By Jay Whipple,
Trend Magazine Online™
Dirty Mas Time...Again!
Re-published and updated from an earlier edition!
Trend Magazine Online™
Dirty Mas Time...Again!
Re-published and updated from an earlier edition!
I decided to write about this world renowned annual event last year after
interviewing Mr. Warren
Serignet about putting together a float for another world renowned
annual event called Mardi Gras in New Orleans,
LA. My how time flies as we are now in the twilight of
Carnival 2017 which culminates on Monday
February 27th and Tuesday February 28th (Fat Tuesday) after
lead up events starting the day after Christmas on
Monday December 26, 2016. Using the power of the
Internet I was able to locate a company that specializes
in carnival events called Masqueraders United, LLC, and
run by a Mr. Mark Joseph and his partners from
Washington, DC. Since I knew very little about this
famous event I decided to pull up my sleeves and do some poking around on
the Internet to educate myself before seeming clueless during my
interview. Judging from Mark’s responses below it
appears that my research paid off and now you get to be the final judge:
Jay: How long have you and your partners been organizing this
event?
Mark: Jay, We have been organizing trips to Carnival since 2005 for friends and family, but we have been doing it as a business since 2009
Jay: What is your official title; and your duties and responsibilities?
Mark: My official title as far as the business is concerned is the chief operations officer, and I take care of most of the back-office items that keep the company going, setting up the infrastructure, the website, any and all marketing events and much much more. All of the partners in the business are considered ″Carnival Consultants″ as far as our interactions with our customers. Our duties and responsibilities include all destination management concerns around Carnival. We coordinate the itinerary for all events while in Trinidad and provide direction on preparation before our clients arrive.
Jay: Were you born in Trinidad or Tobago? If no, where were you born and what prompted you to focus on that part of the world?
Mark: No, My parents are both from Trinidad. I was born in Washington, DC. The DC area has a very rich Caribbean culture and I grew up ″playing mas″ and participating in many of the Caribbean events that occurred in the area. As my grandmother once told me: ″If a cat has kittens in an oven, you don't call them mittens.″ meaning, it’s not ″where″ you are born its ″WHO″ you are. I am a PROUD Trinidadian born in America.
Mark: Jay, We have been organizing trips to Carnival since 2005 for friends and family, but we have been doing it as a business since 2009
Jay: What is your official title; and your duties and responsibilities?
Mark: My official title as far as the business is concerned is the chief operations officer, and I take care of most of the back-office items that keep the company going, setting up the infrastructure, the website, any and all marketing events and much much more. All of the partners in the business are considered ″Carnival Consultants″ as far as our interactions with our customers. Our duties and responsibilities include all destination management concerns around Carnival. We coordinate the itinerary for all events while in Trinidad and provide direction on preparation before our clients arrive.
Jay: Were you born in Trinidad or Tobago? If no, where were you born and what prompted you to focus on that part of the world?
Mark: No, My parents are both from Trinidad. I was born in Washington, DC. The DC area has a very rich Caribbean culture and I grew up ″playing mas″ and participating in many of the Caribbean events that occurred in the area. As my grandmother once told me: ″If a cat has kittens in an oven, you don't call them mittens.″ meaning, it’s not ″where″ you are born its ″WHO″ you are. I am a PROUD Trinidadian born in America.
Jay: What is your educational background?
Mark:I graduated from Bowie State University in 2000 with a degree in Computer Science Technology and a minor in Psychology.
Jay: Do you do this type of work full time? If not, what is your full-time job?
Mark: I would love to be a Carnival Consultant full time, but we aren't there just yet. Stay tuned, we will definitely get there. My full time job is working as a Process Improvement Specialist for a major real estate mortgage provider.
Jay: What do you like most about your job?
Mark: I LOVE to see a Carnival newbie experience Carnival for the first time. It’s something about watching the intimidation and fear turn into glee and amazement! I have had clients who were very apprehensive about crowds and others who never wanted to wear a carnival costume. By the end of the trip everyone is very appreciative that I take the time out to discuss the pros and cons of playing mas. And ultimately love every bit of it and most times return for more the next year.
Jay: Any dislikes?
Mark: The only dislike that I honestly have is trying to explain the costs associated with a Carnival adventure. Carnival is not a vacation, it is an adventure, from the moment you land to the moment you depart, there are activities planned that are mostly VIP or VVIP all inclusive events. Our primary concerns for our clients are their safety and comfort so we decline to participate in certain events and direct our clients to events that we have personally experienced and have found to be the most enjoyable for the newbies and Carnival Veterans alike.
