“Throwing a good party, mixing a great drink—that’s cool,” entrepreneur David Pierre-Louis says. “But I’m bigger than that.”
Take LUCID, his “creative space” in Seattle. It’s not quite a dedicated show venue, not quite a bar, but the best of both. A look at the upcoming events showcase its diversity: there’s a soul concert, then a Nerd Nite focusing on the technologies used to research the ocean’s depths. The Tuesday Tease, a burlesque show, is followed by an event focusing on the three good things in life: “Blues, Booze and Barbecue.” LUCID’s status as a lounge helps it every step of the way.
But the WeWork South Lake Union member’s most important work came after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, Pierre-Louis needed to get there as soon as possible. It wasn’t just a philanthropic mission: his mother, who lived in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, hadn’t returned a phone call for 36 hours. Pierre-Louis wandered the streets trying to find her, and when he finally did, a camera captured the moment. Her screams of joy went viral to the extent that Pierre-Louis eventually appeared on the CBS Evening News to discuss his quest.
But Pierre-Louis didn’t stop there. Using the connections he’s built in the creative community, he’s been able to make a documentary about Haiti’s condition post-earthquake. It debuted in June. Watch David Pierre-Louis weave through all of his different worlds in the video below.
Video by Mike Folden