Pam Perry
VITALS
Ministry Marketing Solutions
Chief Visionary
Social networks provide an amazing opportunity to meet fantabulous people and build real relationships. Thanks to the power of Twitter, I had the pleasure of meeting Pam Perry almost a decade ago and have been inspired by her work since that time.
Take a moment to grab a cup of herbal tea or coffee, settle in, and get ready to be inspired by the fantabulous Pam Perry.
LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING
Detroit inspired a lot of dreamers besides Berry Gordy, founder of Motown. Also born and raised in the Motor City during the 1960s, Pam Perry—one of the nation’s foremost public relations and marketing professionals—learned at a very young age about the necessity and power of networking in fulfilling a dream.
An only child, Pam quickly sought out other neighborhood children as playmates. Her relationship with the kids next door connected Pam with their father, the Rev. Dr. Joseph R. Jordan, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church in the Detroit suburb of Hamtramck.
Rev. Jordan’s godly and fatherly influence would help shape the course of Pam’s life. He and his family took Pam to church with them every Sunday.
“You can say I kinda grew up a vicarious ‘P.K.’ (pastor’s kid),” Pam joked. “I had first-hand knowledge of how ministries worked because I was there so often.”
At the church, Pam clearly demonstrated a knack for spreading good news.
“My gift was not in ushering, singing, or teaching. I had a real heart to just promote and tell everyone about special events at the church,” she said. Rev. Jordan, she recalls, even told her that she was “doing PR for Jesus.”
This distinction stuck and today, the name “Pam Perry” is practically synonymous with publicity in the Christian community.
After graduating from Cass Tech High School, Pam studied advertising and public relations in the journalism school at Wayne State University, both in Detroit. Her career began in secular media and PR agencies, where she worked with major clients like McDonald’s and Ford.
After more than a dozen years in the business, Pam felt God calling her aside to put her skills to work for His purposes—just as her childhood pastor predicted all those years ago. She then moved into nonprofits, doing fund development and public relations for organizations like Joy of Jesus and The Salvation Army.
Seeing the need to help the burgeoning African American Christian authors and following her passion for books, Pam started Ministry Marketing Solutions, Inc. in 2000. The public relations consulting and marketing firm caters to African American Christian authors and ministries.
Pam has helped dozens of publishing houses by running hundreds of book publicity campaigns through her company. Her clientele includes major publishers plus authors like Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pastor Bill Winston, Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, and best-selling Christian fiction authors Kim Brooks and Marilynn Griffith.
A prolific writer herself, Pam wrote and published a booklet with 115 PR tips for churches and ministries. She has also penned articles and columns for numerous Christian publications, including Keeping Family First, Gospel Today, The Detroit News, The Michigan Chronicle, CBA Marketplace and The Christian Communicator.
Now that you’ve been introduced to Pam, let’s explore deeper …
EDUCATION
I asked Pam what she found most important about her education. She shared with me that a significant part of her education continued after college when she started working in the advertising department of the Detroit Free Press and stayed with the company for seven years. While there, she wrote freelance stories for the career section. At the beginning of her career in media, Pam was extremely proactive in finding positions for herself in various capacities in radio, magazine and television before eventually opening her own media agency. She’s always used where she was planted to launch into where she wanted to be.
MOXIE
I asked Pam how ambition, courage and confidence has impacted her life. She said …
“I was never afraid of ambition — which to me means to have a goal so big people would not believe you. I’ve always been a trailblazer and I have never let fear of failure ever hold me back.”
“When thinking about courage and confidence what comes to mind is struggling with those ‘voices’ in your head that try to talk defeat. But that’s when I go to my prayer closet and blast that junk out of there!”
DAY TO DAY
Dubbed “The PR Coach,” Pam hosts seminars on book publicity and an Internet radio broadcast, provides PR counsel to ministries nationwide, and trains church marketing staffs.
When asked about her “typical” day, she responded … “I don’t have a typical day — that’s why I love my work. But I work hard.”
MOTIVATION
Pam shared that to keep herself inspired and motivated … she reads books and she surrounds herself by positive people, products and publications. These things are key to her positive outlook and relentless pursuit of the work she’s been called to do.
ON TOUGHNESS
Reflecting upon one of the toughest things she’s had to do in business and what she learned from the experience, Pam shared that she “once had to deal with was getting a ‘partner’ who basically tried to take my business down.”
