Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. June 23, 2014 --“Antigua and Barbuda’s got a great deal to be happy about after that general election on the island.” This sentiment, echoed by a Trinidadian music and commercial producer may seem a bit simple and even rash to some, but having been through a whirlwind yet positively impacting experience during election week in Antigua and Barbuda recently, PengCo Music’s Randal Alexander isn’t just talking.

The Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) secured a victory in the general elections just two weeks ago and T&T’s Alexander and a team of very industrious young minds aided in the final result, no doubt. Just ten days in the lead up to the polls, Alexander was called upon to deliver a jingle that would promote and consequently help the party win the general election. “I was contacted by the ABLP to produce "the freedom day anthem" - a song that voters could catch on to easily- a song that had a mix of victory and fun in it. They said they wanted it now,” explained Alexander.

No stranger to this type of scenario, having done several advertising jingles for various companies in the past, Alexander accepted the challenge and immediately got down to work. He said based on the specifics outlined to him by his employer, he contacted T&T’s Esther Dyer and Orange Sky’s Nigel Rojas. Within hours, their creative minds having meshed perfectly, the jingle was written, vocalized, mixed and mastered. And it turned out to be exactly what the political party wanted- a mixture of victory and fun, an ad that would see Dyer immediately become included on the cast of artistes billed to perform at the ABLP’s final rally alongside such acts as Luciano, IOctane and Demarco. Added to that, just hours after the initial call had been placed to Alexander in T&T for the creation of the jingle, he was told that a full-fledged television ad for the jingle would be needed immediately. With that, Alexander and his team were Antigua and Barbuda bound.



“It all happened so fast. One minute I was in Trinidad and the next, I was filming shots with my crew, in Antigua. We spent a couple sleepless nights but we worked our butts off and we got the job done,” said Alexander. His personal drive to deliver, he said, has always worked well for his clients and so when the result was announced following the election, Alexander wasn’t too surprised. “We weren’t responsible for the party’s win. I’d never say that, but we sure did put the icing on the cake,” he said with a grin. His joy for having been a part of the winning team is easily visible but according to Alexander, there’s more to his euphoria. “I think this win in Antigua- Prime Minister Gaston Brown’s role as leader at the age of 47, is a good thing. The generation gap is a real thing and it is a hindrance to progress. While the elders may be wiser and know how to get things done, the youths have the muscle. The youths also know what their counterparts want. Before Synergy TV, young people our age weren’t allowed in the media. Everybody was over 30 years of age- even 40 and they were trying to create productions to appeal to 16 –year- olds. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not impossible, but a 16 -year- old has a better idea of what a 16-year- old wants. I’m not saying that companies should go ahead and hire 16-year- olds to run their businesses, but maybe give 23- year- olds a chance. Because of Mr. Brown’s age he may be more inclined to invest in technology, tertiary education and the arts. The Prime Minister’s age serves Antigua and Barbuda well, with its large youth electorate (approximately 48%). He can close this generation gap and serve the youths and in return he can get some muscle from them,” rationalized Alexander.

Amped up over this recent experience and having proven that he can certainly deliver great work even under immense pressure, Alexander is readying his team for the projects that will undoubtedly come. “We’ve already been getting calls from agencies regarding similar projects and we’re ready. I’ve done several corporate jingles for companies such as NLCB, Magnum Tonic Wine and Ferreira Optical among others, and I think my strongpoint is being able to bridge the gap between the corporate sector and the common man,” said Alexander, explaining that there’s a way of delivering the objectives and desires of the corporate companies, via jingles that the man on the street would easily understand. That however is his secret and with that his final word, Alexander says he can be contacted via email at pengconcepts@gmail.com for further information.

Consumed by the joy felt following the result in Antigua, Randal Alexander says he’s ready to conquer the corporate world- a feat he isn’t afraid of in the least.