Kingstoon to Animate Jamaican Creativity for employment and income generation

Jamaica stands to gain a share of the billion dollar global animation industry as a result of a multi-lateral public private partnership between the government of Jamaica, the World Bank, the Canadian High Commission, Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited and ToonBoom, a leading animation software provider. The aim of this partnership will be realised via “Kingstoon – Animating Jamaican Creativity” – a two day conference to be held June 20 and 21 at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge, UWI Campus.

The Kingstoon conference, an initiative led by the World Bank, will highlight opportunities in the global animation industry; facilitate interactions between young Jamaicans with professionals and entrepreneurs operating in the local and international animation industry to enable them to explore the animation industry for employment and career development, and showcase Jamaican talent in the animation sector and visual arts to national and international companies.

“Working with our domestic and international partners we continue to look for outside-the-box solutions to Jamaica’s youth unemployment” stated Giorgio Valentini, Country Manager for the World Bank in Jamaica, adding that “KingstOOn will demonstrate to young Jamaicans how to fulfil their creative potential, while also helping Jamaican Government, educational institutions, and the private sector understand how to create the right conditions to develop the animation industry in Jamaica and rip its benefits.” 

Julian Robinson, Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining also shared the rationale behind this initiative. “As a government we believe we have to shift our economy from a physically based economy exporting goods and services, to a knowledge based economy. In trying to shift that we have identified services which we believe we can produce here in Jamaica and which can enable us to have a market globally,” said Minister Robinson. “What we are trying to do with this conference is to inform you on what the industry is about, what the potential is in this industry for you, and the kind of skills and expertise you will need if you want to get into this industry. The Minister emphasised that there is a huge market for animation with great potential for job creation for talented persons.

As the largest distributor of animation content in Jamaica and the first broadcaster to include a locally produced animated series on its network, Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited plays a significant role in the development of the industry in Jamaica.  “This partnership for the staging of Kingstoon is very important to us at Columbus as it provides another opportunity to leverage our technology to enable the development of the local production sector and the talents and skills Jamaican youth. We see this conference as an important part of the process of enabling Jamaicans to take advantage of 21st century career opportunities,” said Denise Williams, director of corporate communications of Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of the Flow and Columbus Business Solution brands. “Columbus provides the technology that makes it possible for our talented youth to participate in the global animation industry as producers as well as consumers.”

This is the second year that Columbus is partnering with the Government and the World Bank on an initiative to promote innovative and advanced industries to leverage the technology available in Jamaica.

Students from high schools and tertiary institutions, animation and visual arts hobbyists and freelancers and professional graphic artistes and film producers are expected among the participants to attend Kingstoon. The conference will feature panel discussions with experts and local and international industry leaders exploring areas such as the business of animation, production partnerships, monetizing online content and the production pipeline. Workshops will provide practical insights into the work of an animator including storyboarding and character development.

The original logo that has been created for Kingstoon showcases the depth of talent that already exists in Jamaica, as well as the readiness to. The logo was created by Diandra Johnson, a graphic artiste who works on the Media Services team at Flow. “We are very proud of the work that Diandra has done to create great brand identity for Kingstoon. She is a great ambassador representing the talented team that we have here at Columbus, as well as the wider community of artistes who are ready to take on the challenges and opportunities available in the animation industry,” Williams said.  

The best work of Jamaican animators will be highlighted via a Film Festival and competition with awards to be presented for best final animation product or advertisement, best experimental animation, best character and best storyboard or script. Prizes for winners of the Kingstoon competition include a scholarship for the Summer Animation Programme at Sheridan College in Canada, an internships at Columbus Communications and other organisations and ToonBoom Software licenses. 

Parish Markets get Facelift for Labour Day

Kingston, Jamaica; The Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay and Spanish Town Market in Spanish Town will both be the beneficiary of Labour Day works to give the respective facilities a facelift. These projects are being effected by the St. James and St. Catherine parish Councils in  partnership with Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited.  The company has allocated $300,000 to support the two projects.

 

Mayor of Spanish Town Councillor Norman Harris praised the work of Flow in coming out to assist in their Labour Day project. “I must say on behalf of the Parish Council, many thanks to Flow for coming on board to assist on Labour Day. We want to commend them as a good corporate entity and we look forward to greater collaboration with them. The cash donation will be used to purchase tools, equipment and material on the personnel who will come out will assist us greatly in getting the work completed in a day. We are grateful for the gesture and we look forward to a great project,” he said.

