Ask Dominique
Written by: Joey Bartlett

Roy, the eldest of four girls, spent her early years in Woodbrook before moving to Trincity. With
both parents working in the field of media—her mom employed within the business aspect of it,
whilst her father was in production—this media representation in the household would set the
stage for a young Dominique, who quickly discovered that profession was what she wanted to be
a part of. Her main area of study before transitioning into the machine of media was human
resources management; however, Dominique would complete a broadcasting course with
‘Increase Media" under the leadership of Ms. Luan John. Always having a passion for writing,
she found herself in the burgeoning poetry and spoken word scene. Not quite satisfied with the
representation given to the movements she immersed herself in, she began interviewing on radio
and television to promote the upcoming events she was scheduled to appear at.

 

 

It wasn’t until she accompanied a friend to a morning talk show and observed the hardworking crew creating the magic that she truly knew it was where she belonged, so what transpired next? “I reached out to that said friend about an internship opportunity. He made a call to the media rep and told
them of my interest, and it turned out they were in need of a production assistant to help
with the bookings. After one long conversation, I went for a trial with another hopeful to
shadow the rep, and I was selected for an internship with Lisa Wickham. After one month
of the internship, I was hired as a talent producer for the Now morning show with TTT
Limited” crediting her mother’s words of wisdom “There’s always something to do and no
task is too small” as a key component in her landing the role. Her duties at the time largely
consisted of booking guests, as she worked closely alongside the show's producer.

 

Though she was far from an ingenue but relatively new to the world of media production, Roy
confesses that the experience was unlike anything she had ever been a part of, describing it as
truly magical. It did require 100% of her, and her time and energy were solely dedicated to the
show. This would become one of her challenges moving forward. "My day would start at
2:00–2:30 am; the call time was 5am; the show went live at 6 am; it ended at 8 am; while the
rest of the day was dedicated to planning the next day’s segments. and my day would end around
11 p.m., so finding balance was definitely a struggle for me," she said candidly. Outside of
struggling to find balance, Dominique had a unique vantage point. With the Me-Too movement
shedding light on the purposefully overlooked discretions of men in power, Dominique, on the
other hand, found herself surrounded by strong, inspirational, driven women making amazing
strides in their professions. "Contrary to what I heard about the media industry from others,
I had support from my male counterparts, and my creative producer, production manager,
programming manager, and the show’s host were all female; there were also female
camerawomen and technical staff; at that studio, I was surrounded by great examples of
women," she proudly declares. Strong, caring women will become her role model, women such
as Lisa Wickham, Leslie Ann Wills-Caton, and Melissa Jimenez.

With stalwart Andy Johnson departing the desk he held at A.M. Prime and having been
producing his show for a few weeks, the hunt was on for a permanent host, and with such
enormous shoes to fill, the pressure to succeed was no easy feat for the next individual.
Fortunately, before she seized the reigns, another talent occupied the desk briefly. She was
grateful for them, as it lessened the intensity, but how did the producer become the talent? “I
was helping with the search for a host but kept getting asked, why didn't you do it? At first,
it was easy for me to ignore, me as a host on TV? I didn’t feel qualified enough; I didn’t
feel I had the look that most of the other hosts had; my signature look is a headwrap! A
look that I had not seen on local television, and as time passed, I started to ask myself, why
not me? So, when the opportunity arose again, I challenged myself and took it. I was
scared, but I decided to do it anyway” a decision she is proud of and one the country is
grateful for. This being Roy's first time hosting a show, she was understandably wrecked with
nerves. Self-doubt began creeping in as she went live across the island for the first time. She said
a quiet prayer to herself and began reading a word of encouragement; this was enough to calm
her spirit. "The adrenaline rushed, and I experienced the joy and completeness of the
moment; it let me know I was in the right place at the right time, doing exactly what I was
meant to do," she says, reflecting on the moment.

Having been a producer at the Now Morning Show, her drive, attention to detail, and willingness
to help others not just win but present their best selves make her a no-brainer and arguably a
benefit to any organization, but tipping her toe into the choppy waters of hosting and sailing
smoothly is a testament to her years of servitude in the industry. For the layman, we have our
own perception of what both roles entail, but from a professional standpoint, how was she able to
juggle the two? “I was hosting and producing the A.M. show at WESN; it required a lot of
balancing, but with time and prior experience, I was able to manage it well. During breaks
I was reaching out to guests, and when the show resumed, I would be focused on the
interview at hand; I truly enjoyed it." A very modest Roy states. With her stint at the desk
from February 28th to March 31st, she has surely left an indelible impression, and by her own
admission, it was a role she took very seriously. “I used this opportunity to inspire and
empower viewers through the daily inspirational segment, which started the show.

 

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I used  this platform to highlight groups and organizations within Trinidad and Tobago that are
dedicated to serving the community, such as the Red Cross Society, the Heroes Foundation,
the Bocas Lit Fest, Girl Guides, Roots Foundation, Ministry of Sports, We Code Caribbean, etc. It was extremely important to me to give a spotlight to local literature, local authors, and local entrepreneurs. I wanted to showcase local artists as well, not just through interviews but by including their music videos on the show. I am passionate about all things local. While this hosting opportunity was just for a month, it was filled with so much purpose, and my hopes are that the conversation and the support given through the features and interviews would have a lasting impression and go a long way," she divulges when speaking on how she hopes her foray into hosting impacted not just the audience but her guest as well.

As we have established during the course of this article, Dominique Tricia Roy is passionate. She
is passionate about arts, culture, giving voices to underrepresented talents, and will use whatever
platform she is given to promote their skills, so it should come as no surprise that she has been
actively volunteering with groups such as Is There Not A Cause [ITNAC]; with their mission trip
to our embattled Caribbean brother Haiti as well as Women of Elegance, specifically their
HUGS program, which is an acronym for Holding Up Girls Standards. This would see her doing
outreach work throughout the country, focusing on girls 11–19 years old. As she continues to
grow professionally, she co-founded Pivot Promotions TT, the organization responsible for
running the "events2gointt" pages on both Instagram and Facebook alike. The major objective of
PivoTT Promotions is to provide a space for artists, songwriters, entrepreneurs, performers, and
all other things and people that are creative. Her business does more than just advertising; it also
plans and implements, from door management to stage management and beyond.

Now that she has made her eight-year-old self proud by achieving her dream of appearing on
television, what has this experience taught her that she would like to share? "Through this
journey and continuing it, I am learning and accepting that I am enough, and that is the

message I would like to share. It does not matter how underqualified or unfit you feel; you
are enough, and if an opportunity presents itself, do not talk yourself out of it; do it scared
if you must; go brave and learn what you must along the way. Know your worth and value;
do not settle for less than you deserve; keep learning, keep growing, and keep going”. With
those final words we wrap up the interview, in awe of the woman that is Dominique Tricia Roy,
perhaps our next sit down would be to celebrate her first book?