Julius CZAR
CEO/Commander-In-Chief – CAESAR’S ARMY
FL Caesars Army- how did you come up with the concept, what does it mean to be a Roman and how do you think it has evolved over the years?
J: Caesar’s Army actually came from the previous company that I had which was Julius Caesar Entertainment. The change primarily came when I realised that I couldn’t accomplish large scale event production/experiences without a team. As Julius Caesar, I was the be all and end all of the company. As Caesar’s Army, we became a company that represented a formidable team of experiential curators and event strategists.
What does it mean to be a ROMAN ? To be a ROMAN is actually a term used to define any individual that is a part of the Caesar’s Army Community. This comprises our full time staff and our core teams, our global committee members and our loyal following of patrons around the world. In a simplified way, ROMANS are actually global ambassadors of our Caribbean Culture which Caesar’s Army is taking to the world’s stage.
FL: For the foreigners outside of Trinidad, your events are the Most sought after. How does one become a committee member, are there any requirements when approving ticket request, as being gate keepers to the fete scene what suggestions do you have to improve the experience between committee members and Feters.
J: At this point in time, the company has changed quite a bit because most of our committee members were previously chosen based on which territory we were producing events in. There wasn’t really a process. In fact, it was based on who wanted to become a Roman – could have simply asked and we would have put them on the committee. Now times have changed and the company has evolved in such a way that we now need to re-evaluate this entire committee mechanism – that would allow for better customer satisfaction (as it pertains to our events) and for more inclusiveness (as it pertains to our community).
FL: When it comes to event production, can you walk us through your creative mind from brainstorming concepts to the event day and what kind of team is needed for such large events?
J: Basically, Caesar’s Army (the company) is broken into two parts but we all work together as one. There is the BRAND side (marketing, digital media, design architects etc) and there is the EVENT PRODUCTION side (Stage production, infrastructure etc) but as i said before the ARMY works together as one when producing an event. The theme and/or concepts will come from the entire team and this is where we balance the ideas with actually executing it. Once we confirm the event that we are going with – the brand and the production teams go through their processes to ensure the final product is ready. We are an “all in one” experiential event production company – so from start to finish, we can produce or manage events/experiences with our global event staff. It should be said though, that the bigger the event – the more specialised your team needs to be – so we are constantly in search of new event practitioners to join our always expanding team.
FL: Carnival Rogue exploded on the scene with something that was new and fresh at a much needed time, what steps do you take to make sure your band stands out but also falls inline with the tribe brand?
J: ROGUE is a collaboration between Caesar’s Army and TRIBE. Ultimately, I think the whole purpose behind the collaboration was to bring a revolutionary difference to the Carnival Mas Band landscape. TRIBE has been doing unique Mas for years and Caesar’s Army has been doing unique event experiences for years – so i think this collaboration was mainly to bring the best of both worlds together to create a unique Mas band that was global, innovative and that was willing to break the “status quo” of Mas nowadays. In my eyes, ROGUE is destined to be the FUTURE of MAS.
FL: Over the carnival seasons we have seen many bands fall by the wayside from Customer Service, To even non delivery of costumes: how important is accountability and what steps does rouge take to ensure the ultimate carnival experience?
J: Caesar’s Army has always believed and will continue to believe, that the customer comes first. I also believe that this has been and will continue to be the mantra of our partners TRIBE as well. So ensuring a high level of customer service is always top of mind and will always be of the utmost priority to us. This does not mean that we will always be perfect – but I do believe that in times of shortcomings – accountability is most necessary and we should always try to learn from our mistakes.
FL: You and your wife are avid travelers and both of you are in the event production scene how do you guys maintain the work life balance?
