- 7 months ago
Join Film Heads from around the globe as they discuss the opportunities for co-productions, collaborations and beyond within their respective regions. (Bermuda & Grenada)
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Without further ado, I would like to introduce Mr. Kiwan Anderson, Director of Global PR and Brand Partnerships, and then it will be open for Q&A after he gives you a little bit of background.
00:15Good morning, everyone. How's everybody?
00:18I am Kiwan Anderson, as she said, Director of Global PR and Brand Partnerships at the Bermuda Tourism Authority.
00:26And just out of curiosity, how many of you know where Bermuda is, first of all?
00:35Okay, it's great. Oh, wow. That's really good because we are pretty close to the United States, actually 600 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in the North Atlantic.
00:47We are also known as the Jewel of the North Atlantic, primarily because of our proximity and location.
00:54A lot of people know of the Bermuda Triangle with its mythical stories, but a lot of it is scientifically true because of the body of the ocean where it is, which is the Sargasso Sea.
01:10And that area has its own weather patterns and systems.
01:14So, Bermuda is pretty close, as I said, very accessible.
01:22It's 21 square miles, two miles wide at the widest, so you're never more than two miles away from the ocean.
01:29And it's really great to be here, in essence, because we have really grown in the Department of Tourism because of our accessibility and our ability to also have productions come to the island.
01:47Recently, we did a housewives of Salt Lake City, we worked with Bravo very closely to scout locations in Bermuda for the cast and crew to shoot and stay.
02:05And that was done at the Lauren, which is one of the premier properties on the island.
02:09And so, that was probably a year in the making.
02:13We also recently had Ashanti.
02:16She was down last year for Carnival.
02:18And Bermuda, she shot a music video as well.
02:21So, we have the capabilities to not just produce, but also do a lot of post-production.
02:28And because of the proximity to the U.S. and daily flights, along with our new airline, Bermuda Air, which I'll talk about in a moment, it's really become a booming business for the island and really creating economic impact as well.
02:47So, you know, we're very open to doing not just television and film, but we're also very excited about partnering with producers, film crews, TV, and Hollywood, you know, bigwigs, as we like to call them.
03:07But Bermuda is open for business.
03:09We've been open for, since the pandemic.
03:12And, you know, the thing about, I think, Bermuda, a lot of people think that it's cost prohibitive.
03:18We do not charge for any permits, as the video had mentioned.
03:23We also do not, you know, require any kind of special permission from the government.
03:29If you can, you know, you would probably need a work permit to shoot.
03:33And so, those are pretty easy to get.
03:35And we facilitate those through the Bermuda Tourism Authority.
03:40So, the Authority is pretty much, you know, a quango, as we like to call it.
03:45It's not a government entity.
03:47It is also a private organization.
03:51And so, working with me and my team at the Authority is pretty easy.
03:57We are open to creating, you know, whatever it is that falls in line with our brand.
04:04And I like to call Bermuda a brand because it is.
04:09I was born in the U.S., but my mom is Bermudian.
04:12I spent summers there.
04:14And for me, it's one of those magical places where you go to either rejuvenate, rest, or to create.
04:21And so, you know, Mark Twain was a frequent visitor of Bermuda.
04:26And he used to always say that you can go to heaven if you want to.
04:31I'll stay here in Bermuda.
04:33So, you know, for me and what I do for work is really just a, it's very personal.
04:40And so, any time I get approached by anyone that wants to do any kind of production in Bermuda, or even whether it's a, you know, a magazine editorial shoot, or if it's a, you know, television or a film production, it's always about what are you going to leave on the island?
04:58I'm very passionate about, you know, economic impact and data and numbers, but it's also about how are you contributing to the culture, to the community?
05:12You know, it's a small island that's surrounded by, you know, these amazing reef systems that protect the island from disastrous hurricanes.
05:20And we have a great infrastructure, some of the highest, some of the strictest building codes in the world.
05:27However, it's really the people and the culture of the island that we want to sustain more than anything.
05:34And in order for that to grow, I'm always trying to figure out what are you, how are you, how are you benefiting us as a nation?
05:44And I'll give you a great example of that.
05:46We partnered last year with a brand, actually it's a black skin care brand called Topicals, and they did their first brand trip, and it was to Bermuda.
05:57And since then they've gone to Ghana, and they're coming back actually this summer.
06:03And what I love about the CEO, her name is Olamide Loe, she said, you know, part of the work that she does is about community.
06:13So I think, you know, coming back, but also giving back, is probably more important.
06:18And so she's made donations to local organizations in Bermuda, she's committed to coming back.
06:24She's actually sat on a panel with me at our tourism summit, and because this is a, you know, it's unheard of to hear a black beauty brand go to an island and bring influencers,
06:35and a lot of them, it was their first time leaving the U.S., ever going to a foreign country.
