A charity that is going to revive the local entertainment industry is seeking incorporation under the Companies Act, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

The Bermuda Project, brainchild of advertising executive and producer John White, is taking steps to solidify it's legal position since it takes on more responsibilities than a charity, Mr. White said last night.

"We're actually involved with entertainers which work and the way to do that was to become a corporation. A charity normally just raises money but we're going to be doing more," he said.

The project aims to teach young entertainers, write new scripts and acts, interface with hotels and Government concerning entertainers employment along with a host of other roles.

Mr. White formed the Bermuda Project on paper last year after a trip to Hawaii.

"But what really got me going was Gene Steede singing at the airport," said Mr. White.

"He is our greatest entertainer. The fact that he no longer had a show led me to believe that the situation had deteriorated to gargantuan proportions and it needed some serious revival," he said.

Mr. White, who was living on a ranch in California at the time, was raised in Bermuda and became a very successful musician with The Travellers, produced The Um Um Show and heads the Island's largest advertising firm, AAC.

Through frequent trips back to the Island as a trustee of the National Sports Centre, Mr. White was familiar with the state of Bermuda's entertainment scene.

The Bermuda Project, `Kick Start Task Force' includes Dale Butler, Tom Butterfield, Barbara and Cyril Cooper, Connie Dey, Elsbeth Gibson, Louise Jackson, Ray Medeiros, Conchita Ming, Ruth Thomas and Gavin Wilson among its members.

That same group will become the corporation's executive, with the addition of Vejay Steede.

In addition to the general leadership shuffle, the Bermuda Project will be able to acquire further corporate funding when the incorporation takes place, said Mr. White.

Continued on Page 5