The LAB Studios taking Caribbean stories global
Published:Sunday | March 29, 2026 | 12:08 AMNicola Cunningham - Entertainment Coordinator
Advertising and production company The Limners and Bards Limited (The LAB), through its LAB Studios, is expanding its reach through YouTube, the digital-first global distribution platform where The LAB Studios’ original films and series are being showcased. The channel is building what the company describes as a “premium home of Caribbean stories with global appeal”, and already, the company’s first release has received thousands of views and counting.
“Content creation has always been a natural extension of what we do at The LAB. As a storytelling company, rooted in advertising, we’ve long had the creative talent, production capability, and strategic thinking required to produce compelling content,” LAB Chief Executive Officer Kimala Bennett explained to Sunday Entertainment. “Initially, it formed part of our broader strategy for revenue diversification, but over time, we recognised a deeper shift: advertising itself was evolving, and audiences were increasingly engaging with content over traditional ads. Moving into original content was, therefore, a natural progression. It allowed us to leverage our existing assets, our people, our production infrastructure, and our storytelling expertise while building long-term value through IP (intellectual property) ownership.”
YouTube became a viable option for the company when it observed a global shift in how audiences consume content. “YouTube has effectively become one of the largest streaming platforms in the world, offering both reach and accessibility without traditional gatekeepers. For us, it presented an opportunity to distribute content directly to audiences, build a community, and test storytelling formats in real time. It allows us to move quickly, learn from audience behaviour, and refine our model while still developing content for larger platforms,” shared Bennett.
Among the content released thus far is Happily Ever Awkward, The LAB Studios’ first long-form YouTube release, which has seen strong early numbers, generating over 80,000 views within its first eight days and helping them to surpass 1,200 subscribers shortly after launch. The movie follows two exes who are forced to continue living together, leading to humorous and relatable moments of conflict, sabotage, and eventual reconciliation. It reflects their focus on universal themes told through a distinctly Jamaican lens.
The studio has also produced series Jenna in Law, young adult series Seen, and feature films Love Offside and Spices of Christmas.
Collectively, these projects reflect their focus on romance, drama, and culturally grounded storytelling with global appeal.
Taking their show on the road, The LAB has also shown their content at several film festivals such as the American Black Film Festival in Miami and the London Breeze Film Festival in the United Kingdom.
Bennett said the reception to their work has been overwhelmingly positive. “Audiences consistently respond to the authenticity, visual quality, and emotional relatability of the stories. Themes such as love, relationships, and personal growth resonate strongly, and we’ve seen audiences laugh, engage, and connect with the characters in meaningful ways. What’s particularly encouraging is that even audiences unfamiliar with Jamaican dialect or culture are able to follow and enjoy the stories through the strength of the performances and emotional storytelling.”
They develop concepts, she shared, through a collaborative creative process. “Ideas are brought forward by writers and team members and then refined within structured writing sessions or ‘writing rooms’. There is a strong emphasis on character development and relatable human experiences, ensuring that each story is grounded in authenticity. From there, concepts are expanded into full narratives that balance emotional depth, cultural relevance, and audience appeal.”
This marks a distinct pivot from advertising, raising the question of what sparked the expansion. “At its core, this expansion was driven by a need to diversify revenue and build long-term value. Advertising, while still central to our business, is often project-based. Content creation allows us to develop and own intellectual property, creating new revenue streams and long-term assets. Importantly, this is not a departure from advertising; it complements it. It allows us to extend storytelling beyond campaigns and opens up new possibilities for brand integration, audience engagement, and scalable content production. It is both a strategic evolution and a natural extension of our core capabilities,” said Bennett.
So what’s next for The LAB Studios? “We are currently building what we call a fast-content engine, particularly for YouTube, where we can create a consistent pipeline of high-quality, engaging stories. This approach allows us to continuously learn from audience feedback, build a loyal viewer community, collaborate with emerging talent, and attract aligned brand partners. At the same time, this growing audience base will support our films intended for global platforms and expanded distribution.”
Ultimately, their vision is to build a scalable content ecosystem, one that starts with the Caribbean, but speaks to audiences around the world. “We’re not just creating content, we’re building a system to consistently tell Caribbean stories at scale, connect with global audiences, and own the platforms that bring those stories to life.”