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Dean Arek 26
Digital content provider Port Moresby In 2016, the world came to Port Moresby in the form of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Dean Arek, just out of his teens, noticed that many of the soccer fans arriving into the country at that time were pleasantly surprised by what they found, despite the widespread negativity they had seen about Papua New Guinea on the internet. Arek recalls that online searches about PNG automatically brought up stories about corruption, violence and even cannibalism. He set about righting the wrong and started building websites to showcase PNG in a positive way. “I wanted to counteract all the negativity online,” he says. The websites kickstarted his entrepreneurial life in digital content creation and today he
runs his own photography, videography, graphic artwork and website creation business, called proficienteC. His passion for digital content can keep him going 48 hours without sleep. “It really sets my soul on fire. I love what I do,” he says. “The challenge of operating in a space that has very little structure and norms is the greatest form of motivation there is. What’s even better is I know so many amazing creators who are living their dream life through digital content creation.” Arek has two photographers (one permanent and one casual) engaged in his photography business, which operates under the arm of Pixels Perspective. (You can see some of their work in this issue of PNG Now.) He does most of the graphic design work but outsources when the workload gets too big. He is looking at expanding his team in the area of social media management.
She says an important philosophy of the business is helping community with employment opportunities. “We have a team of 11 staff who now have a full-time job thanks to our business. We want to do our part to bring Papua New Guineans out of poverty and into leading meaningful lives and improved standards of living for themselves and their families.” With strong Christian values built into her business and personal life, she believes it’s what sets them apart. “My husband and I have gone back to our biblical roots to see what God’s word says about business, finance and life – and it’s all there! Not many people do this nowadays. “We’ve been in business since 2013 and can say we saw the biggest improvement in our lives and our business when we started making our faith walk, a 24/7 commitment rather than just a once-a-week Sunday church attendance.”
SEPTEMBER 2020 PNG NOW 21
