André Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

Christopher Daley - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Christopher 'Johnny' Daley had a vision that he could capitalise on Jamaica's potentially rich cultural industry. So, in 2004, he and business partner, Coleen B. Lewis, not only started their own business, but they sought to expand on Jamaica's entertainment output with stand-up comedy. Today, Daley is part owner of Si Wi Yah Entertainment, which produces Comedy Buss, aired on TVJ.

"It was difficult to get people to dig into our business. We had to dig into our personal funds. We had to prove it was not a fly-by-night thing," Daley said.

According to Daley, Si Wi Yah Entertainment started out simply wanting to create a business entity to promote creative, artistic expressions of the talented persons in Jamaica.

Daley is an actor/comedian by profession, while Lewis is a lawyer. The two met years ago and formed a friendship that blossomed into a business partnership.

"We were always communicating about the struggles I was having as an artiste ... She knew my pain. She knew my frustration," Daley recounts.

So when Lewis returned from the United Kingdom after studying law, the two paired up to form Si Wi Yah Entertainment. With Daley's experience of spending most of his childhood and adult life in theatre, and Lewis' corporate knowledge, there was a natural chemistry. They wanted to be a production company, artiste managers and booking agents.

"You have to know what your business is about. We knew our business was entertainment. We devised it, planned and moved with it," Daley explains.

Brushed over

There was a need for such an agency. Daley says too often, artistes were not given the proper treatment when they were out on gigs, and were "brushed over" for too long. He points to "crappy" dressing rooms, and sometimes no provision of refreshments.

Daley says the company is not yet at the powerhouse stage, but the vision is there. However, after only three years of existence, he believes they are already making good progress with the Comedy Buss show. He discloses that he has received help from the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) with his show, but believes more can still be done by the Government.

Many local artistes often claim the industry is brutal when it comes to survival, but Daley says he is able to pay his bills. The key to balancing the books, he suggests, is simple. "I have a car. I have a mortgage. I have my priorities right. If there is a school I want my children to go to, I will work and pay for it. I take care of their bills first and then mine," he discloses.

"We are young and struggling to maintain ourselves. We are young and full of energy and we are not going down," Daley asserts.