While many may have a hard time fulfilling one job, Samantha Proyrungtong wears many hats and pulls it off too. She's best known as an online marketing whiz, being the boss of Extrovert Marketing Agency, and has launched many successful projects through social media with the latest being the Natural Wine Festival at About Eatery. Sam founded a women's group for entrepreneurs and professionals and also administers various Facebook groups including Bangkok Foodies and Phuket Foodies where food lovers go to for restaurant recommendations, promotions and honest reviews. This earns herself a player position in Bangkok's dining scene. Moreover, she was behind the success of VIVIN, her husband's fine food specialist grocer, which recently opened a mini boutique in Gourmet Market at The EmQuartier. On top of it all, she manages to find time to contribute as a freelance writer for various English-language publications. My, that's a lot. We talked to Sam about how she managed to do it all, as well as her passion for Thailand's dining scene.
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
So to put it simply, I am Australian born and raised, with a Thai mum and an Ozzie father. I developed my foodie fetish in Melbourne, where I lived until my early 20's. At this stage I felt contained, stifled and often judged, which prompted me to abruptly leave everything behind to discover my Thai roots, and ultimately "myself". Initially I was a little wayward, but the "freedom" allowed me to dabble in various occupations. I tried my hand at teaching and writing. I created online communities, founded a women's group, organised major events, self-taught marketing and was out there doing PR before I understood what it was! Except for teaching, I now do all of the above professionally along with running VIVIN.
You manage many Facebook groups and pages that focus on Thailand's dining scene. How did these first come about?
Bangkok Foodies group is an offshoot from the highly successful Desperately Seeking Bangkok (DSBKK) group. I wanted to build a community that was purely food focused, not only for chefs or industry people, but for regular folks to share and talk about food without intimidation. To the great irritation of "food snobs", it has worked. Many of us "foodies" may not cook but without our passion and support, there'd be no dining scene in Bangkok. (www.bangkokfoodies.com is coming soon)
What's your opinion on the BMA's strong stance against Bangkok's street food culture?
There's a lot of controversy surrounding this subject and it seems the BMA and media can't seem to get the story straight. Yet, the latest official announcement is that street food is here to stay, just a more hygienic version. You can never take away street food from Bangkok, it's like ripping the heart out of the city, the people would never survive or stand for it. Plus the damage to tourism would be fatal. But embracing these proposed "clean" initiatives may be for the better.
Also, what do you think about the upcoming Michelin Guide Bangkok? What effects do you think it will have?
I think it's great! This is what most of us "foodies" have been dreaming of! I've seen the culinary scene grow at an alarming rate. There are chefs and restaurateurs who deserve recognition for their hard work and contributions. The bar has been raised to a Michelin star level, plus our street food has long been fame-worthy. There will always be the naysayers, and their concerns are not unwarranted -- "Does Michelin understand Asian food"?, "Will the prices of rent and dishes hike?", "Service is too poor in Thailand". But this shouldn't be a reason to not let Michelin in, if it's for the betterment of the country. What concerns me is the execution. Unlike, the flashy marketing of Asia's 50 Best, Michelin tends to stick to the old fashioned, some say "outdated" model. One hopes that Michelin will be able to grow with the times along with the expectations.
How important is social media presence to the success of restaurants and events these days? Is the number of likes one gets really everything?
Social media presence is the ultimate of importance to restaurants these days, while glossy print media is slowly, and sadly, becoming redundant, restaurants are becoming more savvy about the use of social media channels to communicate their message. The demand for social media marketing and digital PR agencies has also increased. But don't be fooled; buying likes or hiring a celeb to take selfies in your establishment does not equate to more sales. It takes creative campaigning, clever marketing strategies, engaging content, events and advanced planning to ensure the positive enforcement and success of your brand.
You're juggling so many projects. Any advice on how to manage time and prioritise?
Managing priorities comes down to who is paying you vs unpaid passion projects. Managing time, you can either spit your DNA and make a replica of yourself, or run purely on passion and adrenaline until you drop or -- I'm still working on this -- get some help!
Photo: Jaouad Lizati
