5 Questions with Jhe’Vonte Webster

For Jhe’Vonte Webster, CEO of Scream Halloween, building a successful entertainment brand goes beyond staging an event. It is about creating experiences that bring people together, leave lasting impressions and stand the test of time. Drawing on his background in student leadership and integrated marketing communication, Webster has worked to turn his vision into a festival that continues to evolve, celebrating its fifth anniversary as he sets his sights on broader regional and international markets.

Ahead of the fifth staging of Scream Halloween Festival, Jhe’Vonte Webster discusses the challenges of establishing himself as a young promoter, the thinking behind the collaboration between Scream and Rude, and his plans for the festival’s future.

5 Questions With... caught up with Webster as he puts the final touches on this year’s event.

1. Tell us about your journey into the entertainment industry.

A big part of my journey came through student leadership at UWI, especially serving as entertainment chair and later guild vice-president. Those experiences showed me how much I enjoy bringing people together and turning an idea into something people actually connect with. I studied integrated marketing communication too, so I’ve always been interested in how you build a brand around an experience. With Scream, I saw an opportunity to create something people could anticipate every year. Reaching our fifth anniversary is a defining moment for me because I know how much work it has taken to get here.

2. What challenges have you faced as a young promoter?

Getting people to take your vision seriously before you have all the results to show them is a challenge. You’re asking sponsors, suppliers, and patrons to believe in something you can see clearly, but they haven’t experienced yet. Then there’s managing costs and expectations while still trying to deliver something creative. I’ve learned to be ambitious and very practical at the same time. Know your numbers, follow up, pay attention to details, and have people around you who can execute. A good idea needs a team that can bring it to life.

3. What does the Scream Halloween and Rude Bashment collaboration mean to you, and what has your role been?

It means we have an opportunity to grow the festival with people who bring something valuable to the table. Both teams have built relationships with their audiences, and bringing those communities together is exciting. As CEO, my role is to keep the overall vision clear and help the teams move towards it. I’m also very hands-on with the creative direction, logistics, procurement, and communications. I care about how the event looks, how it feels, and how it works. I’ll be in the big-picture discussion and still asking somebody to adjust a sign because the placement isn’t right!

4. What can patrons expect, and what are you most excited about?

I’m most excited to see people react to the world we’re creating. We’ve spent so much time discussing these ideas that seeing patrons walk in, recognise a scene, take pictures and enjoy it will be a big moment. There’s the Stranger Things influence, the Halloween décor, Skippa’s performance and the energy both teams are bringing. In a competitive entertainment market, you have to give people a clear reason to choose your event. For Scream, that’s having a strong identity and following through on it across the whole experience. I want people leaving with a favourite moment they’re still talking about weeks later.

5. What are your long-term ambitions as a promoter?

I want to build brands that last and experiences that people will travel to Jamaica for. With Scream, the ambition is to keep strengthening its place on the entertainment calendar and grow its reach across the Caribbean and beyond. I also want that growth to create opportunities for other people: young creatives, DJs, performers, production teams and small businesses. An event brings so many different skills together. If we build stronger event brands, we can create more consistent work and a bigger platform for those talents. That’s the kind of business I want to build: creative, commercially strong and able to keep growing.

BRAWTA:

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I’m a full-on nerd, honestly. I genuinely enjoy learning and spend a lot of my free time researching different topics purely out of curiosity. Outside of work, you can find me randomly reading up on history, archaeology, anthropology, and a range of other subjects. For me, learning doesn’t have to be tied to work or a formal setting; sometimes I stumble upon an interesting topic and find myself going down a rabbit hole for hours. I’m naturally curious, and I enjoy the process of discovering new information, connecting ideas, and gaining a deeper understanding of the world around me.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com