Nine awarded for the creative industries

A creative milestone was reached on Tuesday at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, with the Mediamix Doctor Bird Awards 2018 presented to luminaries in the creative industries.

After the president of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, Howard Mitchell, challenged the awardees to find "value-added" benefits by exploring indigenous creative talent, awards were presented in honour of icons who have passed away, such as Louise Bennett (Miss Lou), Rex Nettleford, Barrington Watson, Perry Henzell, Duke Reid, Clement Coxsone Dodd, Denny Repole, Ivy Ralph, Reggie Carter, and Wycliffe Bennett.

But those who continue to make their contribution and were rewarded are Gussie Clarke for music, Evan Williams for architecture, Bill Edwards for fashion, Norma Rodney Harrack for fine arts, L' Antoinette Stines for dance, Basil Dawkins for theatre, Ian Randle for Pan Media (publishing), Mutabaruka for the written word, and Natalie Thompson for film and television.

Having widened the scope to include all aspects of the creative industries, company chairman Lennie Little-White promised that the Mediamix Doctor Bird Awards will once again become a staple in Jamaica's business and entertainment sectors.