The five-billion-dollar man: Robert Russell, an entertainment legend passes

 




Entertainment and hospitality giant Robert Russell died on Wednesday December 11 in Montego Bay. He was 76 years old. The owner of the popular nightlife spot on the Montego Bay waterfront, Pier 1, Russell contributed over four decades of his life to entrepreneurship and development of the hospitality, tourism and entertainment sectors.

In one interview with the Jamaica Information Service, he advised young entrepreneurs to set careful targets and move steadfastly towards their goals and commented, “Don’t look left or right until you get there. And then set another target and keep moving ahead and moving upward, so you can contribute to Jamaica and to employment, and to the economy.”




 Reggae Sumfest

The Calabar and St. George’s College old boy, in collaboration with a small group of Montego Bay business interests, founded the popular, internationally renowned festival, Reggae Sumfest in 1993.

The annual festival pulls in between five and six billion Jamaican dollars annually in revenue and is estimated to inject US $20 million into the wider Jamaican economy annually.

Russell was Chairman of the music festival for 18 years and remained for a long time integral to the show’s production following its sale in 2015. For 10 years, he also co-produced the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival. Joseph Bogdanovich and his Downsound Entertainment purchased Reggae Sumfest.


Russell was in 2017 appointed a member of the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD) for outstanding contribution to the Music, Entertainment, Tourism and Film Industries.

The entertainment and hospitality specialist was also a recipient of the 2017 Abe Issa Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association (JHTA).

At one point Russell operated three restaurants out of Mandeville, where he was also canteen concessionaire, supplying some 1,500 Alcan Kirkvine workers with meals.

He also owned a hotel in Ocho Rios called Little Madness, which was one of the first to use the all-inclusive concept in the island.

Russell currently managed, alongside his children, the all-inclusive hotel, Deja Resorts, in Montego Bay. His also children operate other businesses in the Hospitality industry.

In his earlier years, Russell was also keenly involved in the film industry, working with the Director, Perry Henzell, to produce the first feature film, written, funded and directed by Jamaicans – ‘The Harder They Come’ – which would become one of the most popular local cult classics.

He produced a second film with Vista Productions called, ‘No Place like Home.’

Throughout the years, Russell contributed significantly to the public sector through his involvement on several Boards. He was Chairman of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo.) for four years and Chairman of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) Montego Bay Advisory Board.

He was also a Commissioner of the Casino Gaming Commission and a Member of the Entertainment Advisory Board.

Information Source: Jamaica Information Service

Photo credit:sunnysideuptravel.com

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