Rachel Osbourne of juliemangotv on Carry On Friends The Caribbean American Podcast

Growing the Audience for Caribbean Films

July 6, 2021/Kerry-Ann/,

In this episode, we explore the Caribbean film industry and the challenges Caribbean filmmakers face in reaching their audience.

We chatted with Jamaican-born, Rachel Osbourne, founder of media platform juliemango TV. With professional experience in both marketing and production, she is now dedicated to helping Caribbean filmmakers reach their audience through her media platform.

According to Rachel, the major issue the Caribbean film industry faces is not a lack of good films, but a poor distribution and marketing system for them.  She explained that Caribbean filmmakers are forced to rely on their often small budgets and limited marketing skills to get in front of their audience as they don’t have much support beyond film production. 

In the episode we also discussed the idea that the Caribbean audience is generally unaware of the availability of films from the region. This lack of discovery then results in low viewership and the belief that viewers are not interested in Caribbean content. As a result, large distribution platforms do not typically carry Caribbean films.

Through Julie Mango, Rachel hopes to create a space that helps Caribbean filmmakers overcome these challenges and bring them closer to their audience.

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Key Points

  • Caribbean filmmakers are producing good content
  • The challenge the filmmakers face is getting the films distributed and marketed.
  • The Caribbean audience is generally unaware of the availability of films from the region.
  • Large media distribution platforms do not seek the interest of the Caribbean region.
  • JulieMango.TV aims to help close the gap between Caribbean films and their audience.

References: 

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Kerry-Ann

Kerry-Ann Reid-Brown is a Jamaican-born storyteller, producer, and founder of Carry On Friends Media Group and Breadfruit Media. She is the creator and host of the Carry On Friends podcast. Through podcasts, cultural insights, and creative projects, she explores Caribbean culture, language, identity, and diaspora experiences, connecting the stories of our past with the conversations shaping our present and future.