Small Business Covid-19 Economic Impact Topic – Entertainment

Small Business Covid-19 Economic Impact Topic – Entertainment WEDNESDAY | April 22, 2020 7:00 PM

Host

Jade Leatham Singer/Song Writer Dominica Panelist

Hon. Daryll Matthew Minister of Sports, Culture, National Festivals & The Arts Antigua & Barbuda

Gordon Henderson Songwriter-composer Paris, France

Krishna Dada Lawrence Music Producer Dominica

Mrs. Sherma Orr-Watkins Manager Baron, Lord Nelson Trinidad & Tobago

Danejah Dane Smalling Owner Danejah Entertainment Inc. Dominica/Jamaica

Jeoffrey "JJYout" Joseph Manager Triple Kay International Band Dominica

Introduction Dominica with a population of just 71,986 is rich in creativity and culture. Our people produce a variety of artistic expressions to include crafts, performances, carnival and music festivals.

This virtual discussion will seek to bring to the forefront the importance of entertainment to Dominica and the impact of Covid-19 pandemic to the industry.

Background The contribution of carnival and festivals are very significant to our economy and government over the years have made investments in this area. Even though there are investments in hosting these events the real investment in the entertainment industry is lacking, in the area of exporting the entertainment products and services. Dominica is known for producing talent in various areas of the entertainment industry, but the capital investment, marketing and collaboration of the talent are needed.

Covid-19 Economic Impact - Entertainment The impact of Covid-19 is real. Entertainment is one of the industries that is and will get hit the hardest. This industry not only will affect the direct stakeholders, but the indirect stakeholders will be affected the most. Below is a list of some employment fields that will be affected: Performers/Artists

Producers of Media/Audio-Visual Content

Carnival/Festivals

Representation /Management

Musicians Songwriters Singers Disc jockeys (Deejays) Dancers Actors Poets Radio/TV hosts

Music studios/labels Film studios/producers Directors Graphic artists/designers Web designers Animators Writers Editors Recording/sound engineers Sound reinforcement providers Camera operators Lighting technicians Location managers Set designers Props management

Band leaders Costume designers Wirebenders Purchasers/buyers Booking agents

Show promoters Show producers Stage managers Set designers Choreographers Make-up artists Personal and business managers Tour managers Agents and publicists Public events managers Intellectual property lawyers Publishers Distributors/retailers Cleaners

During this pandemic policy makers must look at the entertainment industry closely when considering stimulus packages, which is a short-term solution. During and after the pandemic is over investment in the Entertainment Industry will be key because this will generate employment and provide new and interesting careers options for young people. It will generate foreign exchange from the export of the product and services as well as from visitor expenditures during carnival, festivals and village feasts. It will not only benefit the artists and those directly involved but those indirectly involved. This will stimulate growth directly and indirectly in other sectors of the economy. Covid-19 has also open new opportunities for creating, producing and distributing the products and services via technology.

With the exporting of quality entertainment, it will enhance the image of Dominica & promote the Dominican Brand as a destination to visit (Example: Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Antigua).

The attraction of international media creating an opportunity for destination marketing.

A proper plan to target the diaspora should be developed, because this will promote the destination in a way that will benefit the economy. Key areas to target are Nottinghill Carnival (UK), Atlanta Carnival, Caribana Toronto, Brooklyn Carnival and hosting of a major concert(s) in France. The Government must recognize and appreciated the new directions in the global economy and the ways in which our economy can diversify to meet new challenges and take advantage of emerging opportunities after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Conclusion As we spend time discussing the impact of Covid-19 it must reveal that the Entertainment industry accounts for a significant amount of employment. What must be established is that the key stakeholders in the industry are poorly organized, and the industry’s economic value remains undocumented, policy measures are absent. The investments and initiatives in carnival and festivals are short-lived, piecemeal, or ad hoc and misdirected.

Changing the mindset is key to remodeling the sector’s viability, but it is also important for the industry to become better organized and provide a more continuous and unified campaign to promote its products and services. The entertainment sector is one of the largest contributors to the economy, but information on its importance remains limited. So, the industry on its own does not get a seat at the table in contributing to government economic policy.

Dominica over the years has gotten some measure of export success (Gordon Henderson, Exile One, Jeff Joseph, Gramacks, Nasio Fontain, Triple Kay International, Asa Banton), but we are far from maximizing the emerging economic opportunities. As we invest and develop policies in Agriculture and Tourism, we must do the same in the Entertainment industry because the domestic capital base is not enough to rebound from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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