Rachelle Samson is excited to join the Firelight Media team as the Development Officer. She is passionate about supporting BIPOC artists from underserved communities and connecting people and organizations to one another through stories and experiences. She is committed to creating spaces of engagement, empowerment, and impact for the next generation of storytellers.

She has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 10 years with the Asian American & Pacific Islander communities in Los Angeles in various capacities including community outreach, public programming, and development. She previously served as the Strategic Partnerships Director at Visual Communications Media (VC) where she managed the organization’s grants portfolio for programmatic activities, cultivated new members and donors, and led partnerships with corporate sponsors. She connected with various institutional and community partners to support AAPI filmmakers and media artists through programs including: the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, Armed with a Camera (AWC), Digital Histories, C3: Conference for Creative Content, and VC Archives.

Rachelle grew up in the Bay Area, has spent the last 20 years in Long Beach, CA, and earned a BA in Political Science and Asian American Studies from CSU Long Beach. She enjoys an active lifestyle and currently lives in Hawaii with her husband and 3 children.