Creator of ‘The Social House’ calls for more investment in local productions
Tara Playfair-Scott says she sold house to invest in development of show
Published:Sunday | May 21, 2023 | 1:52 AMAaliyah Cunningham - Sunday Gleaner Writer
Tara Playfair-Scott is a name that has become synonymous with the drive for the development of local content that showcases all that Jamaica has to offer in entertainment. The marketing and public relations guru is the creator of The Social House which has become one of the Caribbean’s leading reality series, having amassed over five million views on YouTube. Now, with season two of the popular show wrapped and fans wondering what’s next, Playfair-Scott is calling on Jamaicans to invest in local productions as they have the potential to reach people across the world.
Playfair-Scott is no stranger to reality shows having worked on the Teacha’s Pet series in 2011 starring incarcerated dancehall deejay Vybz Kartel. Speaking to The Sunday Gleaner, she shared that the production of good and authentically Jamaican content is something she has always been passionate about. Her unwavering dedication to this fuelled her bold decision to make a major sacrifice that enabled her to make a personal investment in the development and execution of The Social House.
“In season one, I mortgaged my house. In season two I sold it, and I am using part of that money,” she shared.
Though grateful for the sponsorship she received to support the series, she reasoned that it takes far more to keep it going and with the milestones in viewership that the show hit this season, it is proof, according to her, that the investments from other cooperate entities will be worthwhile.
“It does take sponsors to believe in us and it goes beyond ‘in kind’ sponsorship. It takes cash to put on something that people say ‘Oh my gosh I could see this on Netflix and Hulu’ and it is all produced by us, by Jamaicans, for Jamaicans. I would just love for Jamaicans to invest and see the vision. The grand finale had 20,000 people watching,” Playfair-Scott explained.
She shared that the breakdown of audience shows that The Social House reached a significant number of international viewers. “Our shows get really good audience views and we go beyond Jamaica. Our second largest audience is the United States with over a million views. We reached the United Kingdom, we reached Canada, we reached Nigeria, we reached South Africa, we reached all of the islands especially Cayman that tuned in religiously even before Lee (Aaliyah Nixon) was on it. We have a wide reach, and we have a quality show that anyone can watch. It is not R-rated and it is not too G-rated, it is for families and beyond,” she continued.
Furthermore, as international streaming and other digital platforms take centre stage as a go-to for audio-visual entertainment, she believes that now more that ever is the right time for Jamaicans to get their content on the market.
“I think that a lot of times especially in the last decade or two, we have kind of tuned out of our own country and into cable and we kind of just feed on that, but what about us? We have so many creative and talented people here. Look at our editor, Nick Pearman, he is incredible. Look at our creators and crew. When we do these kinds of shows, we are giving people a salary, we are paying people to do jobs that they may not ordinarily get to do or get enough of. I think investing in us and our talent here, including production, the creators that are on the stage, our influencers, our music, is very important, and I am very passionate about it and I hope that along the way people will realise we have proved ourselves and take a chance with us,” she explained.
As for season two of The Social House, which concluded on Wednesday night, she is grateful for another successful season and is looking forward to all that the next instalment has in store.
“For those reading. I actually do see the comments. I read them a lot because I want to understand what you find entertaining. What you like or what you may not like and what you love. I did see where people were asking ‘what’s this about?’ and ‘who is this?’. By then, they grew to know them and love them and see the uniqueness of each person. That is the best thing for me and that is why I did the show. It is a platform for influencers to showcase themselves to audiences who would not have known them before or thought about them before. We walked away with two brand ambassadorships, and it is amazing,” Playfair-Scott shared.
Tonya Williams, a travel influencer, popularly known as Ton Travels, was named the season-two winner of The Social House.