Inner-city youth honours parents with decor business

Working to honour the memory of his deceased parents, Mickoy Morrison is making a name for himself through his decor company, White Tiger Studios.

Catching up with THE WEEKEND STAR, the 23-year-old said that he has created backdrops, drawings and decor solutions for both corporate and private events. Each installation takes anywhere from two to four hours to assemble.

"This is the fruit of me being at UWI [The University of the West Indies], not having any money, no mother, father in his last phase in life, struggling to keep me going. I decided to be independent and show him [his father] just before he died that I am a force to be reckoned with and I can create something for myself. This is a dedication to the life of my father and what he taught me," he said.

While Morrison's mother passed when he was merely three years old, his father succumbed to illness earlier this year.

"My father passed away August the 18th, so I'm living now for my mom and my dad," he said. Morrison added that his father was in the entertainment sector, and watching him at work taught him a lot.

"It's allowed me to work on events like Chris Brown's concert, for example, where I helped in a lot of the draping and decor," he said. Morrison's latest piece was the photo backdrop for the first show of the Jamaica leg of Dexta Daps' Trilogy Tour at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in St Andrew. With just one year under his belt, Morrison has catered to more than 50 events.

Now in his second year of studies for a bachelor's degree in management studies, Morrison said that, as a resident of August Town and a victim of gun violence, he wanted to take the creative route to success rather than a violent one.

"I decided that I wanted to be innovative and showcase creativity. In the end, what end up happening is just a vision that I had. I dreamt of white tigers around me, I looked it up and it said 'creativity and innovation'. So, due to all of those inspirations and persons commending the work that I have done, I've just been keeping up the work and I've not stopped getting compliments and recommendations for bigger and larger works across the island," he said.