The COVID-19 virus has brought many inconveniences across the globe, however, it has simultaneously brought an equal amount of opportunities for the ambitious individual.
One such individual is businessman James Skinner, the managing director of Be Social Advertising Agency.
During the first lockdown period in Barbados, Skinner spent his time building a podcast studio and launching one of the most popular media platforms on the island.
Skinner kicked off the Be Social Podcasts last year with the primary purpose of giving young people an opportunity to speak on topics which matter to their peers but with less formality as the conventional mediums.
“I really wanted to do it because I wanted it to rival radio in a sense, with more young people having a platform that they can come and do shows on all different types of topics. Anything from politics to sports to female empowerment shows, personal growth and stuff like that.
I wanted a platform where young people can come on and do something”, said Skinner.
The digital and social media world is so crowded and Skinner said the thought to create a podcast culture on the island came to him after he discovered that it was an untapped market and Instagram Live was being exhausted.
Skinner said initially the audience was few and content was needed, so there was an open invitation or recruitment policy, where the best pitches were accepted based on their content, the personalities and the energy those personalities brought.
As time went by each of the shows began to grow an audience, with many of the hosts becoming local celebrities.
The quality of the podcasts has also attracted interest from corporate Barbados, with some popular alcohol brands and sports companies being aligned as potential sponsors.
One of the most popular shows on the Be Social Podcasts is the football programme the “Be Hooligan Show” which is hosted by Leeds United supporter Skinner along with Arsenal Gunner Shadd Simmons and the Manchester United pair of Jerome Mullin and Romario Collymore.
Skinner said the concept behind the show was to form an entertaining but informative discussion amongst four guys who love football and are passionate about their team.
He jovially announced that they are not analysts.
Skinner said there has been a lot of positive reviews of the show and that has encouraged some major plans for the future.
“One of the things we want to do in the future is bring other people on the show.
We want to talk European leagues a bit more. We understand that there is a huge market for La Liga to Serie A and Bundesliga.
We want to do live interviews during games with the fans there. There are tons of fans that like to talk. We can have the panels and we can have the recap after the games”, said Skinner.
Skinner said that prior to the current lockdown, the show’s popularity was growing steadily and he believes it may surpass his expectations and maybe quality enough to be independent of the Be Social Podcasts.
It has not been all roses for Skinner as he stated there have been challenges, but he has credited his work ethic and the people around him for the success he has enjoyed thus far.
“It’s been the best thing. It’s hard. Owning a business isn’t easy, especially here, but I’ve enjoyed it, the people are great and I’ve had some of the same clients for my entire 10 years.
It’s all about relationships and you have to be good to people and they’ll be good to you; Bajans are loyal people. As long as you do the hard work and you do well, people will stay with you. I have good people around me”, said Skinner.
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