Frederick Morton, Jr., the St. Croix-born chairman and chief executive officer of the Caribbean-themed Tempo Networks, last Wednesday officially launched the cable medium in the New York Tri-State area.
“It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to connect with such a great gathering of Caribbean nationals — entrepreneurs, business professionals, artists, etc.,” Morton, whose parents hail from Nevis, told Caribbean Life after the launch at Trelawni Place, 1440 Utica Ave., Brooklyn. “I was grateful for the very warm reception and the excitement for the official launch of Tempo in the New York Tri-state,” said Morton.
“The enthusiasm for the network and what it means for the community was amazing,” added Morton, the former MTV Networks’ deputy general counsel of business and legal affairs. “The attendees expressed very clearly that the network now represents a very needed platform for the marketing, promotion and exposure of Caribbean businesses and interests.
“The timeliness of the network’s entry into the market, given the demise of several Caribbean media outlets, was made clear as the audience expressed their commitment to support the network’s endeavors,” he continued. “As I spoke, there was an amazing feeling of appreciation and a strong sense of a unified objective of leveraging the network to elevate the community.”
The Newark, N.J.-based Tempo was launched during Trelawni’s “After-work Networking Wednesdays,” hosted by Nevisian-born Edmund Sadio, chairman of the Brooklyn-based Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CACCI) and chief executive officer of Century 21 Achievers Realty on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn.
After-work Networking Wednesdays’ sessions offer attendees an opportunity to network with established business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, investors and concerned community residents, according to another Trelawni lead host, Grenadian-born Gerry Hopkin, community organizer and chief executive officer of Hopkins Consulting Group.
Morton — an accomplished corporate attorney with more than two decades of experience launching and growing businesses and functioning as a corporate attorney for marquee corporations and a prestigious law firm — said he has a strong track record of identifying and mitigating risk, and providing numerous Fortune 500 companies with legal governance, patent, antitrust, intellectual property, advertising and employment litigation counseling.
Adept at representing management in employment discrimination cases, federal and state probable-cause determinations and government investigations, Morton said his broad-based expertise also includes overall business leadership and development, branding, sales and marketing, advertising and human resources, among other things.
He said Tempo Networks, LLC presents “a unique” pan-Caribbean media and entertainment company, including flagship TV Network, producing content on all media platforms and reaching more than five million viewers in the Caribbean and the United States.
Morton said he is responsible for establishing the strategic vision of the company, garnering funding from investment banking firms, developing effective systems and programming, and overseeing efficient operations.
He said he expanded broadcasting of the network to New York Tri-State and nationally — first quarter 2015 — “in order to serve the large U.S. Caribbean population and those who appreciate the Caribbean and lifestyle.” The Network is currently on Optimum Channel 1105 and VerizonFios SVOD Platform Ch. 267.
“There was a suggestion to launch a campaign to make certain the channel expands to Time Warner, Comcast, Dish, DirecTV and other major providers of television by letting them hear our Caribbean voices and our desire to see ourselves and see our culture,” Morton said. “I look forward to working very closely with the community to awaken what I see as the ‘sleeping giant’ that is the Caribbean Community,” Morton added.
He said Tempo celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, “uniting the Caribbean, creating culturally relevant content to entertain and educate the community, and is now the ideal platform for raising the profile of the Caribbean Diaspora.”
“That mission was ratified by the community on Wednesday,” Morton said. “I am eternally grateful.”
