you show you can get down and dirty in the trenches with the team, whether it’s clearing away trash or lifting tables and chairs, it encourages the other team members to also give that last push. Not my fault, not my job, but we band together to get the work done for the success of the project

Clear communication
With clarity everyone understands the goal and the vision for the project to therefore be aligned with the expectations of their role. Once persons understand how they contribute to the overall success of the project, it provides a sense of purpose which in turn helps to keep morale high. In high stress situations, there can not be enough emphasis on clear communication as this helps to avoid misunderstandings that may cause further challenges for the project.

Create a positive work environment
Being in a workspace or on a team where members feel respected, comfortable and empowered tends to increase productivity. People are however motivated by different things, so getting to know what drives a person will also help you to find aspects of the project to motivate a person. Similarly finding out how you can support their personal career goals whether through training or mentorship or some other path tends to yield the same result of a more engaged team. To find out this information about team members though you as a leader will also have to show yourself to be approachable and supportive.

Recognize and Reward Achievements
Another way I’ve heard this said is Affirm, Acknowledge, Appreciate. Simply put we should celebrate small wins and big successes, giving recognition to the contributions of the team members. When persons feel valued it boost morale and motivation

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

In the creative field there’s no one correct answer to any problem, so there’s also no one direct path to the final result. When providing a solution as a creative it combines planning and improvising in the logic of what can be done and the wonder of what else could be done.
Creativity comes with some measure of unpredictability as we experiment with our work, always trying to produce something that is fresh, engaging, and innovative. There is a lot of time and energy spent thinking before actually doing and to a non- creative it may seem as if we may be procrastinating or not efficiently producing, but ideas require inspiration and when there are unlimited choices we mentally go through multiple iterations before we can start a project.
And because there are multiple options for any solution it means that there is always an element of subjectivity when measuring success. One client’s vision for the same event will differ from the expectations of another. Without clearly defined rules our metrics for success are a little more ambiguous which can result in feeling even more internal pressure to stay inspired and original. But when we do get it so undeniably right, there is such a deep feeling of personal fulfillment, because of the emotional investment and passion that is put into our work, even greater than any external validation.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: macherisamuels
• Linkedin: Macheri Samuels

Image Credits

Thaddeus Wiliams