In events news. 2014 BMAs Re-branded And Expanded to Include Music, Film and Fashion Accolades. Guyanese Cultural Exchange Incorporated Into Event Lineup.
For the first time in its history the Barbados Music Awards will include awards in the areas of television, film and fashion at the event to be held on January 12th entitled- The Barbados Music, Fashion & Film Awards! The event will also serve as part of a massive cultural exchange between Barbados and Guyana which began with Guyana Fashion Week, held October 20th – 27th.
Organiser of the Barbados Music Awards, Ronnie Morris. Photo courtesy http://love1041.ocmnet.net
As previously announced fashion luminaries who are no longer with us- Kingsley Thorne and Simon Foster will be honoured at the event. Within the fashion segment of the show- they will now also be joined by Lene Hall- who will be awarded the award for Career Achievement in Fashion. The entire red carpet area is being set up as a fashion show, with patrons entering while models are strutting their stuff so to speak on either side of the red carpet.
Another big surprise is that Keeping Up With The Joneses and Bank On Me (television) along Chrissy and Payday (Cinema releases) will also be recognized for their outstanding achievements during the period in question (August 2012- August 2013). A small group of directors, actors and actresses within the film community will also be awarded with Awards of Excellence In Film- to be selected and presented by the Founder of the Barbados Music Awards.
Barbados first lady of Jazz Ci Ci at the BMA. 2013.Best Jazz Artist of the year
“I truly believed that it was time to expand this event to include other aspects of the creative sector. Music is singular in being the largest revenue generator for Barbados within the sector, however these emerging revenue generators also deserve to be rewarded in similar manner, and the BMAs has created a major platform which can now be shared by our brothers and sisters in other areas of our country’s entertainment industry” Ronnie Morris, Founder and Director of the BMAs said.
“The awards for film and fashion will be introduced in keeping with the BMA’s commitment to becoming more inclusive of other sectors of the creative industries having received an outpouring of requests to do so over the years. January 12th 2014- the time has come” Morris said.
For the first time the event will also include a 30-minute “Best Of Guyana Showcase”- as a cultural exchange with the South American nation, which has recently hosted the BMA Founder as their commitment to the programme, where he judged Miss Guyana Universe, performed at Guyana Fashion Week and was appointed to the Board of Directors for that prestigious event. 
Barbadian DJ Kirk Brown of 98.1FM was co-host of the event. Several major Guyanese singers will be featured during the showcase, and the red carpet fashion show will be co-ordinated by prominent Guyanese designer Sonia Noel, who rubs shoulders with the likes of Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams and Maxi Priest who are among her celebrity clients.
Noel is Chairperson of Guyana Fashion Week. Winner of the Gold Coast Records Inc. Talent Search recently conducted in that country- Travis Bowen, has been signed to Gold Coast Records Inc., and will perform at the event in Barbados along with prominent Guyanese recording artistes Lisa Punch, Tennecia Defreitas and Ernesta Nelson. A massive tourism drive is currently being negotiated to be launched in Guyana for persons to attend the Barbados Music, Film and Fashion Awards in January. (PR)
