Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, with CBU President Anthony Greene (left) and Regional Director of the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean, Eric Falt (right), joined by CBU Caribbean Media Hall of Fame inductee Christopher Laird (second left) and Ms. Linda Moore, representing inductee Dr. Bruce Paddington. (Photo: T. Barker/BGIS)
Bridgetown, Barbados – August 20, 2025 – The Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU)
proudly announced the induction of two distinguished pioneers of regional film and television,
Christopher Laird and Dr. Bruce Paddington, into the CBU Caribbean Media Hall of Fame.
The ceremony took place on August 19 during the Opening Ceremony of the Union’s 56th
Annual General Assembly, hosted in Barbados.
Christopher Laird, co-founder and Managing Director of Banyan Ltd., has dedicated more than
four decades to shaping the Caribbean’s audiovisual landscape. A producer of over 300
documentaries, dramas and cultural programmes, Laird has been a driving force in ensuring Caribbean voices and stories are represented authentically on screen. His contributions include
co-founding Banyan Ltd. in 1981, establishing the Caribbean Film and Video Archive, and
launching Gayelle, the region’s first free-to-air all-Caribbean television station. His commitment
to preserving Caribbean heritage and nurturing local talent has made him a visionary leader in
the industry.
Dr. Bruce Paddington, filmmaker, academic and festival curator, has spent more than five
decades advancing Caribbean cinema through both creative production and education. As co-
founder of Banyan Productions and founder of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, Dr.
Paddington has produced over 500 films and television programmes that capture the region’s
culture, politics and identity. He was instrumental in establishing the University of the West
Indies’ Bachelor of Arts Film Programme, inspiring new generations of Caribbean filmmakers
and scholars. His award-winning documentaries, including The Mennonites of Belize and
Forward Ever: The Killing of a Revolution, have been celebrated at international festivals and
stand as vital contributions to Caribbean cultural memory.
The CBU Caribbean Media Hall of Fame was established to honour outstanding individuals
whose work has had a lasting impact on the region’s media and cultural landscape. With the
induction of Laird and Paddington, the Union recognises their extraordinary legacies and
enduring influence on Caribbean storytelling.
About the CBU
The CBU is a unique grouping of media houses – radio, television, print and digital – as well as
regulators, media education institutions and independent producers in countries and territories
in the Dutch, English, French and Spanish Caribbean.
Established in 1970, the CBU’s mandate includes capacity-building and training, media sector
advocacy and support for freedom of expression and journalists’ safety, negotiation of rights,
programme sharing as well as promotion of communication and information rights.