06:41But again, because it was close, because it was easily accessible, and she had the connections through the Bermuda Tourism Authority to help assist with finding locations.
06:53And, you know, she came, and it was fully paid for through her brand, but it was also special for all the people that came as well.
07:04So, yeah.
07:05Hi.
07:06Hello.
07:07How are you?
07:08Did you tell everybody all about Bermuda?
07:09They saw the trailer and everything?
07:11Yes.
07:11Yeah, so how often do shoots come to Bermuda from, like, the United States, or how often does Hollywood come down to Bermuda to shoot?
07:20Well, probably Hollywood is, it's because of proximity, right?
07:25A lot of times they, we find that, you know, the island is small, so if it's a huge production, they usually do a lot of segmented parts of the shoot in Bermuda, right?
07:38So you have, they'll shoot on a lot in New York City at Steiner Studios, but they'll also shoot on location parts of, if it's a weekend girls' trip or something, they'll come to Bermuda and shoot there.
07:53So probably about two or three times a year we'll get those kinds of shoots, but a lot of times now we're getting a lot of content creators who are coming down and shooting, like, short or long form.
08:07So that's a big thing because they kind of, for them it circumvents, like, them having to get a work permit and all of those things, even though that's easy, right?
08:20But if they want to go through us and work with us, it's not the most, it's not the easiest place to kind of get everything right away, right?
08:30Like, where you, if you can go to Toronto or if you, you know, and then you have tax breaks there.
08:35We don't even have tax in Bermuda, so, you know, that's...
08:38I'm trying to move there.
08:40So that's the other thing.
08:42So it's pretty seamless.
08:44We have production companies on the ground there that, you know, we even have one that we work with directly who produced that short promo video that is amazing, right?
08:54They, you know, they are, we have the capabilities, we have a soundstage that can, we have a water lot that can convert into a soundstage, you know?
09:02So we produce a lot of these world-class events, whether it's SailGP, whether it's, you know, our cup match, which is, you know, a big holiday coming up, which is also our emancipation day.
09:15And it's funny, I was with Bevy Smith last night, and she kind of equated our cup match to Juneteenth meets the Super Bowl.
09:25Oh, wow.
09:25So it's kind of, yes, cricket, but it's also family, and it's also, you know, but those are great opportunities to celebrate, not just our blackness, but also our culture.
09:37And I, you know, we also have, Bermuda's the only country in the world that celebrates and honors a black woman for a national holiday.
09:45Which black woman?
09:46Mary Prince.
09:46She was the first enslaved woman to write an autobiography.
09:51Wow.
09:51Yeah, she was Bermudian, and she got, you know, she was moved around the Caribbean, and, you know, ended up in the UK.
09:59But, yeah, we have a holiday after her.
10:02That's a whole documentary.
10:03Yeah, listen, listen, and it's funny, I was just talking about that, and I was like, no one has really done that.
10:09And so it's really a lot of, so there's a lot of, again, tapping into culture there, you know, and, again, leaving something behind.
10:16I think that's always important, and everyone's talking about over-tourism now, too, right?
10:20That's a big thing.
10:21And it's like, you're not just going to come here.
10:24We don't care how much money you have.
10:25Like, we're one of the richest countries in the world, right?
10:27So it's like, it's really about preservation, conservation, you have to think about the environment, you have to think about all of those things when you're bringing not just people, but materials and things like that to the island as well.
10:41I don't think we think through all of those things, and it's like I was, you know, even here in New Orleans, when you look around, you're like, wow, this is a huge undertaking to put all of this together, right?
10:51But you also have economic impact, right?
10:53Right.
10:54And that's so important, you know, you look at even people downstairs, there's jobs that are being created all the time.
11:00So we're very much into that as well.
11:03So, again, it's all about, you know, not just bringing things, but leaving things behind.
11:07So as an independent filmmaker, the deal would be you come down, you can shoot, it won't be so hard, and then you have a bunch of resources on the ground, which means you're also giving back to the island, which is great.
11:20And so, you know, independent filmmakers, we don't have a lot of money.
11:24Right.
11:25Right.
11:25So ballpark, shooting an independent short in Bermuda.
11:31Honestly, the most you'll probably pay for is lodging.
11:34Really?
11:35And transportation.
11:35Transportation and moving around.
11:37Getting things around.
11:38So no paying for permits, no paying for none of that.
11:40No.
11:40No.
11:40So it's very cost-effective to shoot in Bermuda.
11:43It is.
11:44And then also, and I think, again, I always talk about, like, relationships, right?
11:48And having the resources.
11:50And part of relationships are resources, right?
11:52Right.
11:53And having, and you have to lean into that.
