2022 Annual Results Report

SUCCESS STORY

Building a business from scratch is a daunting task for most people, but when you are operating in an industry that is almost non-existent in your country, getting a company going can look even more overwhelming. When Kenia Mattis launched her podcast production and animation brand ‘ListenMi Caribbean’ in Jamaica in 2013, she was one of the first entrepreneurs in the region to explore this creative space as a viable business idea. ‘ListenMi’ initially operated as “a creative lab” but by 2018 it had begun to cement its place in the animation sphere. Its portfolio of work now includes several commercial assignments for recognised brands, such as Sesame Street and GIPHY, along with various passion projects. Kenia’s core ‘ListenMi’ team consists of five other creatives but for some projects she has employed up to 15 people. She also partners with other studios when necessary. The companies first ever short film “The Adventures of Kam Kam” won the KingstOOn Best Concept Award in 2019 which spurred them on to continue producing Caribbean culturally infused stories. In June 2022, Caribbean Export supported ListenMi along with several animators/animation studios to attend the Annecy International Animation Festival in France, as part of the export promotion activities of the 11th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme. Kenia believes Annecy came at “a critical time” for the company as it continues to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. She says it was a great opportunity to meet people face-to-face to solidify relationships and expand her network of industry contacts. She explains: “Annecy gave us a chance to connect with people who we had been having conversations with, and putting faces to names really made a difference. We had been talking with a company about a co-production deal and we had a handshake on that at Annecy which made it feel more definite. Getting Animated with ListenMi Caribbean

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Annual Results Report - 2022 | Transforming to a Greener, Smarter, Resilient Caribbean