TENILLE Clarke is no stranger to producing quality work in the public relations space or being recognised for it.
But capturing the 2024 National Female Entrepreneurship award brings immense pride.
Clarke was announced the winner of this year’s award by the National Entrepreneurship Development Company Ltd (NEDCO) in collaboration with Ministry of Youth Development and National Service.
Clarke shared that simply being recognised at home brings her great joy.
The entrepreneur is the managing director and publicist of Chambers Media Solutions, a full-service public relations agency.
In an interview with Express Business, an elated Clarke noted that as a publicist, she has received recognition before.
She was nominated for the Caribbean POSH award in the British Virgin Islands about a month ago.
“I won the Woman of Colour Initiative Trailblazer award, one of six Trinbagonian women that won that award a couple months ago but there is something about being recognised at home, that you can’t really quantify,” she expressed.
Reflecting on what the award means to her, she said, “For me it means a series of things, for the company it means that my team sees the limitless possibilities of their work in motion. The graphic artists or the videographers, the photographers… they are all storytellers in their own right and the work that they do to contribute to the visibility of our clients, it means something. And now that they have this national award to recognise their efforts, I know it’s a boost to their morale, it has certainly been a boost to my morale as well.”
Daddy’s girl
Clarke’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive were inspired by her father.
“I started my career after returning from an eight- or nine-year stint in Toronto (Canada) because my mom lives there. So, I went to university there and I came back home and I started working for a digital advertising boutique studio in Trinidad. But I wanted to do more and I knew that the Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago had a really powerful opportunity to position storytelling, not as just something that is unique but something that is valuable, even to persons that may not be necessarily connected directly to Caribbean culture,” Clarke said, adding that there is always a synergy in storytelling.
Recounting how she started Chambers Media Solutions, she said, “So, I made the decision under the tutelage of my dad, Gordon Chambers, to take that leap of faith…there is this thing that I call the climb, and knowing when it’s time to do something that you haven’t done before and you are really scared to do it but you do it anyway. So, I left the company in 2016 and very shortly thereafter I registered Chambers Media Solutions and it’s been us ever since. The company was named after my dad who passed away in 2021, I was glad he was able to see the first five embryonic years of the business and the kind of global impact we have been able to make even after his passing is really something that I am deeply proud of for a lot of different reasons.
“And then I don’t do anything without the memory and the legacy of my dad, he himself was a businessman, a very astute one. And I always tell people he recognised the entrepreneur in me before I even saw it in myself because he knew that I had the potential but sometimes you just need to hear it from somebody else. So, when he said it to me, I said, well then, okay, maybe it is time to move forward and take this journey and this career path,” said Clarke.
“So, for his legacy and for me maintaining the values of integrity, quality and longevity which are the cornerstone values of Chamber Media Solutions. Everything that I do is to be able to build on that legacy and to be able to walk into international spaces confidently and still be able to leave it better than when they first met it as a Caribbean woman that has been able to establish a sisterhood of editors and people who look out for you all over the world, because they believe in the power of Caribbean storytelling. Even if it is not theirs to claim, they still believe in it and they still believe enough in you and your work and your passion to help propel it forward,” she said.
According to Clarke, Chambers Media Solutions is a full-service public relations agency that manages media and entertainment portfolios for a variety of brands and personalities, such as the late Blaxx (Dexter Stewart), Voice (Aaron St Louis) and the Roy Cape All Stars when they transitioned to D All Starz.
Proud Hilarian
Tenille Clarke. —Photo: Kyle Walcott for Chambers Media Solutions
She credited her alma mater, Bishop anstey High School, for her foundation.
“We are very resolute in ensuring that we take Caribbean brands to the global stage but also introduce international brands to the Caribbean market. So, a great example of that would be the company working with Hector Roots Lewis who is a musician, an educator and now Hollywood actor who plays the role of Carlton “Carly” Barrett in the critically acclaimed Bob Marley, One Love biopic,” she said.
“We were able to take his journey and package it and present it to media outlets who are very keen in understanding how his Caribbean background and his vision of storytelling helped him prepare for this role. For example, the story that he landed with Forbes magazine was talking about how veganism prepared him for acting in this particular role. He got placement in Essence magazine…he got significant media mileage throughout the course of that campaign period which would have begun in January of this year,” she said.
Clarke stressed on the importance of ensuring clients are prepped and ready to deliver on all levels.
“When preparation meets opportunity that is where stardom lives, if you have the talent and the range, you have the resources and the training mechanism and the tools to wheel and mould those opportunities to what you want it to be. So, the Caribbean storytelling ignites that fire,” she said.
Clarke also worked with local costume designer Solange Govia, and the Grenada Tourism Authority.
“I am very cognisant of the reality that when people come to us for public relations services, they are entrusting their brand, their lives and their livelihood in us. They are trusting us with the thing that (they) have built,” she said.
Clarke credited NEDCO for the work it has been doing to promote social impact through community entrepreneurial development.
“And you see it in the programmes and services that they are offering, whether it is the loans or the grants, the stipend they would have been giving out to entrepreneurs during the pandemic. That kind of support that we were able to say to people…check out NEDCO, see what services or what opportunities or what resources they may have available to you and that was a real source of comfort,” she said.
‘Progress over perfection’
Touching on challenges in her industry, Clarke said the “biggest challenge is convincing people that Caribbean stories deserve placement”.
“For every yes and for every placement and every article for one of our clients, there are probably about 15 pitches that have been turned down. We don’t get it right all of the time but the persistence and the belief system that we deserve the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago and all of our Caribbean counterparts deserve a seat at the media table that what keeps us going,” she said.
“It is one thing to work in the Trinidad and Tobago media space which is very dynamic, very competitive making sure that people are able to hear those stories. When you’re taking this story beyond our shores …not all of the stories are going to land but the fact that we were able to land some significant stories. Solange Govia Trinidad and Tobago costume designer gracing the pages of Essence magazine and The New York Times, that is not an advertorial, it is strictly based on meritocracy of her work and her legacy, that is big …so all no’s for us are a reroute because it forces us to take a harder look at the work that we are doing and to really improve on it so that we get where we need to be for the Caribbean stories to be told,” Clarke said.
As for advice to others on the entrepreneurial journey, Clarke said “progress over perfection” is the key and simply just starting.
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