Scene from the Artistes Development Workshop.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados--The National Cultural Foundation’s (NCF) is stepping up its support for people involved in the cultural industry at all levels. The foundation did so recently when it held its Artistes Development Workshop to equip those interested in exploring new possibilities and pathways to feed their ambitions.
The workshop, which was coordinated externally by artiste manager Sonia Mullin, is one of a collection of initiatives that the NCF committed to hosting back in March at the launch of the Crop Over Festival.
Marketing Officer of the NCF, Paula Anne Jackman was on hand to share insight about marketing and what was needed to develop one’s personal brand.
She advised the artistes that the basis of building a brand was not trying to target every single person, because that would be a futile venture. Rather, she said, they must know who they want to target and stick with it.
Additionally, she discussed the concept of flipping weaknesses to positives. Jackman suggested that the first step to overcoming this challenge was to be honest with themselves about their weaknesses.
“Take your weakness and spin it on its head and figure out how you’re going to work with it. It amazes me how many people I meet in the industry when they get off stage, I can barely hear them. They’ve found a way to channel these huge parts of themselves so that we get to enjoy them entertaining.
“Don’t worry about what your weaknesses are, just figure out how you’re going to work on them,” Jackman advised.
A host of emerging and established artistes were in attendance at the workshop at the Sagicor School of Business, Cave Hill Campus. The sessions were attended by Junior Monarch contestants, performers for Soca 4.0 icon teams and artistes on the Calypso Forward project.
Some of the best in their respective fields were on hand to share advice, insight and secrets to longevity in the business as well as share tips on building a successful brand.
Among those providing mentorship were: Cultural Ambassador The Most Honourable Stedson Red Plastic Bag Wiltshire, performer/producer Damien Hypasounds Etienne, branding specialist Matthew Fewwture Ashby, soca artiste and entrepreneur Faith Callendar and social media strategist Stephanie Chase.
In addition, presentations were made by designers Pauline Bellamy and Rhaj Paul; stylist Candis Broome as well as beauty brand and make up artistry company REI Fashion Academy.
Seasoned entertainers including Edwin Yearwood and Terencia TC Coward were also present at the event.
NCF intends to continue to offer similar sessions for artistes to broaden, invent and evolve. (PR) ~ Barbados TODAY ~