11:54And I think that's where we would come in and say, hey, if you need something built, you know, we have the people that can build it.
12:01But, again, this is all, like, you know, working through us, getting a good deal, you know what I mean?
12:06And it's like, you know, labor isn't cheap either.
12:09However, it can be done.
12:11And I think a lot of times we look at, we don't think about partnerships and other ways to kind of fund a lot of these.
12:21It's an independent filmmaker.
12:22Part of your job is to raise money for your movie.
12:24Right.
12:24Or your doc or whatever it is.
12:26But I think a lot of that is, like, you have to invest in, you know, not just the film but yourself and the community that you're going to be shooting in.
12:35So Bermuda is very much, you know, again, hiring people there, like, local.
12:40But also, you know, Bermuda has a huge creative community as well, right?
12:46And I think that, you know, one of my close friends, Shiona Torini, is, you know, she's Beyonce, Silas, she's Bermuda.
12:52And Damon DeGraff, who's a DJ and, you know, represents and manages tons of artists, he's, you know, Bermuda.
13:00There's a lot of talent that is, you know, Bermuda, but also, you know, they're there, right?
13:06And so we create, we like to say Bermudians are creative in the wintertime.
13:12You know, we were just talking about seasons, right?
13:13Bermuda, so we have four seasons in Bermuda.
13:15Like, it's not, and, you know, I was asking the crowd audience earlier, proximity, how close is Bermuda?
13:21But we do get cold.
13:23We do get rain and we do have, you know, cool, damp winters, which is great for, you know, if you're from Canada or you're from, you know, the UK and you want to play golf in the middle of winter, that's fine.
13:37But I think it's also a great time.
13:39A lot of Bermudians who are creative are also creating.
13:42We have art galleries.
13:43We have, you know, the clip show that we have forts and we have all of these great places to shoot as well, right?
13:52Like, I mean, just in underwater, it's just insane in the wintertime.
13:57The water's clear as day.
13:59We have over 400 shipwrecks around the island.
14:01Really?
14:01Yeah.
14:02Wow.
14:03So 400 shipwrecks, and a lot of them, they're preserved.
14:07So even when hurricanes come and they kind of move things around in shipwrecks, those are science laboratories now.
14:14So, like, we go in and we actually kind of, there's a whole biological, bio-oceanographic team that's there because we are at the deepest part of the ocean in the world.
14:28Bermuda sits on the edge of it, right?
14:30So it's like, you have all of these things happening on the island, too.
14:34So it's like climate change and all of these things.
14:36So it's like, we're thinking about those things as well.
14:38Okay.
14:39Yeah.
14:39Tell us a little bit.
14:40You mentioned Bermuda Air.
14:42Is it launched?
14:43So, yeah, no, it's launched.
14:45It is.
14:46It's a full-service airline that is based in Bermuda.
14:49Bermuda, and it's, you know, it was launched last year.
14:53Okay.
14:53And it's our homegrown airline that flies to New York, Westchester, HPN Airport, North, Boston.
15:02And we have Fort Lauderdale, Halifax, Toronto, and Baltimore, BWI.
15:10Oh, wow.
15:11Okay.
15:11Yeah.
15:11So, Honakana.
15:12Yep.
15:13New York.
15:13Florida.
15:15Boston.
15:16Boston and Baltimore.
15:17Baltimore, yeah.
15:18Yep.
15:18So that's a lot of ways to get there.
15:20Yep.
15:20Yeah.
15:20And they do a lot of private services in terms of, like, so we have teams that need to
15:29get to the Caribbean, like, you know, on-island.
15:31And so a cricket team, they'll literally fly the team to wherever they need to go.
15:37Bermudian food on there.
15:42Yeah.
15:42So it's, like, all local artisan, you know, bakery and things like that.
15:48Also have Bermuda shorts, of course.
15:49Oh, okay.
15:50Yeah.
15:51So, you know, the flight attendants wear Bermuda shorts.
15:54And so, yeah.
15:54Oh, that's all right.
15:55Yeah.
15:55So it's a great line.
15:57It's a startup.
15:58But it's really one of the, like, everyone that flies it says it has some of the best service.
16:03Yeah.
16:04So you do get that Bermudian warm hospitality that I think a lot of people are familiar with.
16:10And that's another reason why a lot of people come back to Bermuda, because it's also close
16:14as well.
16:15So we're really proud of it.
16:17So we can get to Bermuda.
16:19We can shoot to Bermuda.
16:20Yeah.
16:20It won't cost a lot of money.
16:22Nope.
16:22Any questions?
16:23If you need to ask some questions, like, how are I going to touch you?
16:26So do we have any questions from the audience for Kaiwon?
16:29Yeah.
16:31Yes.
