INTERVIEW: Co-owner of ORLANDO C. FESTIVAL: JOE BARTHELEMY!
KOMPA MAGAZINE spoke to the CO-OWNER/CO-FOUNDER of the ORLANDO CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL (with D'HAITI)...JOSEPH NEPTUNE BARTHELEMY a.k.a "JOE" to the HMI people who know him. Check out this interesting interview about the festival. (READ BELOW under the picture)
1) Joe, tell us about the 2019 edition of the Orlando Caribbean Festival?
JOE: Well the 2019 is our 8th edition. To date it's the one that gets me the most excited just because I feel it is for the first time we have such a well balanced line up. Having said that I anticipate this edition is going to be epic and is going to surpass all prior editions."
2) With the huge success of last year’s festival, do you feel as if you guys have a lot to prove this year, in order to show that last year’s result was not a fluke?
JOE:No, not at all, we don't feel like we have a lot to prove at all. Our success from last year came from all the hard work from the previous years when we had a lot to prove. With this edition being the 8th one, we feel like we have already been validated in the industry due to the fact that the struggles of the first 6 editions didn't stop us from reaching last year's success and going for our 8th try."
3) How many people attended the OCF 2018 Edition last year, and were you surprised by the turnout or not? I have to tell you that it was 6 PM last year, and I was with your business partner D’HAITI; he was close to tears...only for him to be jumping up for joy an hour later.
JOE:Ah ah lol.... Well I guess D'Haiti forgot about the fact that island people don't party early; but it's a good feeling to get scared first and rejoice after. To answer your question, I don't like to talk about numbers when it comes to the festival whether it is revenue numbers or expenses numbers. There is nothing wrong with that, but I just don't like talking about them. I can tell you however that the numbers from last year, as far as attendance is concerned, were very very good. We were extremely pleased with the turnout."
4) What makes your festival different from all the other festivals in the HMI (Miami, NY, Montreal, Haiti).... what advantages do you feel that you have over them, and vice versa?
JOE: The second part of the question is a little vague in a sense of what one considers advantages or not. What could be advantages in my book over them might seem to be a disadvantage in their book and vice versa. When you say advantage over them, in what aspects? Profit, financial, attendance, popularity, etc...being more specific would help me a lot in answering the question better.
For the first part of the question, the biggest difference between our festival and the other festivals in the industry is our diversity. We are a Caribbean Festival where we embrace many genres, many rhythms, even though our kompa is the main focus, we also have the ability to target many other markets in addition to our main market which is our market, the Haitian market. I believe that's where the main difference lies between us and the others."
5) Do you remember exactly WHEN you guys decided that going MORE of the “Caribbean” route was the best move to make for your festival? Also, did you believe you were taking a gamble or not by mixing things up AS MUCH; due to the fact that you might encounter fans who might want it to be exclusive to Haitians, or exclusive to other Caribbean nations?
JOE: Very good question. To be honest with you it was a spontaneous decision which wasn't really calculated, therefore we didn't really think about risk and reward. We had come to a point where we realized that something wasn't working for us with what we were doing and it was imperative to change. We then decided to change almost everything, starting with the format, the presentation, the venue, the name, the date, the line up, the whole brand needed to be rehabilitated.
We didn't even think twice about it, even if it was a gamble it was worth taking because what we had wasn't working at all. It was at a point where we felt that we had nothing to lose. We felt that mixing things wouldn't hurt at all due to the fact that Orlando is very diverse. I think the biggest mistake we made in the beginning was to try to copy the trend going on in the industry without realizing that the Orlando market is different from the NY, MIA, Haiti markets from a public standpoint. The HMI in Orlando is not at the same level as the other markets I cited above. It was a big mistake which we quickly learned from, and quickly corrected."
6) Are there times since the festival started where the team thought about GIVING UP before you hit the jackpot last year?
JOE: Man you just nailed it, yes indeed there are times where frustrations boiled to a point where we thought about GIVING UP. Let me tell you that the reason why we are still around is Dhaiti. He is the one who never gets discouraged about the project. He always believed 110 percent about the project, even at times when there is no light showing at the end of the tunnel."
7) D’HAITI is the face of the festival, but the behind the scenes industry people know who JOE is....why don’t you tell everyone WHO you are and what role or roles do you play in the OCF?
JOE:Ouf, this is the first time throughout our conversation you make me feel not too comfortable. I don't like to talk about myself at all. To make it simple, I am a businessman who likes to take on new challenges. When I was approached by D'Haiti in 07 to embark on this new venture, I didn't hesitate. I am a married man, father of 7 beautiful children; 2 girls and five boys from 2 marriages. I am a sports maniac, and soccer is my favorite one which explains why all my sons' names are from my favorites players, Van Basten Romario Zinedine etc..I am a commodity trader. I have been trading since 2011, passionate about business and investing. I am more of a background guy who doesn't like the spotlight. My role as a partner in the festival is to keep all the I(s) dotted and T(s) crossed. That's pretty much the most I can tell you about me."
8) The best performance or show you’ve seen given at your festival was from....(Tell us the band and tell us why)
JOE: Wow, Patrick man, it's hard almost impossible to pick one out of so many of them ...wow it's hard I know TVice rocked the stage in 09. I remember Djakout did the same in 08. 2 years ago Gabel gave a memorable performance etc.. etc...to pick one as the best of all is impossible."
9) How tough is it to make a call to LEAVE very popular bands out of the lineup every year, especially if you know they have a huge following?
JOE: Very very tough. Every single year it's a painful decision to make. It's even tougher for D'Haiti considering his proximity with almost all of the bands since he stays in close contact with all of them throughout the year."
