Frederick A. Morton, Jr. is one of the most successful entrepreneurs the entertainment industry has seen. Coming from the legal fraternity, when he joined MTV as Senior Vice President and head of the litigation department, a solemn realization forced him to veer in a different direction.
Though he grew up in St. Croix, Frederick developed a profound attachment with the entire Caribbean region. Being a travel enthusiast, as much as he explored the scattered islands across the Caribbean, he discovered all the islands shared the same culture, experiences, and history, with only a few exceptions. He instantly fell in love with the magnificent peaks, the roaring rivers, and scenic beaches of the Caribbean that presented an image of heaven on earth. “Earth’s last Eden” is what he later called it.
Besides beauty, it was the multiculturalism of the Caribbean that enamored Frederick in its entirety. Be it the diverse languages, customs, traditions, beliefs, cuisine, music, dance – the region is a blanket weaved with threads of different types and colors. Every part resembles some specialty and distinguishes itself from the other in a magnetic way. You may visit the entire Caribbean and then leave it behind, but it won’t leave you. It stays with you – just like it stayed with Frederick when he left for the US.
After his initial education, Frederick did leave St. Croix to pursue higher studies in arts and law at Rutgers and Columbia University, but he never turned his back on following the ultimate Caribbean Dream, which was the worldwide promotion of ‘paradise dotted in the islands’ on the face of the earth. Brewing from childhood, that dream finally came to fruition when Frederick stepped into MTV as Senior Vice President and head of the litigation department.
Frederick knew what the Caribbean had to tell the world. The region is a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities that migrated from different parts of the world and acclimated into the Caribbean lifestyle, becoming its integral part once and for all. Though different in many aspects, these cultures have been living, expanding, and growing shoulder by shoulder in the utter spirit of brotherhood and harmony, painting this heavenly place as ‘the land of love.’
It took time, but after working a few years at MTV, Frederick finally shared his plans for a media network dedicated to capturing the essence of the Caribbean lifestyle. Hence, TEMPO Networks emerged as the mighty representative of ‘all-things-Caribbean.’ Now, with the quality content produced by TEMPO, the world could see that for the Caribbean, food isn’t merely a source of sustenance, but it’s a social activity in which the entire family participates, and besides adding spices and edibles, love remained the most scrumptious ingredient in Caribbean foods.
In addition, the channel also provided a window to the world to peek in and catch a glimpse of magical music originating from the Caribbean. Likewise, there emerged a plethora of local art and talent from the region in the wake of the opening of TEMPO that left the global community agape.
Frederick couldn’t be more proud. Watching Caribbean culture in the international spotlight makes his life meaningful each and every day, and that provides the wind to the sail of his dreams; dreams to serve the Caribbean cause in each way possible.
