YVAs
kick off
Biko
Kennedy and Corey I. Lindner, Youthlink Writers
The
Youth View Awards (YVAs) was officially
launched at the Terra Nova's Pavilion on
Wednesday, January 4. In an atmosphere charged
with enthusiasm, celebrities, members of
the YVAs' Hype Crew and sponsors enjoyed
the euphoria of the fifth staging of the
event.
"When
I think about the fact that when I first
sat down with potential sponsors and shared
the vision with them, and had them believe
so much in that vision before it was something
tangible, I am really humbled and honoured
that they are still with me," intimated
an elated Karen Clarke, CEO and president
of An Elegant Affair Events. "In celebrating
the fifth year I decided to do a new mould
that will be synonymous with the Youth View
Awards, similar to that of the Grammies
or MTV Awards," Clarke annexed.
To
continue the excitement of the evening,
here are some highlights.
What
can be expected from the hosts
DJ
Kruddy: "Well, it's gonna
be a crazy synergy. Just that happy, spontaneous
vibe from Kruddy and Tami."
Tami
Chin: "Because Kruddy and
I have such a great chemistry as friends,
we do love to have fun, but at the same
time we don't want people to think that
we're not taking this seriously, because
being the host of any event is a hard task.
Being looked upon for keeping the vibe on
a constant high (is challenging) but we'll
be working hard to ensure that this happens.
I really think the journey of the YVAs is
incredible, especially keeping the standard
so high as the years pass and actually outdoing
the previous. I think that this year, where
two local acts will be hosting, is a noted
nod to Karen because she can get anyone
she wants and for her to use us and embrace
local talent is just phenomenal."
Reflecting
on the journey thus far
Raine
Seville: "I think it's a
great thing seeing that the youths are really
the ones who buy most of the music today
and support music to the fullest in general,
and I really respect Aunty Karen (Karen
Clarke) for this event; and having five
years of continued success really solidifies
that it's a great platform for entertainers
to be acknowledged and appreciated on the
local scene."
Voicemail:
"This year is huge for the awards,
being its fifth year, and everyone can certainly
see it getting bigger and better as the
years pass. We see the YVAs as the awards
show in Jamaica with that international
feel to it that really embraces persons
in the entertainment industry the way dancehall
and reggae are to be presented and acknowledged.
We're definitely looking forward to the
new categories, performances and just to
see who'll be making the greatest fashion
statement and fashion failures (laughs)."
Hype
Crew member Khloé Clarke:
"Well, the journey has been awesome
considering that I've been here from the
beginning. Seeing all the energy that really
went into it and to see where it is now
is just phenomenal."
Hype
Crew member Rohan Perry: "From
the inception I knew that the YVAs would
be a success for the main fact that it's
in a league all to itself, and we're always
planning on ways to captivate and shock
patrons each year with our nifty ideas."
A
sponsor's vision of continued success
Carlo
Redwood, head of marketing for Pepsi-Cola
Jamaica: "This being our
fourth year sponsoring the event, everyone
can agree that the YVAs is really the only
type of event at this time in Jamaica that
is targeting the youth. They [the youths]
really have full control of it, where the
nominees are chosen by them, the whole basis
and concept is built around the younger
Jamaican populous, and you don't have a
lot of events/awards show like that as most
of the Jamaican award shows are really geared
towards the older consumers. This year,
it's really about how best to connect with
the younger target group for us. Seeing
that it's all about Facebook, we're doing
as much promotion via Facebook, activating
innovative ways to incorporate an interactive
feel for viewers. We'll be having a red-carpet
live stream that persons can view and interact
with persons there at the event, mainly
because we want to continue building that
interactive relationship with our consumers."
|
|
|
|
Check
out Jade Lee and Denyque's radiant
smiles.
|
Check
out Tishan Lee and Julian Patrick
from National Commercial Bank.
|
|
|
|
Representating
Tru-Juice at the YVAs launch.
|
|
|
|
(From
left) Michael Gustaffe, Stephanie
Hazle and Jamie Ranston of CGR
Communications Ltd.
|
|
|
|
|
DJ
Kruddy and Tami Chin will host
the YVAs 2012.
|
Carlo
Redwood is pleased to be associated
with YVAs.
|
|
|
|
The
always stylish Yendi Phillipps.
|
|
|
|
Karen
Clarke (left), CEO and president
of An Elegant Affair Events,
shares a moment of joy with
Tina Matalon, marketing manager
of KFC Jamaica.
|
|
|
|
Lady
Renee and Kruddy of Renaissance
Disco chill out at the YVAs'
launch.
|
|
|