A Behind the Scenes Look at Radio Caribbean International

A Behind the Scenes Look at

Radio Caribbean International

We can be certain that Radio Caribbean International (RCI) is a household name when talking about popular radio stations in St. Lucia. We’ve had the privilege to speak with the current Managing Director, Tamara Gibson. She gave us an inside look on what this company is all about, it’s roots and where the RCI is headed in the near future.

Tamara revealed that RCI was started by the French in 1961, and this year celebrates its 60th Anniversary. It was only in 1982 the company’s Trading Name became RCI when the French linked the Francophone Islands across the region. Few years later it was passed over to local handlers. “My mother worked at RCI from the 1970s. Sometime around 1990, herself and another employee at the time bought out the shares from the French and took ownership of it.” Today, RCI’s ownership remains in the hands of the same local handlers. Starting with their tagline ‘The Caribbean Sound’, RCI is most well known for playing Caribbean music and featuring news, to keep it simple. Tamara added “We do a mixed programming style to keep things balanced between informative and entertaining.” As we found out, there’s so much more that flies under the radar. For example, their events; Forever

Gold, Big People Party and Party In The Yard. They’re also collaborators for Colour Me RED. “On radio, we have quite a few popular programs. ‘She Speaks’ with Mareen Alexander is one of our most popular right now; this show features St. Lucian women with an inspiring story to tell. ‘The Lunch Room’ with Calixte George, ‘Youth Unplugged’ with Ron Isidore, “Lettre La'' with Iwa. With Lettre La people may be surprised to know that the letters are from actual people and it’s not made up by us.” Lettre La is definitely a staple in the RCI lineup. Alston “Iwa” St. Remy came up with the idea for it. Once it was established, Lettre La pioneered the way for the creation of the other shows that are also well known today. “Since the pandemic we’ve also created ‘Spotlight’ and Drop In, also hosted by Mareen. So far we’ve featured regional and local artistes like Sean Paul, Buju Banton, Teddyson John, and quite a few others.”

When it comes to staying relevant, the team at RCI have always made it a priority to stay on top of their game. However, Tamara will admit that it can become quite challenging, especially with many other radio stations currently in the industry. “We try to keep it interesting and avoid being monotonous. When searching for people to feature on our various programmes we try to find a variety from different walks of life.” RCI also happens to be the radio station with the longest track record of them all. “With Radio St. Lucia not being around anymore, it puts an even greater strain on us to deliver accurate information in a timely manner. Very few of the other radio stations have a newscast like we do; most of them play music and deliver entertainment but we try to balance content with entertainmnet. That being said, it’s also challenging to balance the informative and entertaining side of RCI. Based on our online listenership, we’ve discovered that our listeners range from ages 16 to 65. Keeping such a wide range of listeners interested is a challenge.” Part of their effort to keep up with the times came in the form of a recent rebrand. “Two years ago, we rebranded our look, our website we introduced new programmes and launched an app. We made that decision to keep our younger listeners engaged. I’ve found that the youth spend more time on their phones or computers, so a mobile app for listening will help keep them tuned in to us. On a broader level we try to reinvent our programming on a yearly basis to ensure that we’re remaining relevant. Based on feedback from our clients we can tell we’re doing a very good job at that.”

As mentioned earlier, there are tons of other radio stations currently in play, which leaves one to wonder, how does RCI manage to do what they do after all this time? “I believe that if you’re in this business you have to believe and act as if you’re #1. With us, we know that and we’ve certainly proved that we’re #1. Staying ahead of the competition… you just have to use your initiative and invent packages and programmes that will keep your clients interested. Our clients have been loyal, and I believe that’s because we offer them a service that’s a cut above the rest. We strategize as a team and plan what we’ll do and how we’ll achieve it.”

