Winthrope Wellington is educating the diaspora about living & investing in Jamaica

ByNicanorGordonCNWWriter

Pretty soon, Winthrope Wellington will have to start waking up at 4 am. The Jamaican sun takes no prisoners, and with the summer months approaching, Wellington, who is better known as “Throp”, is determined to outpace the heat Every day, the 39year-old head of Throp Media squeezes in a yoga routine and a run He credits this practice of regular running for helping him establish discipline and the determined mindset he brings to all avenues of his life

Journey to Jamaica

There’s a theme of motion throughout Wellington’s story Born and raised in New York City, he witnessed firsthand his father’s entrepreneurial spirit through both his thriving NYCbased taxi company and Travellers Beach Resort, which sits on the seven mile beach in Negril, Jamaica

Initially not content to follow in the family business, a young Wellington majored in finance and management at the University of Albany, where he made strides to reach the top of his field He soon qualified for a second round interview for a position at one of the leading investment groups, Morgan Stanley Caught up in a whirlwind, Wellington recalls the furious and fast pace of city life took its toll Slamming espressos, the pressure to find a job, balancing a social life, the anxiety of sending applications, the seemingly endless and rigorous interviews, were all a part of regular life “I had my moment of truth,” Wellington explains “I asked myself why I was doing this ” He needed to slow down

Adjusting to Life in Jamaica

In 2006, he moved to his father’s native country, Jamaica, and began assisting with the Travellers Beach Resort “Not a lot of thought was put into the decision,” he admits, “But it seemed like the best opportunity for me and my life from a long-term perspective ”

It would be easy to assume that what came next was an immediate love affair with his new island home After all, to date, along with executive roles at his family-owned hotel, Wellington has also held the position of Negril chapter chairman for the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association, and is the founder of Throp

Media All of these jobs are about celebrating the potential and wonder of Jamaica

To fall in love with the country, he learned to see it through the eyes of others Friends would visit or move to Jamaica and he would marvel at how at peace they were He traveled around the island taking in everywhere from dense urban Kingston to serene, remote Treasure Beach Along with his two younger brothers, he took over the operations of Travellers Beach Resort, providing another vantage point for what the island could do for visitors and permanent migrants alike

“I realized this immense sense of gratefulness and gratitude,” recalls Wellington He’s convinced Jamaica is not just special, but will become a wealthy island “Man, I feel like I got in on Microsoft in the seventies,” he chuckles

Founding Throp Media

In 2017, his youngest brother, Wingate Wellington, took over every aspect of running the resort Under his stewardship Travellers is thriving, earning rave reviews from visitors and guests While Winthrope Wellingston remains a managing director at the resort, he suddenly came into a surplus of free time His first plan was to become a travel vlogger, documenting his fitness journey on a quest to compete in the six major marathons across the world However, he hit his first snag “I discovered very quickly that nobody cared about my running,” he laughs On top of that, traveling costs quickly proved to be prohibitive

So, he recalibrated Instead of showing his journey around the world, he would showcase Jamaica, especially Negril, his adopted home. Now instead of leaving the island, he is going to do all he can to bring people to the island On his Youtube channel simply called “Throp,” he hosts a series of interviews with notable Jamaicans and foreigners who have invested in Jamaica Through a combination of compelling guests, high production values, and prolific output - sometimes releasing three interviews in a week - Wellington has managed to maintain a growing and passionate community he affectionately calls Throppers

Throp-X was the natural next step for his eager community, excited about investing and networking, and an affable host willing and able to put it all together. “I used the community to canvas different topics and questions,” he explains “I wanted to bring together these people the community already knew about, and have this parasocial relationship with ” Throp-X allows the community to see a podcast in person, and to interact with the experts they’ve come to know through Wellington’s videos

The annual event takes place in Negril at where else but the Travellers Beach Resort The event’s panel discussions are diverse and some surprising, with gregarious speakers sharing riveting insights into various disciplines, bucking what you might expect from a conference focused on entrepreneurship and investment Particular standouts include “Overcoming Bad Mind in Business” and “Cautionary Tales from a Jamaican Real Estate Lawyer ”

While several videos of the last event are already online, some are still making their way to the channel, Wellington notes

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