J: Between Mahatma Candy (Candy Coated Experiences) and Julius Caesar (Caesar’s Army) lol, we basically love what we do – so actually work doesn’t really feel like work for us (well – most of the time lol). We enjoy our work and we enjoy our life to the fullest but i think what we always try to distinguish is our work time from our personal time because sometimes it’s very easy to get caught up and not distinguish between the two. Other than that, I think that the work that we do helps us to fulfil/guide us to our life’s purpose – so i think we are both happy that we are in a place where what we do – can lead to a life of fulfillment or substance.
FL: Your travel blog commentary is hilarious, when can we expect a YouTube or IGTV channel dedicated to your travel blogs and behind the scenes of the many brands that you run?
J: People always used to ask me about this but my travel commentary was more or less a hobby or something that i just loved doing while on tour with my wife. I never took it as a serious thing until people kept asking me – “When is the next trip ? – I can’t miss you in action.” Lol. But quarantine has allowed me to spend time on the things that I have always wanted to do or never made the time to do. So who knows – maybe i will think about it some more and let you know. **wink wink**
FL: Bacchanalia made us want to fly to Trinidad just for that weekend alone! The people asked, you and your team delivered! What are some of your favorite moments from that weekend and what can we expect next year?
J: The entire weekend was great for me because we tried to put together a festival weekend of the best concepts that we had to offer. Road Block was the J’ouvert. Bacchanal Road LED was our Neon Night Mas. And well the infamous Bacchanal Road Day Parade to end off the entire weekend. It was FANTASTIC and I know that we are working on more weekend festivals such as this – so it’s good to know that it was well received and that all 3 events were well attended. I think if i had to identify one favourite moment from that weekend was when i had to dive off the stage in Road Block – all thanks to my wife, Bunji & Fay-Ann. It was the most exhilarating thing I ever did in one of my events but I’m not too sure if I would ever do it again. Lol.
FL: What are you doing during your quarantine time?
J: Mostly strategizing and thinking of the ways that my companies can adapt in the new world of tomorrow. I believe that this is a time of metamorphosis. So before the pandemic – I was a caterpillar but now I’m in the process of becoming a butterfly – preparing to take flight in this new world of ours.
FL: Czar the brand- Tell is the story behind it and what you are looking to accomplish with it?
J: CZAR is all about building brands (especially Caribbean ones). As Caribbean people, I know how hard it is to take your brand to the WORLD – so i am now using my experience and my expertise (from building my own brand empire) to guide others to the greatness that they are destined to be. I aim to launch this company officially in June this year.
FL: Let’s talk about Carnicon- please tell us about this convention and how the concept came about, who’s involved and what are the dates of when & where it will be held?
J: CarniCon is the global Carnival Convention. Everything that is Carnival from around the world – will be showcased, discussed, displayed, highlighted and featured at this Convention. The team is made up of myself (Jules Sobion), Dean Ackin (TRIBE), Derrick Lewis (Island People/Eventology) and Jaime Stewart (CPL). Our goal is to make T&T the epicenter of everything that is Carnival – so ideally we are inviting the world to T&T – so that we can finally begin the global discussion and understanding on this most amazing industry. It was scheduled to take place in November 2020 but this may be rescheduled because of the Covid pandemic.
FL: With things like our Feter Lifestyle App and other carnival brands and influencers, how can we be apart of the convention and what steps do we need to take?
J: One can subscribe to become a part of the Convention by going to the website at www.carnicon.org and filling out the form according to how you would like to be involved.
FL: Would you consider the convention merges the new modern aspects-such as social media and the cultural aspect of carnival together. It’s been talks that some aspects of carnival are losing the cultural essence, how does Carnicon plan to showcase the cultural aspect of carnival and keep it alive?
J:Yes CarniCon will be the epicenter of everything that is Carnival. From the foundation of the culture to the future of Carnival – it will be represented in some form or fashion.
FL: What are some of the topics being covered during the convention?
J: CarniCon Conference (Panel Discussions and Expertise Exchange)
CarniCon Learn (Education)
CarniCon Live (Displays from Carnivals from around the world)
CarniCon Expo (Goods & Services)
