New legs for Pulse World 360 - Agency transforming, innovating in the midst of global pandemic
Published:Friday | February 5, 2021 | 12:09 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
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Celebrated for its discovery of and work with some of the top runway models – men and women like Oraine Barrett and Nadine Willis – Kingsley Cooper’s Pulse has pioneered a modern modelling industry in Jamaica and throughout the wider Caribbean....
Celebrated for its discovery of and work with some of the top runway models – men and women like Oraine Barrett and Nadine Willis – Kingsley Cooper’s Pulse has pioneered a modern modelling industry in Jamaica and throughout the wider Caribbean. This year, on January 15, the company marked 41 years registered as an entertainment company that is engaged in model grooming, representation and management, multimedia production, show production, and property investment.
“Pulse is now a much more diverse organisation, and the model agency represents less than 10 per cent of our business,” Cooper told The Gleaner, indicating that as a result, the company operates, “a much tighter and much more selective agency, with the focus being solely on models who will do well internationally”.
The annual Caribbean Model Search has produced bright stars like Kimberley Mais in the early years, then the inimitable Lois Samuels a few years later, as well as world- leading Jaunel McKenzie, Nell Robinson, and the history-making Jeneil Williams in the first decade of the new century, who still resonate in the local fashion industry. More recently, heavy lifters Alicia Burke and Miqueal-Symone Williams are paving new runways. Burke, who won the search in 2015, is now a Pulse supermodel listed in the top 50 highest-earning models in the world, while Williams, who walked away with the winning title in 2018, currently wears the Miss Universe Jamaica crown.
OPEN CALLS
The likelihood of a model being selected for the model search competition from the open call has been slim in recent times, irrespective of the pandemic he said.
“We still have open calls,” Cooper said. “However, we have to look at our agency and model search, not only in the context of the changes resulting from the pandemic, but also from the viewpoint of the continued evolution of both on one hand, as well as the wider Pulse, on the other.”
Cooper continued, “Our Managing Director, Romae Gordon, with responsibility for the model agency, fashion, and television, has developed a system which allows us to function during COVID-19. Our High School Model Search is key for us as we are able to identify likely stars fairly early in the day and prepare them for the international market, to start there, once they graduate high school.”
Media and technology transformations, according to Cooper, have provided new ways of meeting and communicating safely. The challenges rest on the international end when it is time for scouting.
He said: “We are grateful for technology, which we use to the max although what we are able to do is limited. We are also particularly challenged with travel and acquiring visas as the pandemic closes borders and creates very serious concerns. Scouting is also a problem, be it locally (across Jamaica) or internationally – having our agency affiliates visit us to sign new faces.”
Still, innovation and creativity are the hallmarks of fashion, and the chairman of Pulse Investments Limited tips his hat to players who are always finding new ways to get work done.
“One very major client is planning to send a team to Jamaica to shoot one of our models for a global campaign. This is their way of getting around current visa and other travel issues, which the model would otherwise face. Also, where there is a need for physical meetings, we keep numbers low and observe all protocols. Safety remains our greatest concern,” he said. “As it is, we have several up-and-coming stars who are seriously in demand but who have been waiting for a year or more to begin international careers because of visa, travel, and safety issues. Thankfully, New York has remained the most viable market (it has always been the biggest and most lucrative), and our stars based there have continued to do well.”
Joy Amid the Challenges
Cooper admits that there are always challenges operating a company like his own, which has several arms and legs but also stated that it often brought joy.
“Talent changes everything. It makes the impossible happen. It really is magic. However, talent always needs guidance and management. To the extent that I am able, I will continue to be there and to support. However, this is a new age, and change is everywhere. From Pulse’s perspective, it will become less about what I do and more about Romae Gordon and Safia Cooper expanding their roles. They are our two managing directors. With these young women, I am confident that we are in very good hands,” he said.
As for the future of Caribbean Fashion Week (CFW), he said, nothing has been put in stone.
“We will have to wait and see because it will be pointless unless we are able to do something special. The last one, which featured the best designers from the Caribbean and Africa, was very special – also historically and culturally important. With the pandemic, live events, especially, are challenged. CFW depends to a great extent on international travel, which is currently the biggest issue. What will the new normal look like? Can these events be good business going forward? These are the questions we have to ask ourselves,” Cooper concluded.