Filmmaker Danielle Dieffenthaller is among the 2019 Laureates in the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence. The others are Jamaican media entrepreneur Kimala Bennett, Corey Lane, a civic activist from Barbados and Professor Michael Taylor, a climate scientist from Jamaica.
The official announcement was made yesterday at the Tatil Building in Maraval Road, Port-of-Spain.
Dieffenthaller, a television and film producer, director and writer, has produced ground-breaking television series, documentaries, reality television and corporate and music videos. Her best-known works include the drama series No Boundaries, the environmental series Ecowatch and T&T’s longest running television series Westwood Park (1997 to 2004)
She got her start in the mid-80s as part of the cast and crew of No Boundaries and as a reporter for the then TTT. During a short stint at the local production company, Banyan Ltd, she was half of the only local crew to record the 1990 coup.
Bennett, an entrepreneurial visionary, is founder and CEO of the ground-breaking marketing firm The Limners and Bards (LAB) Ltd. Over the last ten years, LAB has built a reputation as a fully integrated creative agency and production company which produces 360-degree campaigns from concept to consumer, with high-quality content, digital management, as well as audio and film production.
She is also co-founder of Blue Dot Data Intelligence, which specialises in the data analytics which drive strategic frameworks, as well as the founder of spin-off companies including Cr8space, a creative professional hub which serves as a collaborative work and learning space for local and international production teams, and Scope Caribbean, the Caribbean’s first booking database for talent and production locations.
Lane, the youngest Laureate at age 36, used his own unfortunate circumstances as an impetus to help others in similar situations. At the age of 15, his mother died. Around the same time, he witnessed the murder of a close friend. Coming out of those experiences, Lane dedicated his life to assisting at-risk youth growing up in challenging circumstances, incarcerated persons and people living with HIV in Barbados.
One of his first ventures was the establishment of the Nature Fun Ranch (NFR) in 1998. The ranch works in conjunction with government rehabilitation centres and programmes across Barbados to provide guidance and respite for young people who live on the margins. Over its two decades, the Ranch has assisted more than 2,000 Barbadians by providing them with the foundation to make the right life choices.
Professor Taylor, director of the Climate Studies Group at Mona, dedicates himself to the study of and action on climate change throughout the Caribbean. He is a regional leader in climate science, having served on many national, regional and international committees. These include most recently as a coordinating lead author for the special report on 1.5 degrees of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
He has also served as a member of the Scientific Steering Committee for the CLIVAR programme of the World Climate Research Programme; on Jamaica’s National Climate Change Advisory Board and as a director of the Caribbean Climate Modellers Consortium.
Since the inauguration of the awards 13 years ago, $17.5 million has been awarded to 39 laureates. The goal is to recognise significant Caribbean achievement and encourage and support the pursuit of excellence by Caribbean nationals for the benefit of the region.
Since 2015, awards have been made in four areas: Arts & Letters, Science & Technology, Public & Civic Contributions and Entrepreneurship.
The four Laureates receive the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence Gold Medal and Citation to recognise and commend their achievements and $500,000 to support their work and professional development. They are proposed by a country’s nominating committee and selected by a regional panel of eminent persons.
The Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards is the only programme in the region which seeks out and rewards outstanding nominees in their spheres of influence. The awards ceremony will be held on March 30, 2019, in Barbados.