In his autobiography ‘A Long Walk to Freedom’ Nelson Mandela wrote:
“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Dazzle would like to introduce you to a man who shares the same philosophy, and believes that there is no greater joy than helping to create positive changes in the lives of others. Brought up from humble beginnings, Mr. Dale Carneige Elliott has gone from being “so poor that we had to save up to be poor”, to realising some of his greatest passions. Dale candidly shares his journey with us.
Like many other Saint Lucians, Dale was raised by his grandmother. Although he left home at the age of 18, she has been his greatest influence and, in his opinion, she remains the most intelligent person in the Western hemisphere. Dale attended the Ciceron Primary School and then moved on to St. Mary’s College. Dale reveals that, at St Mary’s, he was one of the tiny tots as he didn’t start growing till he was 14. He recalls being less than five feet throughout his attendance at the school. He later moved on to the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and then the University of the West Indies, which for him is still a work in progress.
Dale has been fascinated with cars from a very tender age and this is something which he holds close to his heart. “All I ever wanted to do was fix cars, so I spent fourteen years fixing, selling and racing cars!” A true car person at heart, he tells Dazzle, “Nitrous oxide runs through my veins!”
While many dread entering the workforce, Dale has been working from age ten and hasn’t stopped since then.
I had my first job at age 11, . I was pumping gas, which I did for about four years. When I got to form four, I was moved to accounts and later the garage and parts department, then finally the supermarket. After leaving A-Level, I did some merchandising for Brydens where I stayed on for about three months. I then moved to DBS Television where Pete Ninvalle (The General) was the news director, Kendal Burton, Dominic Fedee and Deborah Raphael were news correspondents.”
With his interest in television production and journalism aroused, Dale went on to broaden his skills and enhanced his knowledge of TV production, and today he is the producer for the popular television series UNTOLD STORIES. He also writes infomercials and documentaries for companies. Additionally, he does script writing and copywriting of TV commercials. In the process, he has built life-long friendships. He tells Dazzle who first introduced him to film.
“Much of what I’ve learnt can be attributed to Pete Ninvalle and Bradley Lacan. I must add that all the trouble I have been in, in my life has been because of Germaine Anius. Or maybe it was the other way around. Seriously, though, Germaine has been there for me from the onset. We have a beautiful love-hate relationship. He has always been the one to push me, even though Pete and Bradley have been there to create a balance, both in terms of production and guidance with scripting. Germaine has always been the one who displayed the most confidence in me. It has been that way for about 16 years. “
The word entrepreneur is often bandied about casually but Dale explains what sets him apart from other entrepreneurs.
“The Government Registry says I own three companies and I have owned my own business, Bumper to Bumper for 15 years or so. I certainly see myself as an entrepreneur. What sets me apart from other entrepreneurs is that my efforts are for social transformation, as much as it is for profit maximisation.”
While Dale admits that there have been a few setbacks in his professional career, nothing has discouraged him as he is determined to succeed.
“People don’t really appreciate things that are different, it takes a little while to grow on them. So whether you’re going to Japan to buy cars to sell, or you are buying them off the internet, or building them behind your house, unless it is mainstream and everyone is doing it, people tend to have a certain reluctance to accept it. In television production, in magazines and a lot of other businesses in Saint Lucia, being novel is sometimes a bad thing. And that is one of the challenges. I am not a mundane kind of person and neither are the businesses I have founded in the last couple years. The challenges have always been getting that initial ball rolling.”
Dale says what motivates him most is his desire to help change other people’s lives and, of course, making a profit. That’s what keeps him going even against the odds at times.
“Primarily two things keep me going; social transformation and profit maximisation, but more so social transformation because making a lot of money does not guarantee you a lot of happiness.
“Social transformation is one person helping another to change their life, which is why I started producing UNTOLD STORIES. Whether it is through the voice of the homeless, which is the perfect example of where profit maximisation has never entered into the equation, I produce UNTOLD STORIES now as I did 16 years ago, for the primary purpose of changing lives..
“Sixteen years ago when I produced Voice of the Homeless, it was to help some of these people get off the street and to raise awareness of their plight. This resulted in the establishment of Cornerstone Humanitarian Society founded by Juliette Braithwaite . Fifteen years later, Juliet now houses 42 people at Cornerstone.
