Pyramid only received $40,000 for Skinny Fabulous music video

Pyramid Entertainment, the Barbadian company which was employed to shoot the music video for the song “The Beast Let Go”, performed by Skinny Fabulous, has said they were granted US$15,000 for the project by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority.{{more}}

This disclosure was made in a response to questions posed by Leader of the Opposition Arnhim Eustace at a press conference recently.

Santia Bradshaw, CEO of the company, in a press release dated July 27, said while she is not certain that comments made in Eustace’s press statement of July 18 were directed at her company, she feels it fit to comment, “due to the similarities in events and timelines”.

In his July 18 press conference, the Leader of the Opposition called on CEO of the Tourism Authority Glen Beache and Minister of Tourism Saboto Caesar to “tell Vincentians whether the St. Vincent Tourism Authority paid $75,000.00 following the Referendum in January 2010 to an artist management company in Barbados…. whether this money was indeed paid and what this money was paid for and who was to benefit from this payment”.

Beache, responding to Eustace at a press conference on July 20 said, “As many persons here will remember, this cost was disclosed at the launch of this initiative right here in this building. This video was sponsored as a push for carnival and to enhance the marketing of our destination with the assistance of a local artist, since this song – the “Beast Let Go” had gained immense popularity in the region. Really, it is the same approach used by Jamaica with the music of Bob Marley and more recently by Barbados through the use of the music of Rhianna.”

However, Bradshaw says her company only received US$15,000 or EC$40,000.

“In November 2009, initial discussions began between Pyramid Entertainment and the Ministry of Tourism on behalf of Vincentian artiste Skinny Fabulous seeking financial assistance for the production costs associated with a music video for the song “The Beast Let Go.” A proposal was submitted in December 2009, and after several discussions between the respective parties, the Tourism Authority granted the sum of US$15,000 which is the equivalent of EC$40,000.00. This was the first and only grant ever received from a Government agency on behalf of Skinny for any music related project,” the release said.

Beache, in a brief telephone interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday evening, confirmed that US$15,000 (EC$40,000) was the figure paid to Pyramid Entertainment for the video production.

When asked why didn’t he clarify that $40,000 was paid for the video production in his press conference last week, Beache responded, “I don’t know where Arnhim got $75,000 from. I did not respond to that directly, as there were too many things in Mr. Eustace’s statement which were frivolous. We just did not bother to address it.”

Bradshaw said the video was shot on location in Jamaica and was submitted to the Tourism Authority. The grant of US$15,000, she said, was paid over on January 5, 2010.

Addressing concerns about whether the amount of the grant was justified, Bradshaw remarked that the budget for the Beast Let Go was actually less than other comparable videos which her company has produced for the likes of Biggie Irie, Peter Ram, Lil Rick, Timeka Marshall, and many others across the region, primarily because it was shot on location in Jamaica. She recalls that “not only was internationally acclaimed music video director Jay Will and his production team which included stylists, make up artists, talent, location scouts, a director of photography and a producer all accessible to us in Jamaica, but at the time Skinny was in the process of completing his studies at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies. The costs were, therefore, significantly less than if we had flown an entire crew to St. Vincent from Jamaica and covered all associated costs including fees, accommodation, flights and per diems.”

In addition to the video, Bradshaw pointed out that a behind the scenes video was also produced which was circulated online, made available to television stations across the region and was used not only to promote Skinny as one of the leading Vincentian artistes, but it was also an educational tool for those interested in a career in various aspects of music video production. She said, “It was our way of giving back to the Tourism Authority for the unprecedented step which they had taken by providing a grant to assist with the shooting of the music video.”