The SMC Group and EMCVPA Partner to Boost Jamaica’s Creative Industries
30.6.2021 17:00:00 EEST | 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
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210630005271/en/
Contact information
Integrated Marketing Communications
Tamica Parchment
tparchment@jamprocorp.com
Tele: 876-978-7755
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
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
Klarna Card reaches 5 million active customers19.3.2026 16:31:00 EET | Press release
Klarna, the global digital bank and payments provider, today announced that the Klarna Card has reached 5 million active customers globally, underscoring rapid adoption as consumers shift towards new forms of payment which provide more control over day-to-day money management. The card draws from the customer's own funds for everyday spending, with the option to spread the cost of a specific purchase, like a large appliance or a flight, when it makes sense to do so. The result is a card that offers genuine spending control without the long-term debt obligations that come with traditional credit cards. The card’s growth is reinforced by Klarna’s membership program. The program offers premium perks such as airport lounge access, travel insurance, and lifestyle subscriptions — without requiring users to take on debt, meet spending thresholds, or revolve balances. By separating everyday spending from rewards, Klarna is challenging the strings-attached model legacy banks have long relied on
Andersen Consulting Expands Technology Platform in France19.3.2026 15:30:00 EET | Press release
Andersen Consulting expands its digital transformation offering through a Collaboration Agreement with Teolia Consulting, a French firm specializing in project and product management, cloud platform engineering, data transformation, and Atlassian suite integration and adoption. Founded in 2014, Teolia Consulting helps organizations achieve digital performance, from agile methodology to time-to-market solutions. The firm’s expertise is focused on delivering integrated strategies that align technology with organizational change. The firm works across industries including banking, insurance, fashion, and retail, empowering clients to strengthen resilience and accelerate digital maturity. “At Teolia Consulting, we believe that true transformation happens when technology and people evolve together,” said Lucienne Jacquet, managing partner of Teolia. “By collaborating with Andersen Consulting, we not only amplify our impact but also gain access to a worldwide organization of like-minded indi
Stonebranch Releases 2026 Global State of IT Automation Report, Revealing Orchestration as the Missing Link for AI Adoption and Trust19.3.2026 15:30:00 EET | Press release
Stonebranch, a leading provider of service orchestration and automation solutions, today released its annual 2026 Global State of IT Automation Report, the company’s most comprehensive research study to date. Based on responses from 402 IT automation professionals spanning C-suite executives to individual contributors across North America, EMEA, Latin America, and APAC, the report provides a detailed, data-driven portrait of how enterprises are investing in, deploying, and deriving value from IT automation in 2026. “This year’s findings highlight an important shift in how organizations approach automation,” said Giuseppe Damiani, CEO of Stonebranch. “Organizations are now building automation as strategic infrastructure — a governed, scalable foundation that spans hybrid environments, operationalizes AI, and delivers automation-as-a-service to thousands of users across the enterprise. The companies that get orchestration right are not just running more efficient IT operations. They are
Perma-Pipe Accelerates Growth with New U.S. Northeast Facility Investment to serve Artificial Intelligence Data Center customers, Provides Middle East Operations’ Update and Concludes the Board’s Review of Strategic Alternatives19.3.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Perma-Pipe International Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) today announced a strategic expansion initiative focused on accelerating growth through entry into the high-demand U.S. Northeast region. The Company is positioning itself to capitalize on the rapidly expanding Artificial Intelligence (“AI”)-driven data center market in both the United States and international markets while continuing to reinforce its leadership in critical infrastructure solutions. As part of this growth strategy, Perma-Pipe will prioritize investments aimed at expanding its presence in the rapidly evolving AI data center sector. The initiative reflects the Company’s long-term commitment to supporting next-generation technology infrastructure and strengthening its position in the global energy, industrial, and infrastructure markets. Expansion in the U.S. Northeast President & Chief Executive Officer, Saleh Sagr said, “We are excited to announce the expansion of our operations with a new facility in the Northeast
Armis Launches First-of-Its-Kind Benchmark Report Warning of Critical Security Gaps in AI-Native Development19.3.2026 14:00:00 EET | Press release
Armis, the cyber exposure management & security company, is warning that the rapid enterprise adoption of AI-native development is outpacing critical security safeguards, leaving organizations exposed to systemic vulnerabilities. New research from Armis Labs’ Trusted Vibing Benchmark Report, which evaluates 18 leading generative AI models across 31 test scenarios, reveals a 100% failure rate in generating secure code. These vulnerabilities are most prevalent in high-risk areas like memory buffer overflows, design file uploads and authentication systems. Therefore, organizations should immediately implement AI-native application security controls to reduce risk. “The era of vibe coding is here, but speed should not come at the cost of security,” said Nadir Izrael, CTO and Co-Founder of Armis. “Our research finds that the worst offenders are the same ones selling security solutions for the very vulnerabilities their models create. If the industry continues to integrate autonomous code wi
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