Naturally, with constant change there’s sometimes resistance within the team. Tamara though, has a simple but effective strategy in place to keep everyone on board with what’s going on. “I have a fantastic team. My managing policy is that I keep an open door. I encourage my team to come in and pitch me ideas that they can develop with my support. Alston (Iwa) and Orlando (Hyper D) are always coming in flowing with ideas… and they’re always very enthusiastic, so that gives me a drive to want to try things with the business. Naturally you’ll find people in the business who are resistant to change. I think that as a good

leader you have to be able to assist them in getting past these hurdles. Proper communication and explanation could help us come to a solution that moves us forward.”

Closing off our conversation with Tamara Gibson, we had to ask her to shed some light on what goes on outside the RCI studio. In terms of RCI’s corporate social responsibility efforts, what has been going on? “Our ‘Feed The Need’ Programme is very near to our hearts; it’s something we’ve been doing for over 28 years. We ask listeners and clients to donate supplies along with us, which we then give out to communities in need during the Christmas Season. LUCELEC have been huge contributors in this. Keeping active even outside of the studio is important to Tamara and her team. “We also have our 'Back to School' Promotion in August. In a similar way, we build up supplies and donate them to children in need of school supplies. Apart from that, we try to do smaller feel-good monthly promotions. With the pandemic it’s very important for people to still have some hope. Even if we don’t do it as grand as we normally would, we still try to do something for others. You can also expect great things from us in the future, we’re working on them right now!” Dazzle Magazine hopes to see what Team RCI has been up to soon and would like to wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

BLACK Davia

An unexpected career born from pure passion

Not everyone is able to achieve a steady balance in life that involves a family, their dream job and a day job all in one. Davia Black, the brains behind

Sugah Faces has done just that. She is an alumna of St. Joseph’s Convent and the Sir Arthur Lewis

Community College where she studied Hospitality and Food and Beverage management. Although she is very well known in her field now, she revealed that she never pictured herself making a living off of it…

I’m a makeup artiste. I started Sugah Faces 4 years ago. The name came about because people call me ‘bag of Sugar’ because of my spaced teeth. So I took that and came up with the name. I didn't plan on doing makeup as a business though. I’d do my own makeup and then some of my friends wanted me to do theirs. Then other people started noticing and eventually I started getting clients.

Were you employed when you started Sugah Faces?

Back then I was already working at the Ministry of Equity as an Accounts Clerk, and I still do today. It’s not something that I’ve ever really enjoyed. I was looking for a path to follow so I brainstormed a few ideas but being a makeup artist never crossed my mind.

What was your first paid makeup gig?

It was in June of 2016 for the St. Joseph’s Convent Prom. A friend of mine had a cousin who was attending the prom and graduation that year. She urged me to do her cousin’s makeup, but I initially said no. Then she sent me everything I’d need and told me how much she believed in me. So I took a bus to go all the way to La Bourne to get the job done. I was unsure of myself, but while I was working on the client, she was so impressed and that gave me encouragement. After it was all done I thought to myself that I could really do this.

How did Sugah Faces become a popular name after that?

I created a Facebook page because it was more popular back then. I also needed pictures to post so I offered to do faces for free; family, neighbours, friends, anybody who would give me their time to do it. One by one I started gaining a following. There were about 5 clients who would visit me every weekend to do their makeup. Then those girls started bringing friends and they would also share my work. I also have very loyal clients. Some of them won’t go out if I can’t do their face; they’d actually cancel their plans.

Do you specialize in a particular type of makeup artistry?

I love glam. A glam look means bold lashes, eye work that stands out, flawless face… I personally enjoy that extra special look on clients. I can also do natural looks and bridal looks, but my specialty is glam.

Doing Bridal looks can be tricky because it’s such a massive occasion, how do you deal with that?

I feel the same way about all my clients, I don’t want to mess up any occasion at all. Every appointment for me is very important to get right. With bridal bookings, I always book them early so it’s not in a rush. Sometimes I end up with brides who prefer a glam look instead of the traditional bridal look. That bridal look is soft, neutral tones, light gloss, fresh face… I have brides who request glitter for their eyes, one bride even wanted blue lipstick which isn’t the expected look.

