On its 6th Anniversary, Kingston Creative announces the First 50 Founders and launches ‘100 Creative Innovators’ campaign to support the Cultural & Creative Industries in Jamaica
There was a celebratory mood at the Kingston Creative Hub in Downtown Kingston today as the First 50 Founders of the Creative City gathered to mark the 6th Anniversary of the arts NGO.
Among the First 50 partners gathered at F&B Downtown were the Ministry of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport, the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation, the Jamaica Observer, the Gleaner Company Limited, CB Facey Foundation, IDB Lab, JAMPRO, Main Event Entertainment Group, Sherwin Williams, iPrint Group, Edufocal, iCreate, Red Stripe, Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, Grace & Staff Community Development Foundation, ROK Hotel and more.
The Honourable Alando Terrelonge, State Minister in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport remarked, “It is truly with a sense of pride and joy that I am here today. In 2018 when we received the call from Andrea and the vision was outlined of murals and a Creative Hub and they were looking for the First 50, we said that the Government must be the very first Founder, as it is in our interest to add our greater value to the cultural landscape.” He also brought greetings from The Honourable Olivia Grange CD, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport who he stated could not be present that morning, but who sent her support. He reiterated that the vision of Kingston Creative is a shared vision and that unified Government support sends a strong positive message to global partners.
Sarah Hsia, from Rockstone Legal commented, “Rockstone Legal is proud to support Kingston Creative as a First 50 Founder of the Creative City. We have long recognized that Jamaica is a global cultural heavyweight, and believe that a focus on the development of our creative economy is an important driver of overall economic development and wellbeing. Our role is to empower creativity by teaching people about the business of creativity. We look forward to supporting Kingston Creative through workshops and education, and providing pro bono legal assistance to Kingston Creative and the KC community.”
Sean Wallace, Head of Commerce, Red Stripe, commented, “As one of the first corporate sponsors of Kingston Creative and a strong supporter of the drive to expand the creative economy in Jamaica, we could not be more pleased to see the continued growth of your movement. The Red Stripe team salutes the work you have been doing and looks forward to celebrating your wins as you strive to elevate the profile and substance of the creative industries, and the many talented Jamaicans who keep it thriving. For an iconic brand like ours, we relish the energy and the vibe of the creative community; and through our support of music, food and other cultural expressions over the last several decades, we have sought to ensure that great art from this big little island always has a platform for exposure. Red Stripe congratulates you on your innovation and determination as together we promote and support local creatives to the world!” – Sean Wallace, Head of Commerce, Red Stripe.
Finally, the Mayor of Kingston, His Worship Councillor Delroy Williams and the CEO of the Kingston & St. Andrew Municipal Corporation, Robert Hill were also in attendance and voiced their support. The Mayor commended the Kingston Creative team on their achievements over the six year period and thanked everyone who has been supporting what is happening in Downtown and right across the Municipality. He expressed the appreciation of the municipality saying, “Government on its own cannot do all that needs to happen. The private sector, private individuals and groupings must get involved in the entire process. In the case of Kingston Creative it’s not just an idea they are running with, they are actually implementing and doing projects and helping in the transformation and the use of the space. The events that they host are very important to the process of developing Downtown, and are critical to the promotion of the space. In 3-4 years, we want to see that the space is consistently being used. We give our full support and we know that you have the full support of the MInistry and the entire government.”
“Six years ago we declared a vision of a Creative Hub and a vibrant Art District in Downtown Kingston, but we knew that we could not achieve this on our own which is why we launched the First 50 campaign,“ stated Andrea Dempster Chung. Even though we have met that target, there are still lots of ways to get involved. Kingston Creative is launching 100 Creative Innovators – a network of individuals and companies that fund programmes that support the cultural and creative industries in Jamaica. We believe that if organisations are going to base their operations in a highly creative country, it is imperative that they support the arts. This is a call for everyone to come forward and get involved in supporting creatives, developing Downtown Kingston and growing the creative economy.”
First 50 Founders of the Creative City
Listed in alphabetical order
1 American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ)
2 Blue Mahoe Capital
3 CB Facey Foundation
4 Coldwell Bankers
5 Crime Stop
6 Dennis Shipping
7 Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ)
8 Digicel Foundation
9 Duke Street Refurbishment Programme
10 Edufocal Group
11 European Union
12 F&B Downtown
13 Flow
14 Gleaner
15 Global Cultural Districts Network
16 Grace and Staff Community Development Foundation
17 Heart Trust NTA
18 Hub Coworking
19 ICD Group
20 iCreate
21 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB Lab)
22 iPrint Group
23 Itopia Life
24 Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC)
25 Jamaica Chamber Commerce
26 Jamaica Observer
27 Jamaica Social Investment Fund
28 Jamaica Tourist Board
29 JAMPRO
30 Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation
31 Main Event Entertainment Group
32 Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport
33 Naylor Mullings
34 Paperboy JA
35 Phase 3 Productions
36 Planning Institute of Jamaica
37 PR Etc.
38 Red Stripe
39 Reel Vibez
40 Rok Hilton Hotel
41 Rokstone Legal
42 Running Events JA
43 Sagicor
44 Sherwin Williams
45 Spanish Court Hotel
46 Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)
47 TPDCO
48 tTech Limited
49 Urban Development Corporation
50 World Bank