Tesah Linton (right) and William Tait (left).
-Contributed photo
Barbara Ellington, Gleaner Writer
WHEN FORMER Champs model Tesah Linton placed third in the Kingston and St. Andrew Festival Queen finals several years ago, little did she know where her career path would take her. Today, she is on her way to establishing herself among the leading entrepreneurs in the Jamaican entertainment industry. And she credits that experience with preparing her for what she does now.
With a striking resemblance to Solid Agency's Sharon Burke with whom she worked for a few years, she maintains the promoter "... groomed me to become one of the youngest entrepreneurs in show business." Ms. Linton also held several other jobs that prepared her for her solo flight.
PAST EXPERIENCES
She spoke candidly with The Sunday Gleaner about her past experiences and her future plans.
"In the Festival Queen finals, I won three sectional prizes: Best Gown, Most Talented and Most Congenial ... those three areas have shaped my modelling career, acting ability and personality respectively," Ms. Linton said in reflection. Those who know her well, will agree having watched her as a model, an actress in two local feature films, and as an entertainment co-ordinator in the tourism industry. She also received five promotions in one year when she worked at the former Mirage Night Club.
"During my stint at Mirage, I saw many firsts including 'clubing' with Fame FM and I was there until it closed down, it was a sad event," she said. Ms Linton also won second place in the Miss Hedonism International Pageant, despite her mother's objections. Along the way, she has also been a bank teller and a manager with Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), restaurant chain.
All of those experiences, as well as some disappointment, have prepared Ms. Linton for her life-long dream. From all appearances, she is on the way to realising that dream.
TRAINING
"With everything that has happened and, in all that I've done, I have always wanted to operate a school where persons who are coming up in the entertainment industry both here and in the Caribbean, can get training in all aspects of the business,"
she said.
To that end, she recently concluded the second of two week-long music industry training seminars in Kingston for artistes representing all areas of the business. Topics covered were: publishing, songwriting, copyright, choosing the right manager, booking agents, contracts, record deals, marketing and publicity. Among the scheduled presenters were: Clyde McKenzie, Copeland Forbes, Ibo Cooper, Keith Duncan, Judith Bodley, Mikey Bennett, Jerome Hamilton, Desi Young and Tony Laing.
The idea to offer the training to musicians came while recuperating from a bout of illness during which Ms. Linton did some introspection about what she really wanted to do with her life.
"I asked myself what was my function and the idea of a performance school kept coming to me so I put things in motion and co-opted the experts in the business to help me." She hopes these will continue.
Self-examination is not new to the dynamic entrepreneur who at one time embraced the Rastafarian faith. However, the change did not sit well with her mother and she finally succumbed to pressure to get rid of the locks. Now a mother herself, she divides her time between home in the country and work commitments in Kingston. Along with the training, Ms. Linton is also involved in artiste management and show production.
But, her ultimate goal is to own a training school for entertainment industry players at all levels. "I want to be a part of the good, clean and positive side of the business."
