Beckford does it all, all the time
Published:Sunday | July 10, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Krista Henry, Staff Reporter
Her plate may be full but Esther Beckford is loving life.
An artist, art director, production designer, entrepreneur, model, actor, video vixen, student, surfer and upcoming TV host, Beckford is a jack of all trades.
With her hand in a number of projects, it's not easy to keep up with the 27-year-old, yet the entrepreneur took time from her busy schedule to talk with The Sunday Gleaner recently.
Beckford comes from a family of artists and hails from Bull Bay St Thomas, where she stays close to home.
Daughter of artists Owen Beckford and Michelle Gauntlett and sister to singer Keida, Beckford is one of many in a talented clan.
"I'm from a family of fine artists and I'm involved in a couple of industries," Beckford said.
Beckford got her start in the arts after finishing the Immaculate High School, where, alongside her mother, she began doing decorative painting. It was in 2006, however, that her eclectic career began.
Many hats
First, the youngster was taken under the wing of Pulse Investments where she competed in the Miss Jamaica Universe pageant and later was recruited in the organisation's Pulse Caribbean Model Search where she ended up a finalist.
It was also in that year that she began working on the then-unknown film project Better Mus' Come as an art director.
This led Beckford to other projects. She worked on the video for Candy Shop for instance, and did set designs for countless music videos like Shaggy's Bad Man Don't Cry and Busy Signal's Tik Tok.
Soon, however, Beckford found herself moving from behind the scenes to centre stage where she starred alongside Wayne Marshall in his video Messing With My Heart. Features in videos like David M's Girl Night Out and Protoje's Dread brought Beckford's talent into the limelight.
Beckford also modelled for the likes of The Afflicted Yard, Marvin Bartley, Marlon James, Gary James and Tiffany Lue Yen just to name a few.
While art direction, set design and modelling made for a full plate, Beckford also added going to school to the mix.
At the University of Technology, Beckford was pursuing architecture but has taken a break.
"Right now, I'm working on two pilots. One is for a TV show series, a local production, where I play a core character. I can't really talk about that right now. I'll also be hosting the 'Global Reggae Top 40', a weekly upcoming music video countdown. And then, behind the scenes I recently completed the set design for 'In The Dance'," Beckford explained.
"I'm a dualist, I work in front of the camera and behind it, I guess that reflects my personality. I'm a bit of an extrovert and an introvert, I see it all as an adventure, I like the fact that there is constant change and I like working with artists," she added.
The adventure continues for Beckford - a month ago, alongside Kevon Archer and Nashera James, she formed Environment Design. Environment Design is an event decor, production design and art direction company.
Beckford was obviously excited about the company's projects, which include some upcoming summer parties.
"I've talked about doing this for years and now I have a team I can really rely on to see it happen. Life is pretty hectic, but I like it."
In her spare time, Beckford enjoys surfing, and travelled
She, however, says she prefers to surf for fun rather than in competition. When she finds the time she also paints on canvas.
One day, Beckford says, she wants to finish her architecture degree and see her company blossom and still find time for her painting.