What is the one moment in your career that you’re really proud of?

That moment was January 2020 when I opened my own studio in East Winds Marisule. Prior to that, I worked from home in my apartment. Now I have a proper studio to work in. Right now, it's by appointment only.

Is there an entrepreneurial background in your family?

There isn’t. I feel like everything I do is different from what everyone in my family does. I’ve always been the bold one but my sisters are all very reserved. Entrepreneurship wasn’t something that I saw but knew it could be done. I always said that I wanted to work smart, not hard. Seeing my mother at a retirement age and not being able to stop working made me think that I didn’t want to be like that when I got older.

What is your support system like at this point in your career?

All but one of my sisters is interested in makeup. So, when it comes to makeup talk, those discussions don’t happen at home. My family knows what I do but I don’t get much input because it’s not a field they’re knowledgeable in. With my friends, you don’t say makeup if they don’t mention my name. They do an amazing job with promoting my makeup classes: ‘Sip and Slay’. With everything I do it’s all hands-on deck, whatever I need from them they do it and it makes the experience so much more fun. Prior to COVID-19, it was an event held twice so far; at Palm Haven and Cap Estate Gardens.

My boyfriend is also extremely supportive! He can name palettes, products and he’s very knowledgeable on it. Back when I started, he was a huge inspiration for me. His personality, being Ezra all the time... I

saw how he used it to become an artiste, monetizing it and he’s just really being himself. I figured that I wanted to be happy and making money like that doing something I truly enjoy.

Do you feel complacent at your day job?

No, because I’ve learned to totally separate myself. When I go to work on a morning, I focus solely on that, as if I have no clients. When work is done and I get home, I don’t want to hear anything about my day job because I’m with my clients.

How do you divide your time with family, a day job, Sugah Faces?

My brain is always going and I’m never still. It’s a lot to handle but I’ve made up my mind to do it like that only for a certain time, while I build and grow. I do miss spending time with my daughter because she’s mostly with the sitter and other family while I’m at work. You sometimes lose out on a lot; family events, beach days. Sometimes I feel like I’m losing out on life to do work.

fun facts

What’s your favourite colour? Rose Gold

Name of your pet? I don’t like Pets

What do you do in your past time? Cook

Most memorable childhood moment? Early morning beach with my father

Milo or Ovaltine Milo

Do you think of taking the plunge and going in full time with Sugah Faces?

I was very close to making that decision and I felt that it was the right time. Then COVID-19 came in. I was so happy then that I had a day job, another source of income because that’s what kept us afloat. Even now, I haven’t gotten back to my regular client flow. People aren’t really going out and those who are, don’t always have the extra money to spend on makeup. They’d prioritize an outfit, tickets to the event but makeup would become an afterthought. The flow of work can When things get back to normal it is something I will consider again though. I’d be bringing in other aspects of makeup as well. There are lots of products that can’t be found here so I’m looking into making them available.

Where do you see Sugah Faces in the next two years?

In that timeframe I want to be getting ready to train other makeup artistes. I actually want to get out of doing the makeup myself and get into the business of makeup artistry, like production and skin care. I just want to provide that and give back. We don’t have cosmetology or makeup artistry schools here where someone can learn the skill. Right now, it’s YouTube or taking informal lessons from someone, but I want to establish something official.

What advice would you give to other upcoming entrepreneurs about following their dreams confidently?

I’d say do what you love. I wouldn’t advise anyone to get into something that they don’t love doing. Entrepreneurship is hard work and you’ll feel like giving up. The only thing that will stop you from giving up is the fact that you genuinely love what you’re doing. Don’t focus so much on what everyone else is doing. Find your niche and make the most of what you’re good at.

We wish Davia all the best in her future endeavours!

//Feature

Kayle CASSIUS