Demo Day to shine spotlight on Jamaica’s female creatives

ONE OF the highlights of the Kingston Creative Artwalk Festival on Sunday, September 28 in downtown Kingston is the launch of the FAME (Film, Animation, Music & Entertainment) Incubator Demo Day, Jamaica’s first all-woman creative entrepreneur incubator.

A pioneering cohort of female creative entrepreneurs will publicly showcase their ventures, and connect directly with the public, the media, potential partners, and give live performances.

The FAME Incubator, a transformative 12-week programme, is backed by the Development Bank of Jamaica’s (DBJ) Boosting Innovation, Growth and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (BIGEE) grant. It was designed to help female creatives gain access to capital and connect with new markets in some of the fastest-growing subsectors of the creative industries.

The inaugural cohort of entrepreneurs includes independent filmmaker Alicia Walker; Erica Louise ‘Rica G’ Richards; and Jody ‘Drummy Jo’ Brown of Well Ample Productions; Lois ‘DJ Lava’ Morgan and Tandra ‘DJ Lytes’ Jhagroo, co-founders of Head BopHerz Ent; Alishia Thorpe, founder of My Model University; and Crystal Evans, founder of Crystal Evans Book House.

Kacy Garvey, co-founder of JAIKU Limited; Dennise Williams, founder of Financially Focused; Arianna Lawrence, founder of Ari Connects; Adriene ‘Rayven Amani’ Higgins, founder of Jorja Events Media; and Jada Powell, founder of Panache Consulting, too, are in the incubator.

“The DBJ is committed and proud to support initiatives that expand economic opportunities for women in the creative industries,” Christopher Brown, programme manager of the BIGEE Project at the DBJ, said. “FAME helps unlock the economic value of Jamaica’s creative talent and supports viable pathways for businesses to innovate and grow.”

Over the course of the programme, the hand-picked cohort of entrepreneurs has engaged in intensive business training, coaching, mentorship, and market-access activities with a tailored curriculum from female industry leaders.

“For women navigating the creative space in Jamaica, it can be very challenging to move from a vision to a viable business,” said Andrea Dempster Chung, co-founder and executive director of Kingston Creative. “The FAME Incubator is a structured programme that ensures that women have an equal opportunity to shape the future of Jamaica’s creative economy.”

“The FAME Demo Day will not only celebrate the achievements of this pioneering cohort, but also signals a boost for women in Jamaica’s creative economy, backed by the Development Bank of Jamaica,” Kingston Creative said.

LEARNING ABOUT BUSINESS

“Incubators are an important part of ongoing education for entrepreneurs. The business of learning about business is crucial to chart growth and development for founders. Overall, I went in expecting growth, mentorship, and networking opportunities,” Williams, of Finally Focused, told The Gleaner.

When Kacy Garvey was asked, “What are you expecting the launch on Sunday to be?”, she replied, “EXCITING!! I can’t wait to formally introduce JAIKU ‘to di world!’, both onstage and at our booth! Sunday will be an explosion of art: poetry, film, fashion, music and everything in between! The presence of the press and hopefully some potential investors will add a practical, strategic edge to the day’s proceedings.”

To the question of “how important is such a project for Jamaica’s female entrepreneurs?”, Garvey told The Gleaner, “The FAME incubator is crucial for female entrepreneurs. It’s a very good opportunity for us to bond together as women over common challenges that we face based on gender and age range. We are creating a sisterhood in which we support each other and celebrate our diversity in terms of our expertise and fields of work and art. It’s a very beautiful melting pot.”

“Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey in general. You birth an idea and then carry it forward as it grows. Many women entrepreneurs require deeper support and engagement with business stakeholders. We appreciate the Development Bank of Jamaica for funding this initiative with Kingston Creative. It is crucial for empowering women, fostering innovation, and boosting the economy,” was Williams’ answer to the same question.

Kingston Creative is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to using art, culture, and creativity to drive social and economic transformation in Jamaica. Through public art projects, creative entrepreneurship programmes, and community development initiatives, Kingston Creative is shaping downtown Kingston into a vibrant cultural hub.

Paul Williams