Meet Tamara Cherry | Founder of Pickup Communications, Author of The Trauma Beat: A Case for Re-Thinking the Business of Bad News

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tamara Cherry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tamara, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My first thought was that I needed to find a way to be home for dinner with my kids. As a crime reporter filing live each night on the 6 o’clock news, then battling traffic for more than an hour home, I often didn’t arrive home until my kids were in bed or nearly there. My job was no longer in line with my priorities.

From there, I began thinking about what sort of work I could be passionate about the way I was about journalism. The thought of going into a regular public relations job didn’t interest me, as I didn’t think I would be driven enough to spin a message I didn’t truly believe in. While having a conversation about this conundrum with a homicide investigator outside Toronto Police headquarters, he remarked, “What about the victims?” As in, “Why not do PR for victims?”

Thus began a years-long journey to figure out how I could create a role as a media liaison for victims of crime and who would pay me for it (because I certainly wouldn’t be taking money from victims and survivors). My business model has expanded substantially since then, largely due to the pandemic arriving two months after my business launch. That forced me to think about other options, including a research project that would prove to be transformational for me on many levels.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Pickup Communications is a public relations firm that supports trauma survivors and relevant stakeholders. While I do bring on outside support from time to time, I am essentially a one-woman show. I provide consulting to trauma survivors in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events, and months and years down the road. Non-profits who support survivors frequently hire me to guide their clients and/or survivors who are sharing their trauma journeys as part of a public relations campaign. With my guidance, we ensure the survivor’s story is handled in a trauma-informed way and that the experience is a positive one for them. I also help non-profits that work in the trauma sector create compelling public relations campaigns that will be healing for survivors, rather than harmful. It was not easy to get to this point. When I launched my company in January 2020, my business model was based on police services hiring me as a consultant to support survivors in public-facing investigations. When the pandemic hit two months later, everything changed. Meetings were cancelled. My would-be clients had other priorities. That’s when I decided to focus my attention on something an academic friend had encouraged me to do in recent months: a research project examining the impact of the media on trauma survivors. This research project took my career in a different direction. In fact, I could not imagine doing the job I had initially set out to do without this research under my belt.

In addition to supporting trauma survivors with the media, I now also provide training to journalists around trauma-informed storytelling. In May 2023, my latest book — inspired by my research and my experiences as a crime reporter in Toronto — was published. It is called The Trauma Beat: A Case for Re-Thinking the Business of Bad News. I now also host The Trauma Beat podcast, which further explores the topic of trauma and the media.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
After spending nearly 15 years as a big-city crime reporter in Toronto, Ontario, I have returned to my roots in the much-smaller Regina, Saskatchewan. I would most definitely take a visitor for some good Regina pizza. It really is the BEST in the world! Trifon’s Pizza, Western Pizza, there are a few amazing spots. I would also take them for some walks around Wascana Lake and invite them to sit in my backyard adoring the big, beautiful Saskatchewan sky.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
More than 100 trauma survivors from across the United States and Canada participated in my research project examining the impact of them media on trauma survivors and the impact of trauma on members of the media. Their stories fundamentally changed the way I view trauma-informed storytelling and opened my eyes to the need for journalism training in this field.

Website: pickupcommunications.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetraumabeat/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-cherry-37439240/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamaracherry

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tamarakcherry

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pickupcomms

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thetraumabeat?lang=en Book: https://ecwpress.com/products/the-trauma-beat

Image Credits
CTV News Toronto CTV News Toronto Tamara Cherry Bolo Program James Morrison-Collato, Global News