We are proud to introduce Lea Emerson as a feature in this month’s issue of Paris Neighbors. While Lea has been our Content Coordinator since late 2022, she has a story that may surprise you!

Lea was born and raised in Paris, Texas, and is a proud graduate of North Lamar ISD, where she attended school from kindergarten through her senior year. After graduation, like many of her classmates, she moved off to college and chose to attend university in Denton, Texas, pursuing a degree in nursing. 

“I often tell people that it’s best for everyone that I didn’t stick with nursing,” said Lea. “That really would have been terrible for the patients and for me! I realized very quickly that the medical field wasn’t a passion of mine, and from there, I was somewhat fumbling around trying to figure out what I was made for.” 

Moving to Australia

In 2010, Lea found herself searching online for trips overseas. First, she started looking at trips to Tanzania, then Zambia, and through a random pop-up ad on Google, she began an application that would send her on a path she would have never dreamed of on her own. 

“I truly believe the Lord just guided me along. I had no clue what I was looking for, and if I’m completely honest, I actually never intended to follow through with it. I submitted my application to join YWAM Australia (a Christian Nonprofit) for a six-month training course, closed my laptop, and never gave it another thought,” said Lea. “Two days later, I received a call from an unknown number, and thinking it was spam, I denied it. They called right back, and to my surprise, a guy with a thick Aussie accent was on the line letting me know that I had been accepted to the course and they would be sending over a Visa Application shortly.”

Lea remembers hanging up and immediately going into panic mode, but for some reason completed the Visa Application anyway. 

“Through an incredible amount of support from my community and family, I entered the mission field in 2011,” said Lea. “I remember getting on the plane at DFW (my first ever plane ride, by the way) and thinking to myself that this was insanely stupid and that I had no business moving across the globe. I barely knew how to navigate an airport.” 

She completed her six-month training course called “Not for Sale,” which focused on anti-human trafficking efforts, and a seven-week outreach traveling across Thailand working in the red-light district and refugee orphanages in the villages of Thailand bordering Myanmar. 

“Myanmar, formally Burma, was in the midst of a brutal civil war, and at 20 years old, it was pretty eye-opening to experience what these people were going through. Those memories still come rushing back from time to time, and I wouldn’t trade my experience or the work we did for anything in the world,” said Lea. “I quickly fell in love with Australia, where I lived, and I knew my heart was home. After three months back in the states, I packed up everything and moved full time to Townsville, Australia, where I joined the YWAM staff to work long-term with the organization.”

Falling for PNG

As a full-time volunteer, Lea worked in various areas of the organization. One of the focuses of YWAM Australia is the medical ship, which serves the coastal regions of Papua New Guinea (PNG), a small country just north of Australia. Lea taught training schools, led the communications department, and eventually led the Dental Clinic aboard the medical ship, where she learned many new skills and finally answered the question that started this endeavor… “What am I made for?”.

“I’m so grateful for all the experiences I have had in my life. I never really had the desire to leave Paris, and when I left, I didn’t realize all that I had taken for granted. I absolutely loved my life in Australia and PNG, and to say that I miss it would be an understatement, but in my six years overseas, one of the biggest things I carried back with me was the pride, gratitude, and love I have for the place and people that raised me,” said Lea.

Lea recalls a few core memories as she shared some of her time in PNG. The first was leading a team of people to Delena, PNG (a small village about nine hours from the Capitol), to deliver a water tank to a village in need. The people were walking several miles uphill to get water each day. After visiting in 2012, Lea organized a team to surprise the village with a large rainwater tank to ensure the kids could spend their time in school rather than collecting water for their families. 

Another memory was meeting Amanda, a six-year-old living on an outlying island off the coast of PNG. Amanda had been blind from cataracts for three years of her life without access to a fairly quick and easy surgery that she needed. 

“I remember meeting Amanda on the dock and watching her Dad hold her hand as they walked up to the ship,” said Lea. “Her smile was so captivating, and the fact that our surgeons onboard may be able to help her gave every one of us a lot of hope. After her consultation, Amanda returned the following day for a 30-minute surgery. We weren’t 100 percent confident that her eyesight could be saved, but there was always hope. After the patches were removed, it was hard to tell exactly what her vision was, but it appeared to have improved. I ended up moving home that year, and a friend of mine on the ship ran into Amanda about 18 months later. She sent me some photos of Amanda and her life now. Amanda is attending school, playing footy with her friends, and living a completely normal life with great vision! Those are the moments that change your life.”

At the time of Amanda’s surgery, Lea led the Media Team aboard the ship. Capturing the story of Amanda just before moving back to Paris sealed the deal on the direction Lea would take in the next chapter of her life. 

“I was grateful to complete my education online while I was on the ship. I attended Texas A&M University in Commerce and graduated shortly after moving back to Paris in 2016,” said Lea. “I took a job working in news and media once moving back, which really allowed me to get to know my community better after being gone for those years. Through my time at that job, I was involved with the Chamber of Commerce and met people who were just as passionate about the future of Paris as I was.”

DeadCat

In 2019, Lea and Broadway (her business partner) formed DeadCat Media, LLC. Today, DeadCat has four full-time staff and a studio in Downtown Paris, Texas. They started their business focusing on commercial videography and photography and today have grown to become a full-service media and marketing agency. They cover a wide variety of services, from building websites, managing social media, graphics, commercial video, photography, and consulting. 

“We have a huge passion and belief in Paris,” said Lea. “We originally joined forces as we recognized the value in combining our strengths rather than competing. Our vision was to use our talents as filmmakers to capture the story of Paris, local businesses, and the people that make this place great. As the needs of our clients grew, so did our team. We opened our studio in 2021 on Clarksville Street, and we couldn’t be more proud to be involved in what’s happening with the growth of our downtown community.”

Outside of work, Lea enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She has four nieces, two nephews, and a great-niece that she adores. In the last few years, she also learned to play golf and spends time with her parents on the course when she can. 

“People joke that I work too much, but I truly love what I do,” said Lea. “I’m lucky to wake up each day and get to do what I am so passionate about. I love capturing people’s stories, problem-solving, and thinking creatively in the business world. I think that is why joining the team at Paris Neighbors was a great fit, and I’m grateful our community has a magazine highlighting all the positive things happening around us!”

The next time you see Lea, whether out and about or filming our next community event, make sure you say hello!