 

The work to be completed at Montego Bay’s Charles Gordon Market will create a new entrance to the facility giving more visibility to vendors, and improving security. Other improvement work to be completed on Labour Day will include rebuilding of planter boxes, repainting of walls and patching of the car park as well as a general cleanup of the premises. 

 

 “The Charles Gordon Market is the key Labour Day activity in St. James this year. We want to make the market a true economic centre for persons who sell and for persons who shop there and to further stimulate economic development in St. James,” said Councilor Glendon Harris, Mayor of Montego Bay and Chairman of the St. James Parish Council, commenting on the project.

 

In addition to the cash investment to assist with the rehabilitation of the two markets, team members from Columbus Communications, operators of the Flow and Columbus Business Solutions brands, will work side by side with the Parish Council team and other members of the community on Labour Day to complete the projects.

 

“We are very pleased to again partner with the St. James and St. Catherine Parish Councils for Labour Day, especially for these projects which are central to economic activity in the respective areas,” said Denise Williams,  director of corporate communications for Columbus Communications “It is important to us to give back in the communities we serve and we welcome another opportunity for our team members to make a meaningful contribution toward an activity such as this which can have a profound impact on transforming the lives of citizens. It is gratifying to be able to join the rest of the nation and to do our own part towards fulfilling the theme for Labour Day 2013  to lend and hand to build our land.”  

 

Columbus has made annual commitments to supporting the Labour Day projects of Parish Councils across the island since launching service in Jamaica and has invested over $4 million dollars towards Labour Day projects in that time.

Labour Day Facelift for Charles Gordon Market

The Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay will undergo a facelift as the Labour Day 2013 project of the St. James Parish Council, in partnership with Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited.

 

“The Charles Gordon Market is the key Labour Day activity in St. James this year. We want to make the market a true economic centre for persons who sell and for persons who shop there and to further stimulate economic development in St. James,” said Councilor Glendon Harris, Mayor of Montego Bay and Chairman of the St. James Parish Council, commenting on the project.

 

The work to be completed at the Market will create a  new entrance to the facility giving more visibility to vendors, and improving security. Other improvement work to be completed on Labour Day will include rebuilding of planter boxes, repainting of walls and patching of the car park as well as a general cleanup of the premises. 

 

Columbus Communications, operators of the Flow and Columbus Business Solutions brands, has joined forces with the St. James Parish Council to assist with the rehabilitation of the market by providing a cash injection of $150,000 to finance the Labour Day project. Another important component of the partnership will be the involvement of Columbus team members who will work side by side with the Parish Council team and other members of the community to complete the project.

 

Mayor Harris lauded the efforts of Columbus for coming out to assist the council in its major Labour Day project. “We are pretty happy to have the team from Columbus on board as major corporate sponsors of the day’s activity,” he said.

 

“We are very pleased to again partner with the James Parish Council for Labour Day, especially for this project which is central to economic activity in Montego Bay,” said Denise Williams,  director of corporate communications for Columbus Communications “It is important to us to give back in the communities we serve and we welcome another opportunity for our team members to make a meaningful contribution toward an activity such as this which can have a profound impact on transforming the lives of citizens. It is gratifying to be able to join the rest of the nation and to do our own part towards fulfilling the theme for Labour Day 2013  to lend and hand to build our land.”  

 

Columbus has made annual commitments to supporting the Labour Day projects of Parish Councils across the island since launching service in Jamaica and has invested over $4 million dollars towards Labour Day projects in that time. This year, Columbus will also partner with the St. Catherine Parish Council to support their clean-up efforts at the Spanish Town market.

 

Columbus Enters Barbados

With over $60MUS invested in Barbados, a promise to build out its advanced broadband infrastructure to serve 100% of homes in three years, Columbus Communications, operators of Flow and Columbus Business Solutions, also introduced a series of First to Barbados, the latest and fifth market for the broadband company.

“We anticipate that our network will be constructed over a 3 year period, with 30% of Barbados households being completed by the end of 2013,” said John Reid, president and coo of Columbus Communications speaking at the launch of Columbus Barbados at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Monday evening.

Reid also revealed that in addition to its full suite of digital HD and 3D programming as well as Video OnDemand and 100mbps internet to the home, Barbadians will also enjoy IP TV to the home and cloud based personal video recording service, a first for the region, as well as Flow ToGo, a product that will enable users to watch their Flow video service and use their Flow landline telephone service on any portable device anywhere that internet connectivity is available.