“He tried to ruin my reputation I had built and tried to take my clients. Here’s what I learned: Don’t be so quick to partner with people you really don’t know. Money makes people funny.“
CASHFLOW
Here’s what Pam says about cash flow …
“I love to have different streams of income. I don’t rely on one client, or one product or even one project. I have learned to really trust God and follow peace when it comes to selecting clients. I charge what I’m worth and I don’t back down. I’m in business – I’m not a charity – and I let people know that upfront. I learned that the hard way because people will try to take advantage of you if you’re a nice person.”
NORMAL, STRANGE OR UNUSUAL
Here’s the truth about me (aka … “TC”) … I’ve always considered myself a bit odd and kinda strange. This has always made me curious about how others perceive themselves. Here’s what Pam said when I asked if she considered herself pretty normal, kinda strange or a bit unusual …
“I think I was adopted. I’m pretty different from everyone in my family. LOL 🙂 Seriously, I think I’m a normal “success-driven” individual. My personality is a lot like Oprah’s. So, are we both strange?”
SUCCESS
I asked Pam what she’s accomplished, created or built that brings her the most pride and joy. Here’s what she shared …
“I founded and ran a nonprofit organization in Detroit in 2000, American Christian Writers, and that organization has inspired hundreds of writers over the years. A lot of those writers are now full time authors, and the organization is still inspiring authors to write about Jesus. Knowing the stories behind the story brings me joy and glad I followed through and ran the organization. I now have a mentoring group and I pour into them the same way.”
MOST FAVORITE AWARDS
Considered to be one of the hardest-working women in her field, Pam is a past winner of the “One to Watch” Award from the American Women in Radio and TV-Detroit Chapter, and jointly won an Emmy for her work as a producer on the television show, “The Edge with Jeffrey Miller.”
Even though she is an Emmy award-winning PR professional and entrepreneur, Pam shared that her most loved award was not from her peers, but from her daughter.
I got the “Best Mommy” award from my daughter when she decided to go to Michigan State and major in advertising. There’s no bigger compliment than when your daughter wants to follow your footsteps – and you can see she’s making bigger strides than you ever did at her age. She’s amazing.
THE POWER OF WORDS
I believe the words people love are a window into who they are at their very core. And so, I asked Pam to tell us about her favorite word. Here’s what she wrote for all of us to read …
“LOVE” … that sums it up.
(Imagine Pam in her Beatles voice singing … All we need is love, love is all we need.)
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.
Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung.
Nothing you can say, but you can learn
How to play the game
It’s easy.
Nothing you can make that can’t be made.
No one you can save that can’t be saved.
Nothing you can do, but you can learn
How to be you in time
It’s easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.
There’s nothing you can know that isn’t known.
Nothing you can see that isn’t shown.
There’s nowhere…” ~ The Beatles
—> I dig it … to know Pam Perry is to know … love.
A LITTLE EXTRA
I asked Pam to share something that she hasn’t yet shared for this story that gives our MogulMoxie® community a greater sense of what’s important to her. Here’s what she said:
“It’s important for people to know why I named my company Ministry Marketing Solutions. I felt ‘called’ to do this work. I have a gift for marketing, PR, writing – and I felt led to use that gift to uplift His servants. This is my calling – I help others to ‘market the Message.’ The message of Jesus.
‘Let your Light so Shine’ is my motto
and my tagline: ‘We help you shine online, like a superstar.’And really, my ‘super’ star is Jesus Christ. He’s what I’m all about. Ultimately it’s about how we represent HIM and give HIM glory.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR PAM?
She’s launching her webisode series and coaching products to help her authors become coaches. If you are an author who wants to build a coaching business around your book, head on over to Pam’s website at www.pamperrypr.com and sign up for her notification list. You can also apply for her 6-month mentoring program at www.PamPerryMentoring.com.
You can find Pam all over the Internet. Here’s where …
Twitter: @pamperry, @ministrymktgDET & @smsperrypr
Instagram: @pam_perry & @aginghealthy
SNAPCHAT: @pam_perrypr
Facebook Facebook.com/pamperryprpage
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/PamPerryPRcoach
I hope you’ve enjoyed this MogulMoxie® Maven Spotlight. I also hope that reading about Pam has fueled your journey to having more moxie and better doing the Work that you have been born to do.
UP NEXT, Dr. Nicola Brown
Tomorrow we feature a phenomenal MogulMoxie® Maven I met on Periscope who became my real-life friend, noted psychologist and talented business coach from New Zealand … Dr. Nicola Brown. I cannot wait to share her story with you.
Blessings! ~ TC Cooper
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