CreativeTT- Who is dem?

Often times when I mention CreativeTT in non-creative circles, I am faced with a face- of complete surprise. The Trinidad and Tobago Creative Industries Company Limited (CreativeTT) was established “to stimulate and facilitate the business development and export activities of the Creative Industries in Trinidad and Tobago to generate national wealth.”... AND most of the population has no idea it exists. Furthermore, CreativeTT which was established in 2013,  was not the genesis of government’s active decision to development the creative industries. In fact CreativeTT was created to take under its wings the existing FilmTT (est. 2006);  a version of the defunct Entertainment Company now MusicTT and an embryonic FashionTT. YES… all of that has been happening in our local creative space for several years.

So, how come the general population has no idea these entities exist? To me it is simple… they are not performing. Given Government’ propensity to boast about their achievements it seems quite clear that, in this instance, there is nothing to boast about….YET. I have been unable to locate any kind of documentation that sets out the key performance indicators for the company- I have no idea how they are assessing their success. What I do know is that the historical discontent by stakeholders, which often times operate like a ocean wave as it ebbs and flows especially after the National Budget Speech, has been vocal in the last few weeks. CreativeTT, which falls under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, budget has been decreased-  it recurrent expenditure AND its development programme (PSIP). 

Brochure is available in the MTI website

But let us be real for a moment…. If you have a company that is not proving its worth with the little that you gave it- will you give it more the following year?? Business people know this, you throw the money at projects that give you a nice- decent- excellent return on investment. And yes, part of business is forecasting when to expect a profit, what type and when to expect returns. The truth is I do not know if anybody in CreativeTT or any of the subsidiaries have this type of skill set- a critical one in my opinion especially of your mandate involves “Wealth Generation.”

Sector development is a very challenging task- Industry Development is like moving mountains- inch by inch- over periods of years- in some cases lifetimes. It is not easy work especially if the right people with the right skills are not at the helm at the right time. Sadly, there still exist a belief in the creative sector that if you have some knowledge and good intentions, that that is enough to allow you the responsibility of developing a sector. This is far from true or sensible.

Sector development is straight up a business enterprise. It is straight up economics, finances, strategies… basically all those very nerdy things that creatives tend to not have the toleration for. Creative TT has a board that is mostly shrouded in secrecy (….. try a search online and see if any information pops up), has had a couple legal actions filed against it from past employees and barely has the staff capacity to operate a grocery…. much less develop an entire industry.

 

What is my point? The last three government's have been trying to diversity into the creative industries. The diversification effort has been very difficult for a number of reasons. Now that you know they exist DO NOT let up on them. State enterprises must be constantly reminded that they are funded by tax payer’s dollars and they must deliver on that investment. YOUR voice must be clear- it must be INFORMED- it must be focused on PROBLEM SOLVING. Most persons are working together towards the same objective---- to develop OUR creative industries. Let’s see if we can get two hands to clap.

...............................................................................................................................

More Information on CreativeTT

blog.creative.co.tt 

www.creative.co.tt

info@creativett.co.tt

https:/www.facebook.com/Creative TT/

1-868-622-1455

........................................................................................................................

Please feel free to share your comments, views and even rants in the comment section below!