2 weeks ago
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Amid rising production costs and limited platforms, Absolut Ventures Limited launched the inaugural Creators Circle to address challenges in Jamaica’s media landscape. Held at Johnny’s Place, the roundtable brought together media professionals, from advertisers and broadcasters to independent producers and digital creatives, to explore new models for content creation, syndication, and sustainable industry growth.
“This is the first chapter of Creators Circle,” said Absolut Ventures CEO, Alrick McKenzie, moments after wrapping the event. “The real gist behind it is to figure out how independent producers and creators, can come together with advertisers, with brands to create more successful platforms and to build communities through storytelling.”
He went on, “For years, it has been a challenge for independent producers to successfully produce content and produce it in a consistent way as well. We’ve long struggled with consistent, viable content production in Jamaica, and the goal here is to bridge the gap between vision and execution.”
McKenzie emphasised that “Creators Circle is really a gathering of content creators, producers, collaborators, and visionaries coming together as equals to honestly share ideas, ignite innovation, and develop commercially viable content with the intention to break boundaries, not just in Jamaica, but throughout the Caribbean region and other international markets.”
Among those lending their voice to the conversation was media personality and entrepreneur Simone Clarke, who welcomed the forum’s spirit of inclusivity and openness.
“I think it was good to have pulled together all the players in the industry. Things are getting more challenging for us as independent creators, and it’s good to know how all the different pieces in the puzzle work together and what challenges are being experienced by all of us so that we can see how it is that we can address those challenges. We want to produce quality programming, but we need the help to get this done. It’s very expensive and very tedious.”
Clarke emphasised that stronger systems require collaboration, not silos. Bringing everyone together, he said, helps identify challenges and create shared solutions to drive industry-wide success.
Journalist and content producer Zahra Burton echoed the call for collaboration, highlighting the industry’s longstanding weakness, a lack of dialogue among producers.
LEARNING ABOUT SYNDICATION
“We all have issues as creators. And, so being able to come to speak about solutions to problems that we’re having in terms of placing our content is always helpful. Some of the people here did not know about syndication. Or even if they knew about syndication, they wouldn’t necessarily know if they can make money or how much they can make. So this idea of being able to offer some perspective on the actual terms of what it is you can expect when you go into a syndication deal with somebody, I think it was important to bring that one solution to the table, ” Burton said.
McKenzie made note of the turnout at the session, “the turnout of over 20 industry persons alone tells you that people have an appetite for sharing. There is an appetite for us to figure out a way forward.”
Executive producer David Graham addressed the high cost of airtime and the lack of partnerships between television stations and local producers. Sherando Ferrell offered insight on funding strategies, emphasising the potential for investor partnerships and international opportunities, particularly in Africa, for both current shows and fictional productions.
Susan Simes of The Susan Show also spoke about her earlier 10 years in production on air syndicating in the UK, which was successful for her at that time. But with some of the networks being bought out, that crumbled that deal.
Beyond the main highlights, the discussion also touched on the low returns for half-hour shows, which participants noted typically earn between US $100 and $200 – an amount many agreed falls short of covering production costs.
McKenzie is looking forward to the next Creators Circle gathering to further this discussion surrounding the production landscape in Jamaica.
“Next time we will dive more into syndication, funding models, content ownership, and brand integration were some of the hot topics discussed during the session, highlighting the urgent need for Jamaica’s creative industries to shift from survival mode to sustainability. The next instalment of Creators Circle will evolve with the aim to include marketing professionals, brand managers, grant funders, film industry representatives, and stakeholders such as JAMPRO and other entities that can help to support the creative industry further.”
English (US) ·