Better than nothing

WESTERN BUREAU:

With entertainment events still being restricted as the usually party-heavy Christmas into New Year’s Day period approaches, sector players as well as those in the culture and creative industries have welcomed yesterday’s announcement that the Government will be gifting them with individual grants valued at $60,000 each.

Some 1,000 individuals will receive the $90-million special support that Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, said is now accessible to actors, singers, songwriters, stagehands, engineers, selectors, sound system operators, owners of sound systems and people in film.

“Any assistance the Government is giving a promoter is a plus,” Ian ‘Container Boss’ Miles of Container Hot Spots, who was forced to close his business as a result of the pandemic, told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday.

He noted that the money would be a drop in the bucket for those accustomed to making millions, but the small business operators, in the absence of revenue, would welcome the move.

Gov’t finally taking entertainment seriously

His comments were supported by Pier One on the Waterfront’s boss, Jason Russell, whose food and beverage establishment has over the years been an entertainment venue as well.

Russell admitted that he is not facing significant losses because his business is diversified, but feels that this shows that the Government has finally taken entertainment seriously.

“For too long, the Government has treated the entertainment industry as a hobby, as if it is not a productive sector that adds any significant value to the country,” he argued, while in the same breath lauding the finance ministry for allocating such a large sum.

According to him, this signals the importance of the sustainability of the industry for the country moving forward. He believes that the grant will help people in dire need, those who have not been able to maintain any level of normality.

“They are the ones who should get the bulk of it,” he stated.

In a media release, Grange stressed that whatever the applicants’ skills are, as long as they are practitioners in the industry, they can benefit if they meet three main criteria: Each beneficiary must be registered on the ministry’s e-Registry; must be a member of an established industry organisation such as JaRIA or JAFTA; and must either have an account with any Jamaican bank or an NCB Prepaid Mastercard to facilitate payment.

Sharon Burke and Judith Bodley of Burke Bodley Productions Limited lauded the Government for the move as well, noting that there are people who need the money, and $60,000 was better than nothing.

The businesswomen noted that the people who have been significantly affected by the pandemic will appreciate the money, particularly at Christmastime.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com