Jay: What has been [to date] your most memorable moment while planning this event?
Mark: The most memorable moment while planning this event was getting to see one of my clients a hardcore military man that wouldn't crack a smile for the majority of the trip suddenly burst out in merriment ″whining″ up on a few of the other clients and having a great time during Carnival Tuesday as we crossed the Savannah Stage, the climax of the Carnival experience.
Jay: Does your company embrace or recognize the traditional characters of Carnival like Pis-en-lit, Dame Lorraine, Devils, Midnight Robbers, and Indians; or do you focus more on the current tradition of beads and feathers and Brazilian-style costumes?
Mark: Before the trip we try to give all of our clients some history of Carnival and the origins of the different characters. When the opportunity presents itself we do teach our clients some of the traditional characters of Carnival and who they might see while jumping up on the road. Our clients tend to want to play mas in the more current beads and feathers style costumes.
Jay: Are you guys involved with Bacchanal week which starts one week before carnival Monday and includes major fetes, limbo finals, stick fighting, character, Soca Monarch, Steel Pan, and Calypso competitions?
Mark: Our Clients usually arrive the Thursday before Carnival Monday and go to many of the major fetes on Carnival Friday, Saturday & Sunday. We have also attempted to participate in the Steel Pan Finals known as Panorama but from our client feedback this event was marked off of our ″must see″ list due to the difficulty in securing ″good″ tickets. We have also considered taking our clients to experience some of the stick fighting and limbo finals but have yet to investigate that further, but stay tuned!
Mark:I graduated from Bowie State University in 2000 with a degree in Computer Science Technology and a minor in Psychology.
Jay: Do you do this type of work full time? If not, what is your full-time job?
Mark: I would love to be a Carnival Consultant full time, but we aren't there just yet. Stay tuned, we will definitely get there. My full time job is working as a Process Improvement Specialist for a major real estate mortgage provider.
Jay: What do you like most about your job?
Mark: I LOVE to see a Carnival newbie experience Carnival for the first time. It’s something about watching the intimidation and fear turn into glee and amazement! I have had clients who were very apprehensive about crowds and others who never wanted to wear a carnival costume. By the end of the trip everyone is very appreciative that I take the time out to discuss the pros and cons of playing mas. And ultimately love every bit of it and most times return for more the next year.
Jay: Any dislikes?
Mark: The only dislike that I honestly have is trying to explain the costs associated with a Carnival adventure. Carnival is not a vacation, it is an adventure, from the moment you land to the moment you depart, there are activities planned that are mostly VIP or VVIP all inclusive events. Our primary concerns for our clients are their safety and comfort so we decline to participate in certain events and direct our clients to events that we have personally experienced and have found to be the most enjoyable for the newbies and Carnival Veterans alike.
Jay: What has been [to date] your most memorable moment while planning this event?
Mark: The most memorable moment while planning this event was getting to see one of my clients a hardcore military man that wouldn't crack a smile for the majority of the trip suddenly burst out in merriment ″whining″ up on a few of the other clients and having a great time during Carnival Tuesday as we crossed the Savannah Stage, the climax of the Carnival experience.
Jay: Does your company embrace or recognize the traditional characters of Carnival like Pis-en-lit, Dame Lorraine, Devils, Midnight Robbers, and Indians; or do you focus more on the current tradition of beads and feathers and Brazilian-style costumes?
Mark: Before the trip we try to give all of our clients some history of Carnival and the origins of the different characters. When the opportunity presents itself we do teach our clients some of the traditional characters of Carnival and who they might see while jumping up on the road. Our clients tend to want to play mas in the more current beads and feathers style costumes.
Jay: Are you guys involved with Bacchanal week which starts one week before carnival Monday and includes major fetes, limbo finals, stick fighting, character, Soca Monarch, Steel Pan, and Calypso competitions?
Mark: Our Clients usually arrive the Thursday before Carnival Monday and go to many of the major fetes on Carnival Friday, Saturday & Sunday. We have also attempted to participate in the Steel Pan Finals known as Panorama but from our client feedback this event was marked off of our ″must see″ list due to the difficulty in securing ″good″ tickets. We have also considered taking our clients to experience some of the stick fighting and limbo finals but have yet to investigate that further, but stay tuned!
