JAMPRO
30.6.2021 16:02:10 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Jamaica’s creative sector has received a major boost through a partnership between global entertainment marketing agency, The SMC Group, and The Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA). This arrangement aims to foster the development of Jamaican talent and the island’s Creative Industries.
The venture will begin with an investment into the development of a music production studio to support local song writers, producers, and artistes. SMC also intends to recruit EMCVPA students for apprenticeships and job placements. This ground-breaking initiative will enhance the music and audio production, animation, as well as dance specialisations at the College.
The partnership is the latest positive development in the island’s creative industries which have seen considerable growth in recent years.
In the film industry, more than 4000 film-related jobs have been created in the last three years while approximately 150 foreign productions are facilitated per year. Over 3 billion JMD in film production expenditure was contributed to GDP in the last two years, and approximately 65-70 percent of crews hired on most international film productions in Jamaica are local.
The country also has a growing animation industry with 15 local studios having participated in government-led programmes to increase their profitability and sustainability.
CEO of The SMC Group, Maurice Hamilton, revealed that the collaboration between the group and EMCVPA will add to the progress that has already been made in the creative industries by expanding investment into the areas of talent and content in the music and audio-visual sectors.
“This is the first step of an exciting initiative to establish Jamaica and then the wider Caribbean region as a creative hub that will develop creative and business professionals as well as content ,” the CEO remarked. “And for SMC, it creates a solid, efficient pipeline of creative talent to service our global clients .”
The CEO also disclosed that SMC intends to build a centre of excellence in Jamaica and will be engaging in additional investments and local partnerships.
“We want to ensure that our commitment to Jamaican talent is substantive ,” he insisted. “Through greater education, funding, and through our network within the global marketplace we can provide a platform from which Jamaican talent can flourish internationally .”
The island has seen several ventures over the years led by the private sector, public sector or both, which seek to advance the creative industry. Programmes such as the Business of Sustainability for Studios (BOSS) programme, JAFTA Propella film development programme, and the Film Lab initiative help entrepreneurs grow their animation and film production studios, and increase content development.
In the spirit of these collaborations between industry stakeholders, Diane Edwards, President of Jamaica’s investment and export promotions agency, JAMPRO, welcomed the cooperation between SMC and EMCVPA.
“At JAMPRO, we believe that partnership is essential to building local industries and to creating valuable opportunities for Jamaica’s people, so we are pleased to see this agreement between SMC and Edna Manley College ,” she said.
EMCVPA’s Vice Principal of Administration and Resource Development, Ms. Kerry Ann Henry, shared her enthusiasm for the partnership and explained that its objectives were in keeping with the college’s mission. She stated, “This is a partnership that will not just strengthen our respective organizations, it will be of enormous benefit to the country in fields related to the visual and performing arts .”
About The SMC Group
The SMC Group operates in 17 markets across the globe and has worked on campaigns for brands like The Coca-Cola Company, Net-A-Porter, Unilever, Diageo, Cartier and a host of globally recognizable names. Their projects have also involved celebrities like Jamaican Olympian Usain Bolt, Korean pop band BTS, Colombian superstar Maluma and American celebrities such as Kevin Hart, Jason Derulo and Kanye West.
ABOUT JAMPRO
The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO)’s mission is to drive economic development through growth in investment and export. JAMPRO is an Agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment, and Commerce.
For more information on JAMPRO, please visit https://dobusinessjamaica.com/ .
