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Hey all,
My best friend and I are strongly considering moving down to the USVI to permanently escape the ever-exceedingly-prevalent hive lifestyle here on the mainland. We're both 26-year-old single gals with big personalities, adventurous streaks, and terrible luck with men, so we decided we want to commit to building a happy settled-down life together as friends/surrogate sisters, and see if guys come into the picture later on down the line.
I grew up in a tiny town in the Midwest and after 8 years in Los Angeles I'd give anything to never have to look at another billboard again. However the heavy social emphasis on religion drove me away from Midwestern small town life to begin with and keeps me from wanting to return to my stomping grounds. My friend, let's call her Rosie, grew up in Costa Rica and spent some time living in STT and STJ while her dad was getting extended medical treatment, and thinks the islands would fit right in with our shared sensibilities and desire for being apart of a closer-knit community.
Now, as far as earning a living goes, Rosie has been serving and bartending since high school, so we're not anticipating she'll have any trouble landing a job in the service sector. As for me, I've been working as an associate producer in reality TV and I'm hungry for a new challenge. I enjoy a good hustle, have a knack for juggling a lot of balls and building relationships, am a very fast learner, and have a few good Hollywood investor friends who are used to throwing money into crazy ventures (like pretty much every entertainment endeavor). Also very willing, (and eager), to get my hands dirty and learn bankable skills and new practical knowledge-sets at the squire level. Curious to hear from any of you entrepreneurs on this forum who have seen the business climate on the islands change over time and know what the existing needs are. If you were starting off now in your 20s, what would you work your way towards building? Open to all kinds of ideas and tips.
Also, if you happen to be personally looking for a scrappy (and some say charming) young apprentice, or you know someone who is, I might be the perfect candidate.
Posted : November 1, 2015 5:58 am
Mention to your investor friends that under certain circumstances here you can get up to 29% tax rebates on film, music, or video production if the cost exceeds $500k.
http://m.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/committee-oks-revised-stars-act-1.1845850
Posted : November 1, 2015 8:29 am
There are definitely some pretty attractive tax incentives for new businesses in the VI, especially for the film industry. Here is some more info to pass along to any potential investors EDC
There are a lot of twenty something transplants here. It's pretty easy to meet people, make friends, make connections. The restaurant and bar industries are strong. I say give it a go! If you don't like it, you can always leave. I came here when I was about your age thinking I might be here a season or so before going back to the states. I'm still here 16 years later. It's a different kind of lifestyle than most have in the states, but it suits me just fine. Having a friend to help split living costs will help out a lot too.
Now I guess you just have to figure out which island 😀
Posted : November 1, 2015 9:40 am
There are quite a few filmmakers on St John, and they hold screenings during season. You have to Google because I'm not 100% certain of the name.
There is also St John School of the Arts which may be looking for someone with film talent. Pitch them an idea. It may be volunteer, though.
Quite a few advertising companies that do commercials. There's an Advertising Association (again Google) and they do an awards ceremony every year and I think enter national competitions.
Posted : November 1, 2015 11:03 am
Just go for it! My husband and I put off coming to the VI for 22 years, then we decided to just do it before we got any older. Now that we are here in STX we can't believe we waited so long. We are loving the pace of life and the many cool people we have met and become friends with, I'm with you, they can have the hustle and bustle. Good luck!
Posted : November 1, 2015 11:16 am
What is a hive lifestyle?
If you don't like billboards, wait until you see the annoying huge signs along the streets. 😉
Posted : November 1, 2015 11:30 am
Sounds more like Fantasy Island.
Posted : November 1, 2015 3:36 pm
Topic starter
I'd actually rather avoid doing anything media-related for the rest of my life. Just want take the skills I've developed for coordinating people, resources, and logistics and apply them to something that creates an impact in the 4D world. Just mentioning my investor friends to say I have the ability to execute something big if the numbers can add up on paper. I'm willing to hop into pretty much any industry and turn myself into an expert. It's about the long haul.
Not really concerned about which island. Rosie really liked STJ but she's flexible.
Posted : November 1, 2015 4:31 pm
The typical trend is for us millenials to leave the islands, but I'll always welcome new people!
Posted : November 1, 2015 4:31 pm
I say if you can half way afford it, go for it. I believe you will LOVE the lifestyle here. But I would look more at St. Thomas than St. Croix if you want a really jammin night life.
Posted : November 3, 2015 5:30 pm