“This time around, whilst working on a documentary in Central Castries, I could not avoid it. I had to be with many of the dispossessed from eleven p.m. to two o’clock in the morning when I was filming. It is very tough coming across seven or eight people in one night who are asking for a dollar; whom you have to watch sleep under Singer and fight for cardboard. Or meet a 17-year old who has absolutely nowhere to go. It is very tough but I wanted to bring to the floor their plight, so I decided to produce ‘UNTOLD STORIES: Voice of the Homeless’ again, and that was it. I would produce it, no ads, get on television, pay for it out of my pocket and just walk away. But … I couldn’t do it!
“I did ‘Voice of the Homeless Part II’ and it was the same thing. Luckily we were able to help one person who had been on the streets for 21 years, get him into rehab, stay with him for his six to eight week programme, get him out of rehab, get him a job (government job at that) and get him back on track.”
UNTOLD STORIES currently airs in 22 countries in the region, and also in the USA in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It is extremely captivating and thought provoking. Dale believes that the sheer honesty of the programme is what keeps audiences so intrigued. He also believes Saint Lucia is hungry for a different level of production for local programming that meets international standards.
“The mandate for producing UNTOLD STORIES has always been social transformation. It is also to show that inasmuch as you produce stuff, it doesn’t have to be run of the mill. You can produce a local programme with an international feel which is well researched, professionally delivered, draws an audience, is scripted properly and it does not have to be a talk show. Years ago when I first did UNTOLD STORIES it was to prove the same thing. Two and a half years ago when I produced it again, it was to show that it could still be done.
“I choose the topics for the season long in advance. So at the launch of the film ‘The History of Saint Lucia,’ all the programmes I planned to do in season two, I spoke about them in detail; what the theme was going to be, how it was going to be accomplished and what I wanted the outcome to be. I am happy to say that at the end of season two we have done that. Some persons come to me, others I have to sift through and weed out. I try to stay away from sensational stories. I try my very best to research my stories and get as many that are as Saint Lucian and grass roots as possible. I would like to think that my audience is everybody but I am targeting the ‘common man.’“
Some of the topics that the series have dealt with can be termed ‘controversial.’ We wanted to know what difficulties Dale has faced in producing them.
“Bureaucrats do not like to speak about things that are ‘untold’, so to get the Minister of Justice to explain to you why there is still a long list of fugitives at large yet successive ministers have ignored that list – that is difficult. The prison reform programme that every minister has spoken about has never come to fruition because they still look at prisoners and the prison system as a burden. They do not want to speak to you. When I was a reporter, it was the same way. I am not very good with PR when it comes to government. I think the questions need to be asked, they need to be asked straight and I need to get a straight answer. My biggest challenge is getting the bureaucrats to make the difference in social transformation aspects in Saint Lucia and to speak with you honestly.
“The rise and fall of ‘Green Gold,’ and the untold story of Jean and Dinah, from two different angles. Banana wars have been used to derail governments and propel political parties. The figures do not lie and every time that particular sore is opened up, then people get angry. But again, the production figures don’t lie and when I was producing this story I got a lot of resistance again, from bureaucrats. ‘The Untold Story of Jean and Dinah,’ on the other hand, was a bouillon of comedy, stark reality, the laws of nature, the laws of business with a touch of good journalism. What it brought out were the hypocrites in our society sitting on the fence saying ‘how dare you put that on television?”
Although the programme has received phenomenal feedback from the public, Dale still believes there is room for improvement. As with most ventures, securing adequate funding for the production is a major factor he has to grapple with. With increased funding he hopes to improve picture quality, secure better equipment, hire more staff and enhance international distribution across existing and evolving platforms so that more stories could be told. Ultimately, he wants to produce stories that can change not just Saint Lucia but the region. Meanwhile, he has some advice for Dazzle readers.
“Find something you love doing, whether it be bartending, fixing phones, being a tourism worker, find something you love doing and do it to the best of your ability. Whether it brings you reward in the short run or the long run, find something you love doing. In the end the things that will bring us the greatest joy or greatest pain will be the career path you have chosen and the mate you have chosen. So choose them wisely.”
One of Dale’s goals is to have his own television station which he can pass on as a legacy to his children. Notwithstanding all his hard work and achievements over the years, he says his children are his greatest accomplishment, adding the greatest achievement anybody can have is “bringing forth life.”
We wish Dale immeasurable success in all his undertakings and may he continue changing the lives of others. Watch out for season III of UNTOLD STORIES. You will be informed, you will be baffled, you will be entertained, and most of all, you will be inspired!
