Local Multimedia CEO Represents Country in Belize

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – From the Bahamas to Belize and back, Felicia Frazier is looking at how far Bahamian content can travel.

The Mangra Studios CEO is a 2024 fellow of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, a U.S.-backed program connecting entrepreneurs across the Western Hemisphere.

But before the international connections, Frazier says the idea started while she was working as a software developer, watching digital platforms like BuzzFeed, and wondering what that kind of content could look like with Bahamians at the center.

Felicia Frazier – CEO, Mangra Studios
“So I actually started off as a full-stack developer. I used to work for a company named SureTrader. They used to trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and I was basically the web developer to manage their platform. And so, when I coded for hours at work, I would actually listen to and watch videos of BuzzFeed, Tasty, Jubilee, and Cut. They used to have really, really good conversations. And I was like, if I put Bahamians in this content, what would happen?”

That question would eventually lead her to walk away from a steady paycheck, buy a four-hundred-dollar camera, and test the idea for herself. And the response came quickly.

Frazier says her early videos pulled in some two-hundred-thousand views in just three months.

Proof, she says, that there was an audience for content built around Bahamian experiences.

Felicia Frazier – CEO, Mangra Studios
“So I actually quit my well-paying job there. And I bought a $400 camera, and then I rented a studio for a few hours, and I actually put Bahamians in the same context. So, we would actually help people taste mayonnaise with conch salad with mayonnaise for the first time. They actually blindfolded kids and had them taste bus medicine for the first time. And so when we put those videos out there, we actually got 200,000 views within three months. And so, when I realized, okay, so this is a concept that can work, and we can go viral.”

Now, she’s looking beyond viral videos.

Through connections built from her YLAI experience, including recent engagement in Belize, Frazier says Mangra Studios now has direct access to people in other Caribbean markets.

And that’s helping her answer a much bigger business question: Can a company built around Bahamian creativity scale beyond the Bahamas?

Felicia Frazier – CEO, Mangra Studios
“Before going to Belize, one of the things that my husband and I were discussing was trying to go into the Caribbean market. And so, instead of just kind of like throwing everything to the wall and see what sticks, we actually now have direct connections, two different Caribbean countries, so we could have conversations with persons who are on the ground and say, hey, these are the services that Mangra Studios offer. Does your industry, does your country, would like that? Who are basically the key persons in there so we can connect and then expand outside of just the Bahamas market, and also into the U.S. market.”

And for other Bahamian creatives wondering whether their own ideas can grow beyond home, Frazier says her journey has taught her not to underestimate the value of belief, or the people around you.

Felicia Frazier – CEO, Mangra Studios
“I just want to encourage everybody, don’t give up. Always believe in yourself, and rely on your support system. Building the studio hasn’t been easy, but what made it easy is believing in myself, believing in God, and believing in and relying on the support system that has been there for me, whether it was my family, my friends, or the creative economy itself. So that’s my advice.”