SCDF outsources its pageants to Posh Productions Incorporated
The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) has outsourced the organization and complete control of its three major pageants to entertainment agency Posh Productions Incorporated (PPI), a move that SCDF is confident will redefine pageantry on St. Maarten. It is another first for the SCDF which has always kept the control of the pageants in-house.
However, according to Carnival Director Mike Granger, it was time for the foundation to let other Carnival stakeholders have a more direct say into some of the long-standing events of Carnival. He said Carnival pageantry in particular needed an overhaul and the foundation believes Posh Productions is the entity to accomplish this. “There are Carnival enthusiasts that are just as passionate about Carnival as we (SCDF) are. It is time to bring some of these folks into the fold and spread the knowledge base of Carnival,” Granger said.
The outsourcing of the pageants to PPI means that the company is now solely responsible for hosting the Teen, Senior and Ms. Mature Carnival Queen Pageants which all carry title branding of TelCell. PPI will be responsible for all aspects of the pageants with SCDF only playing a facilitating role. In essence, PPI is now the promoters of the three events and everything associated with them.
Posh Productions Inc., the self-proclaimed “Pageant Professionals”, is the brainchild of two former pageant queens: Anna Rabess-Richardson and Cassandra Weekes-Jeffers. Rabess-Richardson is the founder, president and CEO of Posh Productions Inc. PPI is an entertainment agency established on St. Maarten with a dedicated goal to provide and promote wholesome entertainment in the areas of fashion, arts, music, theater, pageantry and all other forms of unified community enhancement events.
Their core objectives include assisting and strengthening the entertainment and tourism industry of St. Maarten through highlighting our island’s cultural heritage and natural talents with promotional packages and advertisements that will draw participants, spectators and viewers locally, regionally and internationally.
“We believe in the business of pageantry and shall introduce a new ‘sparkle’ to the crown and each titleholder by bringing a fresh life and spirit to St. Maarten’s national competitions. Posh Productions is committed to empowering young women by helping them realize their potential via a competitive yet collaborative effort to build confidence through scholarship and professional opportunities,” Rabess-Richardson said.
She further explained that the mission of the Pageant Professionals is to promote philanthropy through strong community based services and involvement, while flooding the community with fearless, authentic, and intelligent role models. Their vision is to foster goodwill ambassadors by encouraging individual growth, personal platforms, community involvement and awarding scholarships for educational and/or career advancement.
“Posh Productions Pageant Professionals celebrates women for having the courage and confidence to embrace their natural beauty with pride while presenting their inner-beauty to the world. While there are many stereotypical opinions about pageantry, the emphasis of talent, interview, platforms, and question-answer segments, is affirmation of how pageants have moved away from aesthetics and requires contestants to be well-spoken, knowledgeable, and graceful young ladies who are passionate about a purpose,” Rabess-Richardson said.
With education and philanthropy being at the core of their vision and mission, PPI’s themes and prizes will target representatives who are also interested in educational and professional advancement, improving public speaking, interview and people skills and developing their community involvement by actively participating in service organizations for the betterment of the contestants and St. Maarten.
The final products of PPI will be events to look forward to, especially with the introduction of upcoming platforms such as the “Pageant Professionals Scholarship Project” and the “SXM Girls Rock” motivational campaign. In line with their motto, “beauty with a purpose”, the Pageant Professionals Scholarship Project is a part of the contestants’ prize package and is being established solely to empower these women by creating opportunities to meet role models, act on the personal and professional goals, and to achieve those goals with the assistance of monetary grants and awards.
“By incorporating this particular scholarship program into local pageantry itself, Posh Productions envisages an empowered St. Maarten woman as leader, very dedicated, ambitious and very educated, ready to take on her responsibilities, face whatever challenges her and one who is focused on positively changing her surroundings. Similarly, “SXM Girls Rock” will be another campaign of Posh’s that stands against underage sex, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, neglect, depression bullying, crime, violence and various other ills that our youth and society in general are faced with on a daily basis, by diverting them onto taking a more positive path,” she said.
Additionally, experts in the field of pageantry such as coaches, chaperones, beauticians, cosmetologists, costume designers, etc., are encouraged to share their services and contact information on the website www.poshsxm.com in order to easily link potential contestants with professionals in the field to assist them with building their powerful packages.
Registration for 2016 pageants opens on Tuesday September 1st, 2015 and closes on November 1st, 2015 at 11:59pm. For more information about the Posh Productions Inc., please go to www.poshsxm.com or contact Anna Rabess-Richardson by email at anna@poshsxm.com or Cassandra Weekes-Jeffers at cassie@poshsxm.com
