Merchandiser and owner of Camera TechSource Studio & Accessories Limited (CTS), Jermaine Newman, is expanding his business concept through the creation of CTS Studio, which he has dubbed “Kingston’s largest indoor recording studio and creative hub.” Spanning 2,200 square feet, the studio is scheduled to open at 64 Hagley Park Road on September 28.

The new venture represents a shift from just providing equipment sales, repair, rental, consultation, and procurement services for both private and public entities to the added value of facilitating a state-of-the-art space for content creation.

“The space will be a 24-hour space which means that there is less limitation in terms of what you want to create,” Newman explained. “If you have a project that is a big project and let’s say you are operating on a budget and you need to have all these people together for a time span, you can run a three-day shoot from this space.”

Professionals within the creative industries will have access to a wide range of equipment and CTS will be collaborating with an established equipment company to further expand their offerings.

Newman’s vision for the CTS revolves around providing accessible space, training, and resources for various creatives to bring their ideas to life, fostering a vibrant hub for content creation and storytelling.

“I’m big on giving my people a voice,” he said. “We don’t have the 50 million US to create a feature film but what we do have in Jamaica is a story. So I’m providing this for these people to tell their story.”

Customers will be able to make use of the studio’s facilities to create podcasts, short films, music videos and documentaries to tell their stories.

Skits and talk shows; interview style documentaries; live streams (eg, for gamers); photography; social media content creation; as well as advertising and marketing projects will all be possible in this new creative space through its resources for editing, filming, and content creation across different media forms.

Newman emphasises benefits to creatives such as the secure and controlled environment of the studio, the convenience of a one-stop shop, training, technical support, and safety measures that make CTS an appealing choice for creating high-quality content in a professional setting.

In terms of training, workshops focusing on very specific areas of content creation will be offered to creatives.

In explaining the cost benefit of using the facilities, the entrepreneur expressed that “it is one thing to buy [your own] gear but it is another to learn how to use it and use it properly to get that professional look and feel.”

“It’s a fast-track way to see your vision come to light because as I said, we have everything here,” he added. “And if it is the technical skills that you need, we can bring in more people.”

CTS will operate with two payment models: an hourly model and a subscription model.

Newman claims his subscription model is unique to the industry, adding benefits for regular content creators through packages that provide access to equipment, space, workshops, and special discounts. Different packages offer varying levels of benefits and access to resources.

According to the businessman, his background in merchandising, shaped by customer feedback and community engagement, is what led to the vision of a studio to make creation easier and affordable for creatives.

He elaborated by explaining the rationale that has been the backbone of his merchandising business to date.

“I basically supported the industry by listening to what they needed and offering that, and offering it at the best price that I could for them,” Newman related. “So it’s not about making a big profit. It’s about being consistent and serving the most people possible and that profit will add up. So I’m big on large sales and small profits.”

The concept of the studio space was based on community needs and requests. Continual development of the space will be influenced by the industry’s evolving requirements.

“So if the community needs a green screen [used in video production to replace the green background with other visuals in editing], I’m going to put that in place,” he emphasised. “If a lot of people have this request, I’m going to put it in place because I believe in facilitating creativity in our region. I’ve compared some of the work coming out of our region to what is coming out of other regions and I believe that we definitely need the support to get to that level. So that’s what I’m here for.”

Newman’s long-term vision for the studio is for it to become a destination for creatives not only in Jamaica but also from Latin America and beyond — a go-to space for creating the highest quality productions. The intention is to be open to the entire creative community, welcoming all types of content creators to meet and collaborate, fostering a sense of community rather than competition.

Education will be a key component to foster learning about both the craft and the business aspect of the industry.

“I am a businessman so it is important to me that you don’t just learn the craft, but you also understand how to structure it, to make it long-lasting, to make it so you can actually change some lives, you can create employment,” said the entrepreneur. “So whatever the gap is, we want to fill it for the creative industry. We are the bridge for them moving to the next stage. That’s how I see Camera TechSource.”