Planet Thirty

Episode 6: Eljon Wardally

Eljon Wardally is a perfect combination of her Grenadian father and Italian mother. According to her, her curried chicken is a tasty as her eggplant parmesan. She grew up in New York City, surrounded by an abundance of sights, sounds, scents but most importantly, the arts. Eljon therefore set her sights on becoming an actor. She would later realize that her passion lived behind the camera. After stints behind the scenes at a major News Channel and MTV, Eljon decided to try writing. A decision that allowed her to express her creativity like never before. She had finally landed where she needed to be. Now standing on a stack of well received plays and an award-winning web series, Eljon is now one of the city’s rising stars in the world of writing.

 Playwrights and screenwriters have the power to mold and shape our minds and open chambers of our imaginations that we didn’t even know existed. Eljon is one such writer and her work is certainly designed to make audiences think. Her work is well thought out. It pulls emotions and creates moods that demand us to pay attention to both her subtle and intentionally displayed messages.

 Though she continues to bask in the rays of success, she is immensely grateful. Her ability to create was almost taken from her because of an unforeseen incident. In this interview Eljon discusses this incident, her love of the arts and opened up many other doors to her world.

Episode 5: Kerth Gumbs

Growing up around Anguilla’s charming food scene is what allowed Kerth Gumbs to develop his eclectic palette. A chance opportunity to join a food and nutrition class while in high school would further usher him into the world of the culinary arts. More than a decade on, and several adventures in kitchens throughout Europe and Asia, Kerth is now the Executive Chef at one of London’s top restaurants. Here is the story… thus far… of Chef Kerth Gumbs.

Episode 4: Wendy Brooks

The 90s would see the rise of what would be coined “plus size” models. One of the models to push the boundaries and emerge at the head of the pack was Wendy Brooks. A Toronto based beauty of Jamaican heritage. Now retired, I sat with her on a bright Sunday morning overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea to discuss her rapid rise and years of success in the fashion industry.

We discussed the early days of her career, details about the business that aspiring models should definitely pay attention to and her new business ventures in the Caribbean.

 

 

Episode 3: David S. Kapp

In the late 1970’s a high school kid from New York was gifted a Bob Marley album by his friend. From the moment he dropped the needle on that record he fell in love with Reggae Music. That kid was David S. Kapp.

 In 1992 Kapp was instrumental in the launch of CSN (The Caribbean Satelite Network), the world’s first 24-hour TV channel dedicated to Caribbean music. With no budget, a limited staff and even less equipment Kapp walked away from CSN after two years with great experiences and even better stories. Here is the story of David S. Kapp’s wild two-year ride with CSN.

Episode 2: Tyrone Latest Brooks

Latest is the reigning King of Soca music on the island of Anguilla. He has a track record of six (6) Roadmarch titles and counting, multiple Band Clash titles, a power and a groovy Soca Monarch title and a slew of hit songs in the past 15 years. In this interview we explore Latest's love for literature and spirituality and what he REALLY hopes to accomplish in the music business.

As the sun set on another warm Caribbean evening, Tyrone ‘Latest’ Brooks and I sat on the verandah of his cousin’s radio station and engaged in a spirited conversation, peppered with our local dialect to talk about his journey in music and where he’s heading next.

Episode 1: Adanna Asson

Soca Music’s premiere Marketing, PR and branding architect opens the door and reveals how she built her company and where she intends to take her artists and by extension the genre.