16:31I was looking at what you did in the UK and NASA and also in the short film.
16:38Yeah.
16:40Do you have development opportunities for museum artists to develop while living in the room?
16:45Yes, we actually have a fund, and it's through a government grant.
16:50And so we do partner with creatives.
16:53And there actually is a new legislation that was just passed that we have these new creative
16:59spaces in Bermuda where you can actually, the government will pay for it and act for you
17:04to actually have a space on island to create.
17:09And so that's one way.
17:11There's also a lot of, like I said, we have, the Bermuda Tourism Authority, we have a program
17:18where you apply.
17:19And I think we give out, I think it's up to $100,000 over like 10 different, whether it's
17:27a business or a creative opportunity.
17:30I can give you all the information.
17:32Yeah.
17:33Cool.
17:33And so is that like if you wanted to do a writer's retreat or something like that?
17:38Yeah.
17:38But somebody has to be Bermudian.
17:40Okay.
17:40Of course.
17:41Or it has to be, at least one person has to be Bermudian.
17:46Okay.
17:46There are writers who come, and it's a great place, like I said, with Mark Twain, having
17:51spent a lot of time there.
17:52Yeah.
17:53John Lennon lived in Bermuda.
17:55David Bowie lived in Bermuda with Iman.
17:58Wow.
17:58We have Michael Douglas, who's moving back.
18:01He's just, you know, with Catherine Zeta.
18:03So there's a lot of creatives.
18:04I thought you couldn't live in Bermuda unless you were married to someone who was Bermudian.
18:09So they, well, that, not anymore.
18:11Oh, okay, not anymore.
18:12Okay.
18:12Not anymore.
18:13No, it's become, you can get a permanent resident certificate now.
18:17And that's not cheap.
18:20Oh.
18:20So, yeah, it's a, it's a application you pay for.
18:24Um, and there's a fee that's, uh, you know, you pay for that.
18:28But they have, you also, again, you have to have an office on the island.
18:33You have to have a business on the island.
18:34You have to be contributing.
18:36It's not easy.
18:36No.
18:37Okay.
18:38No, it's not.
18:39But again, but I think, you know, for, and I think because of our size, right, and infrastructure, we don't have a lot of land.
18:46Mm-hmm.
18:47We don't have, everything is imported, right?
18:49And so, you know, we have to be very mindful and careful about, you know, who we, you know, partner with and who has businesses on the island and things like that.
19:00So, it's a very, um, you know, interesting process, but it is preservation as well.
19:06Okay.
19:07Yeah.
19:08Any other questions?
19:10Because I've been given the two-minute mark so quickly.
19:13Oh, okay.
19:14That went by fast.
19:16That did.
19:16I don't know.
19:17Any other, listen, you don't get to see Taiwan at all.
19:20So, if there's a question, I suggest you, there you go.
19:23Yeah, you can actually go to, um, through, through the Bermuda Tourism Authority website on go to Bermuda.com.
19:36Um, and then there's a link to Bermuda Tourism Authority, and then a lot of the information is there.
19:42But I can give you my, I can give you my information as well.
19:44Um, if you want to take down my email address, it's kanderson at BermudaTourismAuthority.com.
19:50So, it's k-a-n-d-e-r-s-o-n at BermudaTourismAuthority.com.
19:58And if somebody asks us at the festival, can we?
20:00Sure.
20:01Yeah.
20:01I mean, all my information is on the website.
20:03Yeah.
20:04So, it's not just public information.
20:06So, yeah.
20:06That's fine.
20:07Well, thank you so much for coming.
20:08Yes, thank you.
20:09Absolutely.
20:10It's so busy with old friends.
20:11Yes.
20:11So, you know.
20:12And I was just really happy to have him come to the festival and talk with you all.
20:17And hopefully he'll come back.
20:18Yeah.
20:18And I just happened to be here supporting, you know, my partner.
20:21So, we were here doing other business.
20:24Yeah.
20:24And so, it kind of worked out.
20:26So, I'm glad, glad you guys had me.
20:28And if you ever get a chance, even if it's just for a leisure trip, make sure you go to
20:32Bermuda.
20:33And go to Bermuda.com is our official website.
20:36So, any information, we got itineraries.
20:38We can, you know, even create one for you if you need.
20:42Like, if you're, you know, a guest that's coming and wanted to just do something off the beaten
20:47path.
20:47It's a very safe island.
20:50We actually push and promote a lot of solo travel, particularly for women.
20:56Women are able to just, you know, move around the island without any issues whatsoever.
21:01Families, couples, and as our, we like to call them, chance setters.
21:06So, I'll be fine.
21:07Yes.
21:09Thank you, everyone.
21:10Let's have an applause for everyone.
21:11Yeah.
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