IMAGES Spotlight ROBERT 'Bobby' CLARKE

CEO, IRIE JAM MEDIA, IRIE TV

Not many Caribbean immigrants come to the U.S. with little or no financial support and years later can sit back and reflect with a smile, on the journey to the top. Robert Clarke, founder and chief executive officer of Irie Jam Media can!

Bobby, as his friends and business associates affectionately call him has always considered himself a risk taker. Some would say he was born an entrepreneur. It was this desire to take chances and a passion to "make it big in America" which motivated him to leave sunny Jamaica for the
USA.

"I grew up without that fear of trying new situations. It is something I learnt being around my parents" he notes. His first stop was Miami, Florida before he made the trek to New York City, a place bustling with young immigrants seeking to achieve a piece of the American dream. Clarke's plan was simple…work hard and obtain a good education. He obtained an Associates Degree in Computer Science at Monroe College and pursued his B.A. in Business Administration at Iona, all this, while working at a nightclub in New Rochelle to support himself.

His first attempt at being the connoisseur businessman he now is, was with Bronx Travel

Express, which he started with a high school friend. The venture was fairly successful but after 3 years, he yearned for something more challenging. He recalls having a discussion with Mark Pinnock, Milford Edwards and Hughland Pitcan while listening to a Caribbean radio show one Saturday afternoon and commented on the poor quality of the programming. It was from this discussion, that the idea of Irie Jam radio was conceived.


Even thought he had no format training in broadcasting, Clarke felt he had the drive and the business savvy to realize his dream. Armed with a ton of support and encouragement from his friends, he took the three-hour trek to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and met with the top brass of IRIE FM. He outlined a strategic plan of how the radio link could be successfully accomplished and how it would open the floodgates of opportunities for both companies. Within months Irie Jam was on air and Clarke had masterminded the very first Caribbean radio simulcast between Jamaica and New York. With radio jocks Pat McKay/Milford Edwards in New York and Big A in Jamaica , the radio listenership grew tremendously.

Initially there were major hiccups. With very few sponsors and because the communications cost were prohibitive, this ultimately caused the link to be canceled. But being the astute businessman he is, Clarke hammered out another deal for the simulcast of 'Direct Connect' with FAME FM in Kingston, Jamaica. The program, with Chris Dubmaster and DJ Roy anchoring the
New York leg and Colin Hinds hosting in Jamaica, has created a buzz in music circles and continues to receive rave reviews.

Irie Jam has come a long way since the station first graced the New York airwaves 17 years ago. Clarke notes "we have had weekly features with Oliver Samuels, Aubrey Campbell, Carlene 'the Dancehall Queen', Vinette Pryce, Shelly Thunder, David Rodigan, Shinehead and Douglas Fiddler. Our goal has always been to provide relevant and timely news, information and most of all music to our listeners."

Earlier this summer, the New York METS with the support of the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) honored Clarke and three other Caribbean community leaders at the second annual Caribbean Night at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. The award ceremony took place before the METS vs Atlanta Braves game.

"This award is very dear to me since it is from an organization that is not directly connected to us but they have obviously seen the positive work that we have done in the community" Clarke noted.

He has also received numerous other awards and accolades for his pioneering work in media in his many years in the industry.

Aside from his exploits in media, Bobby has for the last six years co-produced Irie Jamboree, North America's premier reggae festival in Queens, NY which pulled over 36,000 patrons this year. Irie Jamboree has featured all the top reggae and dancehall recorders including Sean Paul, Damion Marley, Sizzla, Wayne Wonder, Shabba, Beenie Man, Cocoa Tea among others. He has also promoted smaller reggae events with the likes of Shaggy, Morgan Heritage and Mr. Vegas.

Recently he brokered a landmark deal with the most successful Caribbean owned franchise in North America - Golden Krust Bakery - to launch Golden Krust TV (GKTV), the first digital signage platform in the Caribbean community in the USA. GKTV is the first all Caribbean television network to beam 24-hour news, sports and entertainment content on specially installed LCD and Plasma TVs located in 110 Golden Krust stores in the Tri-State area. The second phase of this project is to launch Irie TV Network, which will be rolled out this year. Irie TV Network will become the first Caribbean online internet protocol television (IPTV) network in the USA and will offer a full schedule of live, high quality programming directly from the Caribbean.

The success Clarke has enjoyed as the high profile CEO of Irie Jam Media, one of the largest Caribbean own media company in the US - is not coincidental. His calm but effective leadership style has been critical in seeing the company succeed. There is also a home grown quality to him which belies his age and stature in the broadcasting industry. In many respects he is a visionary with an insightful view of what listeners want to hear when they listen to Caribbean radio. It is this foresight, which has helped to mold Irie Jam and has been the cornerstone of their success. While he is frequently lauded for being a pioneer, he is the first to acknowledge the supporting role played by his executive team and the rest of the staff.

"I could not have achieved any measure of success without the help and support of my partners, my staff, family, friends and of course, our listeners" he noted.


His vision for the future includes owning his own radio station but he admits humorously that the hurdles are "higher than the Blue Mountain ."

But as he re-assesses Irie's goals for the future, he wants to see the station continue to provide quality Caribbean radio programming. He feels that the Caribbean community has a lot more ground to cover in terms of making its presence felt and he is confident that Irie Jam Media will serve as a catalyst to make this happen.

"The strides we have made thus far are encouraging. We continue to build and maintain relationships with several individuals and organizations at various levels in the business and entertainment industries. These synergies we feel will enable us to further enhance our vision to offer quality programs and to compete with mainstream media entities" he noted.

Bobby Clarke has brought a high level of business savvy and creativity to Caribbean media in the USA and whatever the challenges, he will not be daunted!!