Introduction

This paper outlines the concept for a co-operative organization (“The Collective”) for workers in the film and television industry who work on JUYAA Media projects to participate in profit side of the industry.

What is JUYAA?

JUYAA (joo-YAH) is a project we conceived to tackle the complex and systemic issues that hold back the Caribbean Film and Television Industry. The team envisioned a digital-first eco-system that could foster emergent Caribbean film and television projects. Providing access to critical business support, infrastructure and investment to take projects from concept to screen and allow creators to focus on what they are best at, Creating

Why?

One of JUYAA Media’s main objectives is to create sustainable production models for indigenous Caribbean content. To achieve this, we must employ innovative strategies to make the most of our limited funding while expanding our production capacity.

In the realm of independent production, crews often accept lower pay to make these projects possible. While sometimes this is compensated through revenue-sharing, it often relies solely on goodwill and passion with the reality that most independent projects will likely never produce any profit. However, given the current industry and economic conditions, there are limits to how far goodwill and passion can take us.

Adopting a structured approach allows us to harness this goodwill in a measurable and distributable manner, benefiting those who are the industry’s foundation. A cooperative model enables not only equitable profit sharing but also collective risk management and shared success across multiple productions, much like a diversified investment portfolio.

Why not make JUYAA Media a co-operative?

JUYAA Media will operate as a federated co‑operative, uniting the Creator Collective and founding partner organizations under a shared democratic structure. Founding partners will hold a defined minority stake to recognize their role in launching the enterprise. In the long term, JUYAA Media’s roadmap includes exploring mechanisms, such as a parallel share‑issuing entity allowing for broader public investment while safeguarding co‑operative control.