In February 2021, Trinidad and Tobago film and television distributor, FILMCO, announced the launch of a new Caribbean streaming platform, FILMCO2Go, which is streaming Caribbean films and TV shows to the world! We speak with the Interim Executive Director of FILMCO, Mariel Brown, about FILMCO2Go, the Caribbean TV and film industry and what it is like to run a creative tech business in Trinidad and Tobago.

 

This episode is also available in Apple iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify (NEW!!) and on Stitcher!

Working in TV and film seem like glamorous careers. Even if one does not make a film that grosses over USD 100 million, or win an Academy or Emmy award, it still seems possible to have a lucrative career and have one’s creative outputs views by millions. However, and from all reports, the outlook is considerably bleaker for Caribbean TV and film makers.

In addition to the challenges of securing funding for TV and film productions, distribution of the final product – that is accessing suitable channels through which Caribbean films and TV shows can find their audiences – is especially problematic. Moreover, it is through the revenue that can be generated via distribution that allows TV and film makers not only to eke out a some semblance of a living, but also to bear the sacrifices of time, money and effort that it takes to bring a concept, a story, script, to the screen.

Thanks to the internet, which has been levelling the playing field by allowing ordinary people to develop their own platforms and connect directly with viewers, the Caribbean TV and film industry is no longer solely dependent on TV stations or traditional films and TV distribution companies to help them find their audiences. Homegrown online streaming services are emerging in the region, thus allowing Caribbean creatives greater control; the opportunity to find even larger audiences; and ultimately, bolster the region’s TV and film industries.

One of the platforms that seems to be getting a lot of attention is FILMCO2Go, which will be the focus of this podcast episode. FILMCO2Go was launched in February 2021, and is owned by FILMCO, which manages the annual Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. The platform is powered by Tego, a video delivery platform also based in Trinidad and Tobago. In addition to managing the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, FilmCO is a film and television distributor for Caribbean content; hence the creation of FilmCO2Go could be seen as a natural progression of that imperative.

 

 

Introducing our guest

Mariel Brown

Mariel Brown is an award-winning filmmaker and director of the creative and production companies SAVANT and SAVANT Films and a co-founder of the filmmaker organisation, FILMCO. Mariel has been working in film and television since 1997. She is committed to uncovering and documenting the Caribbean’s rich history and culture, and is especially interested in exploring the lives of its often-unheralded artists and writers.

Mariel’s most recent film is the feature length documentary, Unfinished Sentences, a personal exploration of her tumultuous relationship with her late father, writer Wayne Brown. Mariel is a four-time trinidad+tobago film festival award-winner, and both her film and television work has won awards locally and internationally.

Currently, Mariel the Interim Executive Director of FILMCO

 

 

Insights into our conversation

As a long time player in the Caribbean film and TV space, Mariel is quite frank about the challenges of the industry, but she is also passionate about its importance, especially in the face of the popularity of social media, and platforms such as YouTube.  Some of the questions posed to Mariel during the course of our conversation, included the following:

  1. What drove you and the other co-Founders to set up FILMCO?
  2. Is there a difference between the video content that is being produced for Instagram and YouTube, for example, and film and TV content?
  3. How is FILMCO2Go structured, and how much content is currently available for subscribers?
  4. Is FILMCO2Go limiting the content it streams to movies and TV shows filmed in the Caribbean, telling Caribbean stories, and/or being produced by Caribbean-based teams?
  5. How does FILMCO2Go plan to acquire content for the platform?
  6. Can individuals submit content to FILMCO2Go?
  7. What is it like running a creative tech business in Trinidad and Tobago?
  8. Where would you like to see FILMCO2Go in the next 3 to 5 years?
  9. What should the Caribbean region be doing to advance content development in the region?

 

We would love to hear from you!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Image credits: Kareem Mortimer (Facebook); Soca News; Pixabay (Pexels); Skitterphoto (Pexels)

Music credit: Ray Holman