Christina Jameson’s agency may just be the closest thing St Lucia has to a finishing school. In a country where self-confidence is in short supply for a large number of young people, any effort that targets young people and lets them know it’s okay to shine is greatly appreciated.
Jameson, referred to by close friends as the ‘Boss Lady’ had no idea 10 years ago that her dreams of building a promotion agency would lead her down a road of building the confidence of young women as she got them ready to take the stage. Heck, she could have hardly predicted she’d even wind up teaching some of her girls how to walk in heels!
It all began when a friend called and asked her to join her in a promotion. Reluctant at first, Christina finally agreed. The small-scale promotion wasn’t the first time Christina, a practiced dancer would be in the spotlight, but she says it was a completely different feeling than she was used to.
“I tried it and it was very good. I always had a full time job, so I started doing various promotions in my free time,” she said.
Christina soon got into doing promotions with a local company that had previously been relying on the “promo expertise” of girls from Trinidad. That was the point where she got a few of her friends involved.
“They were skeptical but I encouraged them because I knew how they felt since I’d been there,” she said. “I put together a group of six girls and we started targeting other companies and promoting ourselves. We worked for a number of prominent companies and soon starting designing our own outfits for promotions and everyone loved it!”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the group in the beginning. From the outside looking in, it appears that people misunderstood the concept of promotions and as a result were quick to attach negative labels to the group. So much so that negative articles were written in newspapers, with one writer bluntly stating there could be nothing good coming from this group of “scantily clad” young women.
“I tend to look at the positive side of all criticisms and as a result I was determined to show just that,” Christina told the STAR. “I’m a business-oriented person so no matter what I do, it’s done with a standard of professionalism.”
One year into the group’s development, Spectakular teamed up with the Windward and Leeward Brewery and has been closely associated with that company ever since.
“That’s when things really started kicking off. We learnt a lot working with them and now we’re actually the ‘WLBL ladies.’ We work with Heineken, Guinness, Rooster, Piton and Strongbow. We’ve also worked with Diamonds International and telecommunication companies Digicel and LIME.
Showing face at events like the popular Heineken Green Synergy, Guinness Expressions of Greatness, St Lucia Jazz and even on the STAR Newspaper’s Starlet pages, the girls are most certainly ones to look out for. But what exactly does the ‘Boss Lady’ look for when selecting girls to represent her agency?
“I tend to diversify a little, this means that it doesn’t matter the size or colour,” she said. “I mix it up because different promotions require different girls. Based on the experiences I’ve had, I train my girls to fit into any crowd. It’s not all about looks. The personality must complement. I look for outgoing ladies. Saying you can do it is one thing, but doing it is another.”
The thing that stands out most about Spectakular is the close-knit relationship Christina has with all her girls.
“We remain a family no matter what. We have fun together; it’s not all about work. My girls are like my own family so I take pride in seeing them make positive decisions in life and assist them in any way possible. I prepare them to take on the world!”
Don’t let your size be a deterrent because Spektakular Promotions will soon be launching a new section called ‘The Heavy T section’ so feel free to join in. Spectakular Promotions is expected to move into bigger and better things this year. Check out their first party at Santic Night Club, The Bad Girls Club Part 1 on Saturday, February 5!
For more information email: christtyj@hotmail.com
