Beyond the audience: The Creative Exchange Summit brings the business of creativity to The Bahamas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Beyond the audience: The Creative Exchange Summit brings the business of creativity to The Bahamas
International and Caribbean creators meet at Baha Mar on 23 October for a day focused on revenue, ownership and brand partnerships
NASSAU, The Bahamas, (17th October 2026) - Building an audience is one part of a creative career. Building a business that lasts is another. On Friday 23 October, The Creative Exchange Summit brings international and Caribbean creators, entrepreneurs and brand decision-makers together at Eccho, the art gallery at Baha Mar, to examine how creative work becomes income, intellectual property and long-term opportunity.
Held during the Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival, the Summit runs from 8:30am to 3:45pm across two stages. It is part of The Creative Exchange Retreat, now in its second year, which brings a new cohort of international creators and entrepreneurs to Nassau and Exuma from 21 to 26 October.
This year’s retreat cohort includes Lolo Wood, television host and co-host of MTV’s Ridiculousness; Alicia Scott, founder and CEO of Range Beauty, the makeup brand available at Sephora; Alex Wolf, founder of OFNDS Corp., named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business; and AuJené Butler, media personality and creator of Bless’t Fest, a free community festival.
They are joined by Alex Cottrell, filmmaker and founder and CEO of the production company First Bite Global; Barry Brewer Jr., director, writer, actor, comedian and founder of OBE Studios; Danielle Joelle, Los Angeles-based actor, host and podcaster; Kennedy Murray, the Houston-based creator and creative director known online as Kenfidential; Nia Moore, food, lifestyle and solo travel creator; Darien “That Ab Guy” Johnson, former professional football player and fitness creator; and Troy Blyden, former Harlem Globetrotter turned wellness creator and founder of the (im)perfect wellness club.
The Summit puts the decisions behind a creative career at the centre of the conversation: what to charge, which partnerships to pursue, how to protect ownership and how to build revenue beyond a single platform. For established creators, it offers a platform to share the thinking behind their businesses with fellow creators and the brands that commission creative work. For attendees, it pairs that perspective with practical sessions and opportunities to make connections.
“Creators already move culture, and more and more they move travel. We built the Summit as the place where they talk openly about the business side, the rates, the rights and the partnerships, with the brands they work with and with Caribbean creators building the same thing,” said Dinetia Dean and Janay Symonette, co-founders of The Creative Exchange.
Inside the programme
Why Brands Say Yes, and Why They Pass brings a hotel, a Bahamian brand and an agency into the conversation about what they commission and how they choose creative partners. The Creator Revenue Stack examines how visiting creators earn income and the platforms their businesses run on.
Protect the Bag covers contracts, usage rights and intellectual property with attorney Obi Pindling of Pindling & Co., presented by the Creative Industry Tourism Council by the Tourism Development Corporation. Shoot Your Shot gives ten Bahamian creatives the opportunity to pitch live to brands and industry leaders.
The Marketplace adds working sessions for 12 to 15 people, a Contract Desk hosted by the Council offering general guidance (not legal advice), a headshot station and ten-minute one-to-ones with visiting creators. Marketplace sessions and one-to-ones are booked in advance, with limited places; earlier registration gives attendees first choice.
Designed for creators, studio founders, entrepreneurs and the brand and marketing teams that hire them, the Summit also welcomes people taking their first steps towards a creative business. Companies sending five or more attendees can book group rates.
Tickets and media access
Tickets are available now at tickets.joincreativeexchange.com. General admission is $195; the Bahamian Creator rate is $125 and the Student rate is $65, with ID required at registration for both discounted categories. Group rates are available for five or more.
Journalists can apply for accreditation and request interviews with the founders and visiting creators at joincreativeexchange.com/press.
The 2026 edition is supported by The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation, with the Creative Industry Tourism Council by the Tourism Development Corporation as programme partner, Baha Mar as venue, and partners RF Bank & Trust, EV Motors, Nassau Agencies, The Agency, 3Ns and growing.
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ABOUT THE CREATIVE EXCHANGE
The Creative Exchange is a creator retreat co-hosted by ALT+ESC+CREATE and Bevy Experiences. Each year, it brings international creators and entrepreneurs to The Bahamas to make work alongside Bahamian talent through local food, music, art, open water and conversation. The 2026 Retreat runs from 21 to 26 October in Nassau and Exuma, with The Creative Exchange Summit at Baha Mar on 23 October. joincreativeexchange.com
ABOUT ALT+ESC+CREATE
Founded by Dinetia Dean, ALT+ESC+CREATE is a creator-led media company producing original content and connecting creators, brands, and destinations through paid partnerships and curated experiences.
ABOUT BEVY EXPERIENCES
Based in Nassau, Bevy Experiences designs cultural experiences, corporate retreats and curated group travel across The Bahamas, with Bahamian operators, hosts and makers at the centre of every itinerary.
MEDIA CONTACT
Janay Symonette, Co-founder, The Creative Exchange