My name is Sebastian Pétion, and I was born in Haiti. I moved to the United States as a child, and was awarded a basketball scholarship to Winthrop University in the 1990s. I returned to Haiti, determined to help my country develop and grow economically and politically, working as a fixer and videographer for local media outlets. Looking to expand my skills, I undertook an intensive documentary film course at Langara College in Vancouver, Canada, graduating in 2011. Since then, I have worked with media luminaries like Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper, as well as journalists from NBC, Nick News, 60 Minutes, Telemax, Sky NEWS, the BBC, The New York Times, CBS, Al Jazeera, The Washington Post, HBO and Netflix. I have provided assistance to former United States presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, who have been involved with disaster relief in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake. I have also worked with organizations such as Zanmi Lasanté, PODEV-IN, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), ALIMA, EPTISA Group, USAID, IMA World Health, Timberland and CEPAM.
Over the years, I have developed a network of contacts, giving me access to Port-au-Prince’s gang leaders as well as the country’s top politicians, diplomats, and United Nations peacekeepers. Reporting in Haiti is tough and dangerous, but my expertise in logistics, security coordination, and local knowledge ensures that clients have the resources and connections they need to operate safely and effectively, even in the most complex situations.
My other passion is basketball. Following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, I created a semi-professional basketball league, Pétion Basketball Academy, that has become the pride of Haiti, developing young talent and providing them with a much-needed outlet and purpose. It supports underprivileged Haitian youth who had been left without the means or opportunities to thrive, allowing them to nurture dreams of a better life through basketball.
This initiative isn’t just about sports—it’s about hope, education, and transformation. By combining basketball training with academic support, which is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty, Pétion Basketball Academy has laid a path for young athletes to succeed both on and off the court.
What began as a response to a crisis has evolved into a movement that empowers Haitian youth to dream big and work hard toward their goals. Pétion Basketball Academy is more than a basketball program—it’s about building independent young adults who are better able to serve their communities.