10) A final word for the 2019 edition
JOE: Guaranteed Success because hard work pays off. A thank you to all of you for supporting us and help us get to the big 8th."
KM!
1) Joe, tell us about the 2019 edition of the Orlando Caribbean Festival?
JOE: Well the 2019 is our 8th edition. To date it's the one that gets me the most excited just because I feel it is for the first time we have such a well balanced line up. Having said that I anticipate this edition is going to be epic and is going to surpass all prior editions."
2) With the huge success of last year’s festival, do you feel as if you guys have a lot to prove this year, in order to show that last year’s result was not a fluke?
JOE:No, not at all, we don't feel like we have a lot to prove at all. Our success from last year came from all the hard work from the previous years when we had a lot to prove. With this edition being the 8th one, we feel like we have already been validated in the industry due to the fact that the struggles of the first 6 editions didn't stop us from reaching last year's success and going for our 8th try."
3) How many people attended the OCF 2018 Edition last year, and were you surprised by the turnout or not? I have to tell you that it was 6 PM last year, and I was with your business partner D’HAITI; he was close to tears...only for him to be jumping up for joy an hour later.
JOE:Ah ah lol.... Well I guess D'Haiti forgot about the fact that island people don't party early; but it's a good feeling to get scared first and rejoice after. To answer your question, I don't like to talk about numbers when it comes to the festival whether it is revenue numbers or expenses numbers. There is nothing wrong with that, but I just don't like talking about them. I can tell you however that the numbers from last year, as far as attendance is concerned, were very very good. We were extremely pleased with the turnout."
4) What makes your festival different from all the other festivals in the HMI (Miami, NY, Montreal, Haiti).... what advantages do you feel that you have over them, and vice versa?
JOE: The second part of the question is a little vague in a sense of what one considers advantages or not. What could be advantages in my book over them might seem to be a disadvantage in their book and vice versa. When you say advantage over them, in what aspects? Profit, financial, attendance, popularity, etc...being more specific would help me a lot in answering the question better.
For the first part of the question, the biggest difference between our festival and the other festivals in the industry is our diversity. We are a Caribbean Festival where we embrace many genres, many rhythms, even though our kompa is the main focus, we also have the ability to target many other markets in addition to our main market which is our market, the Haitian market. I believe that's where the main difference lies between us and the others."
5) Do you remember exactly WHEN you guys decided that going MORE of the “Caribbean” route was the best move to make for your festival? Also, did you believe you were taking a gamble or not by mixing things up AS MUCH; due to the fact that you might encounter fans who might want it to be exclusive to Haitians, or exclusive to other Caribbean nations?
JOE: Very good question. To be honest with you it was a spontaneous decision which wasn't really calculated, therefore we didn't really think about risk and reward. We had come to a point where we realized that something wasn't working for us with what we were doing and it was imperative to change. We then decided to change almost everything, starting with the format, the presentation, the venue, the name, the date, the line up, the whole brand needed to be rehabilitated.
We didn't even think twice about it, even if it was a gamble it was worth taking because what we had wasn't working at all. It was at a point where we felt that we had nothing to lose. We felt that mixing things wouldn't hurt at all due to the fact that Orlando is very diverse. I think the biggest mistake we made in the beginning was to try to copy the trend going on in the industry without realizing that the Orlando market is different from the NY, MIA, Haiti markets from a public standpoint. The HMI in Orlando is not at the same level as the other markets I cited above. It was a big mistake which we quickly learned from, and quickly corrected."
6) Are there times since the festival started where the team thought about GIVING UP before you hit the jackpot last year?
JOE: Man you just nailed it, yes indeed there are times where frustrations boiled to a point where we thought about GIVING UP. Let me tell you that the reason why we are still around is Dhaiti. He is the one who never gets discouraged about the project. He always believed 110 percent about the project, even at times when there is no light showing at the end of the tunnel."
7) D’HAITI is the face of the festival, but the behind the scenes industry people know who JOE is....why don’t you tell everyone WHO you are and what role or roles do you play in the OCF?
JOE:Ouf, this is the first time throughout our conversation you make me feel not too comfortable. I don't like to talk about myself at all. To make it simple, I am a businessman who likes to take on new challenges. When I was approached by D'Haiti in 07 to embark on this new venture, I didn't hesitate. I am a married man, father of 7 beautiful children; 2 girls and five boys from 2 marriages. I am a sports maniac, and soccer is my favorite one which explains why all my sons' names are from my favorites players, Van Basten Romario Zinedine etc..I am a commodity trader. I have been trading since 2011, passionate about business and investing. I am more of a background guy who doesn't like the spotlight. My role as a partner in the festival is to keep all the I(s) dotted and T(s) crossed. That's pretty much the most I can tell you about me."
8) The best performance or show you’ve seen given at your festival was from....(Tell us the band and tell us why)
JOE: Wow, Patrick man, it's hard almost impossible to pick one out of so many of them ...wow it's hard I know TVice rocked the stage in 09. I remember Djakout did the same in 08. 2 years ago Gabel gave a memorable performance etc.. etc...to pick one as the best of all is impossible."
9) How tough is it to make a call to LEAVE very popular bands out of the lineup every year, especially if you know they have a huge following?
JOE: Very very tough. Every single year it's a painful decision to make. It's even tougher for D'Haiti considering his proximity with almost all of the bands since he stays in close contact with all of them throughout the year."
10) A final word for the 2019 edition
JOE: Guaranteed Success because hard work pays off. A thank you to all of you for supporting us and help us get to the big 8th."
KM!
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