Finding sponsorship is no joke - Ity says it was hard getting support for ‘Bigger Boss?’

February 13, 2019
Alton ‘Fancy Cat’ Hardware
Ity and Fancy Cat.
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Ian ‘Ity’ Ellis and his partner in comedy, Alton ‘Fancy Cat’ Hardware, are looking forward to the airing of the first episode of their new sitcom,Bigger Boss?, this Sunday. But even amid the excitement, Ellis said that getting the show off the ground turned out to be more difficult than they had anticipated.

Having run 10 successful seasons of the Ity and Fancy Cat Show, Ellis said he had hoped that the pair’s reputation in the entertainment industry would have made it easier for them to garner support from sponsors. But having stumbled up on several roadblocks since the idea for the Bigger Boss? show was birthed in 2016, he quickly realised that reputation means very little in the world of investment.

“Some people might think that because we name Ity and Fancy Cat, people want to work wid us just so, but it’s the same level of work for us as it would be for any newcomer in the business. It took time and it took a lot of convincing. Luckily, we were able to get support from a few corporate entities and the show will be rolling out soon. We got KFC, Sandals, and Jamaica National to give us some support and we really appreciate it,” he said.

“The only new person we really got was Jamaica National, so that goes to show that these are partners we have been working with for years. So even with our experience, it’s very difficult to get new persons to come on board. I would have loved if things were different and our industry was so well supported that if we come up with something as creative individuals, and we bring it to a network and they like it, they invest and get it produced, shot, everything. In Jamaica, you have to get partners and even with our experience and our background in the entertainment scene and on TV, we had to impress upon sponsors very hard that the show was a concept that was worth investing in.”

Ellis said he hopes the show’s success will attract more support in the form of new sponsors.

“Like with anything else, I know if the show hits, we will be getting more support. It’s just like when an artiste gets a hit song he’s in demand, he’s hot and he attracts sponsors. It’s going to be the same for us. It’s a new idea, it’s going to take believability, credibility, and confidence and trust for a company to invest in us,” he said.

“We are just going to trust in our experience and the Jamaican people. We know Jamaicans tend to like newness. If something is new, they tend to be curious about it, they want to see what it is. Jamaicans get tired of ‘sameness’ after a while, so, as comedians, we have to constantly be revisiting the drawing board to see how we can keep them engaged and entertained. I think a sitcom is naturally the best transition for us at this time.”

Bigger Boss? airs on TVJ this Sunday at 9 p.m. Zosia McGregor, Camille Davis and Rushane ‘Rushcam’ Campbell are the other cast members that will join Ity and Fancy Cat on the show.

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