The response from Barbadian was very positive.  We are “quite happy that Columbus appears to be delivering on the promises that they made to me when they came to see me maybe a year or so ago,” said Senator The Honourable Darcy Boyce speaking at the launch event. The Senator who has portfolio responsibility for Energy, Telecommunications, Immigration and Invest Barbados in the Office of the Prime Minister highlighted the significance of Columbus to Barbados saying, “My goal is very simple. Barbados is to be the best place in the world to live, to work and to do business.  And for that we need to have telecommunications infrastructure that is among the very best in the world.”

  

Senator Boyce was very clear in his expectations as to the impact that the advent of Columbus’ technology will have in Barbados.  “That means for our businesses I expect the opportunity to reduce cost to compete more effectively around the world. But what it also means for our households is to have better quality service at affordable prices. What it means for visitors is that when they come here they can remain in touch with their homes, their businesses and their families wherever they come from.”

Columbus, through its brand Columbus Business Solutions, will facilitate the increasing demand for connectivity and ICT services by providing businesses with a comprehensive product portfolio including Dedicated Internet Access, Metro Ethernet, International Private Line Connectivity, MPLS, Data Centre services, Business Voice and a specifically designed Broadband, Video and Voice offering for Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) customers. Columbus’ suite of cloud-based produces will enable businesses to drive down their operational costs, improve efficiencies, and ensure business continuity and security.

The Columbus Barbados launch culminates with a Flow World, a unique, informative and entertaining 2-day event showcasing the products and services of the Columbus brands.  Patrons attending Flow World have the opportunity to interact with features of both brands to experience broadband Internet, digital cable TV and digital landline telephone services that Columbus will provide in Barbados.

Public invited to name Hope Zoo's new zebras in Flow Facebook Competition

The arrival of three zebras at the Hope Zoo has created quite a buzz since their release from confinement earlier this month. The zebras, two females and a male, all less than a year old, are the first and only to grace the island in history.

The Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation (HZPF) has teamed up with broadband provider Flow, to give two lucky Jamaicans the opportunity to name the newest additions to the Hope Zoo family.

Flow’s hosts the competition on its Flow Jamaica Facebook page until Friday, April 5. The persons who come up with the most creative names for the zebras will win the grand prize of Hope Zoo gift certificates for family of four, a one month Gymkhana gym membership and gift basket from Flow.  Runners Up who give creative names will also win prizes of Flow gift packages.  The winning names will be selected from a panel of judges representing the Hope Zoo preservation Foundation and Flow and  will be announced on Wednesday, April 10.

The HZPF successfully acquired the animals from Six Flags Great Adventure and Safari in New Jersey, as a part of its continued thrust to foster animal diversity in Jamaica under its biodiversity project.

“If we fail to action and support sustainable solutions to keep our animals safe, we'd be tragically failing ourselves and our future generations. I invite Jamaicans to participate in the revival of the Hope Zoo, which also involves our Facebook competition geared at the ‘Naming of the Zebras’. The zebras are the most recent addition to the animals at the zoo and I would like to personally invite everyone to participate in the Facebook competition and to visit the zoo to witness the first Zebras to be housed at a zoo facility on Jamaican soil,” said Kenny Benjamin, Executive Chairman of the HZPF.

Benjamin also added, “I would like to wholeheartedly thank Flow for its display of exemplary corporate and social responsibility, by coming aboard as the first corporate partner. Flow’s involvement has added to the first world standards at Hope Zoo.  Thanks to Flow, the entire zoo facility now has wireless internet connection.”

Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of Flow, are using the social media competition to bring awareness of the work being done to restore the zoo and encourage the public to visit by getting as many Jamaicans as possible to participate in the competition.

“Social media is a powerful outreach tool and we are using our technology to build awareness of the work being done to transform the beloved landmark into a world class facility and generate enthusiasm about the newest members of the Hope Zoo family,"  said Denise Williams,  director for corporate communications for  Columbus.
We are very proud to be a part of the work being done at the zoo and we encourage other  corporate companies to get involved and for schools to take advantage of the education opportunities the Hope Zoo provides.

This initiative is only one of several that the company will undertake as part of its $25 million partnership with the HZPF. The primary outcome of the partnership and investment will be a technology driven Learning and Resource Centre which will be the centre piece of the Zoo's education programme and will enable integration with the science curriculum in Jamaica's schools.