032: Lights, Camera, ACTION! Featuring Lisa Wickham

Lisa Wickham is: Godmother of the TV & Film Industry in T&T Executive Producer, TV Personality, Educator, Creator, Trailblazer “Oprah of the Caribbean”   Interview Summary Learn from the success of Lisa Wickham, creator/executive producer/media powerhouse. Hear the story of creating E-Zone, a ground-breaking, wildly successful Caribbean entertainment show which brought international eyes and recognition to the region. See how Lisa and her team took film and live show production in the Caribbean to an international level and changed the landscape, while also developing local talent and always coming up with new concepts. Exclusive: Mini Master Class on Film Production   Key Interview Points Start Early – nurture passion and focus and build character in children Creativity and business are not mutually exclusive and can benefit from one another Strive for excellence and operate at an international standard. You are not bound by the limits of where you are, you are only limited by what you can conceive. Go outside your comfort zone – pioneers learn many lessons the hard way, but they also raise the level of the game by taking chances Be memorable - Anytime I do something for the first time, I think “How can this be remembered?” The path to success is not always guided by strategy and planning – sometimes you have to look for the serendipitous opportunities and be prepared to capitalize on them. Guidance, mentorship and continuous learning are essential Be driven by passion, and think about how to do new approaches, new content, and break ground. Reinvent and retool as necessary to stay current and relevant.   Key Lessons Shared Think Outside the Box Be Committed and Focused on Excellence Build Character from An Early Age Know Your Stuff – Do Your Research Expand Your Worldview Learn From Your Elders and Mentors Never Settle Be Passionate Reinvent to Stay Relevant Be True to Yourself – Be YOU Speak Your Future Into Existence. Mantra: Work Hard. Play Harder. Pray Hardest   Detailed Interview Notes   Early Beginnings From age 3, started travelling internationally and became culturally sensitive, saw what was possible beyond T&T At 6 years old, started on Riki Tiki reading a poem, then received own segment at 13 years old Followed that with Nescafe Party Time (“T&T’s Got Talent”), live broadcasts, morning shows, Dateline, and more Has been involved in media ever since. Currently producing and hosting the Now Morning Show on TTT, which is transforming the landscape of morning television   Mother of a Creative – Nurturing an International Contributor Daughter Gabrielle is also a creative powerhouse. Started at age 5, produced/directed a production for children at Little Carib at age 6, and has grown in that focus “Children need to be able to grow in their own space and have conversations about their identities with their parents” Nurturing years are important to build children into “international contributors”, who can “Stand as an equal to anyone anywhere in the world, have international conversations and experience life at a global level even though they might have been born in Trinidad, a little dot in the Caribbean.”   Bringing Right Brain and Left Brain Together Loved media from an early age, but media was not considered a serious option. Lisa went against the grain, following her passion and developing skills, even though there was no concrete plan Pursued management studies at university but never left media - continued to appear on television while studying and acquiring new and different skills Received MBA at Warrick University – many classmates went on to banking and finance, but Lisa applied the strategic problem-solving skills from her MBA to the challenges of developing a creative industry in T&T Leveraging these combinations of skills and experience, Lisa was able to dovetail creativity and business by becoming a producer/owner of her own shows.   Becomin