Follow us on:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210630005271/en/
Link:
Social Media:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Vertex Presents New Data on ALYFTREK® at European Cystic Fibrosis Conference5.6.2026 18:00:00 CEST | Press release
- ALYFTREK Phase 3 data on children with cystic fibrosis ages 2 to 5 with vanzacaftor/tezacaftor/deutivacaftor-responsive genotypes including F/F and F/MF shows 65% reached sweat chloride levels of <30 mmol/L; Vertex on track to initiate global regulatory submissions in first half of 2026 - - Long-term 96-week interim analyses from two open-label extension studies demonstrate positive safety and efficacy profile of ALYFTREK in people with cystic fibrosis ages 6 and older -- Phase 3 data on TRIKAFTA® in children 1 to <2 years also presented; Vertex has initiated global regulatory submissions - Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced data demonstrating the potentially transformative impact of treating cystic fibrosis (CF) with ALYFTREK ® (vanzacaftor/tezacaftor/deutivacaftor) in children ages 2 to 5, as well as data from 96-week interim analyses of two open-label extension studies of ALYFTREK in children 6 to 11 years and people 12 years and older demonstrating
Owkin to Build AI Agents as Part of a Multi-Year K Pro Collaboration with Sanofi5.6.2026 13:00:00 CEST | Press release
Owkin, the agentic AI company pioneering Biological Artificial Superintelligence to transform drug discovery and development, today announced a multi-year collaboration with Sanofi to co-develop next-generation biopharma agents, to be backed by a five-year license for K Pro, Owkin’s AI Scientist. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260605704506/en/ K Pro, Owkin's AI scientist for biology, powered by multimodal patient data for smarter biopharma decision making. Owkin and Sanofi have collaborated since 2021 through a €90 million strategic partnership focused on target identification in oncology and patient subgrouping. The collaboration was later expanded to include drug positioning for Sanofi’s immunology pipeline. This new collaboration represents the next evolution in the partnership. During the five-year collaboration, Owkin will lead the end-to-end development of novel AI-driven biopharma agents purpose-built
DFNS Rebrands as the Core Banking Platform for Digital Assets5.6.2026 12:41:00 CEST | Press release
DFNS today announced a rebrand, marking its evolution from a wallet infrastructure to the first core banking platform for digital assets. The company is introducing a new logo, website, and market position as fintechs and institutions move their products and operations onchain. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260603859127/en/ Banks, fintechs, asset managers, trading firms, payment providers, market infrastructures, and clearing houses have stopped asking how to "add crypto." They're asking how to run financial products, controls, workflows, and client services on blockchain rails, with the reliability expected of core infrastructure. Some are going further still, exploring whether the blockchain can serve as the ledger itself, where an account is an onchain object rather than a row in a database. Where IBANs, virtual accounts, and blockchain wallets converge into one governed financial account. “DFNS was built
Compass Pathways Announces New Employee Inducement Grants Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)5.6.2026 12:30:00 CEST | Press release
Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health, announced today that Compass granted equity awards under the Compass Pathways plc 2026 Inducement Plan to seventeen newly hired non-executive employees. The equity awards were granted on June 1, 2026 and consisted of options to purchase an aggregate of 157,000 shares and restricted share units or, in the case of employees in the United Kingdom nominal cost options, covering an aggregate of 74,700 shares. The options have an exercise price per share equal to $14.19, the closing price of the Company’s American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the grant date, and will vest over a four-year period with 25% vesting on the first anniversary of the date of the grant and the remaining 75% vesting in equal monthly installments over the three-year period thereafter, subject to each employee’s continued employment. The restrict
Renewable Electricity, Soft Wheat Flour From Regenerative Agriculture, Initiatives to Support Local Communities: Barilla Shares These and Other Projects in “Stories of Sustainability.”5.6.2026 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
Barilla continues to advance its commitment to tastier products with less sugar and salt;An investment of 30 million euros in 2025 to quadruple photovoltaic capacity across plants, as part of a €168 million five-year plan focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable water management.Barilla continues to expand regenerative agriculture practices across its global value chain, with over 816,000 tons of raw materials sourced through the Barilla Sustainable Farming program.4,000 tons of products donated worldwide and €2 million allocated to social causes in 2025, supporting communities across Barilla’s global footprint through food donations and social initiatives. A slimmer Tagliatelle pack that saves 150 tons of cardboard and cuts transport-related CO₂ emissions by 20%1; ready-made sauce jars made with around 65% recycled glass; the progressive scaling of regenerative agriculture practices across Barilla’s value chain and initiatives supporting inclusion and equal oppor
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom