Kimm Cole: On The Radar

KIERAN ANDREW KHAN

Kimm Cole states that from early on, life was no bed of roses. Growing up in Laventille before moving to Tunapuna, a commitment to hard work set her across several stages – from the runway ramp to the political hustings and finally more recently as a TV show host.

Born Krystle Andrew, but better-known by her nom de guerre Kimm Cole which came about as a Facebook name, her first walk on the stage was as a model, as she recalled, “My first and last local gig happened when I was 16-years-old. That really shaped my understanding of the industry. I soon realised that the people that really made the money were those behind the scene. So I went on to spend 16 years in the industry after that, just behind the camera instead.”

After having her daughter at 23, she also realised that she could not continue in the entertainment industry in that current manner – which required the long hours and late nights. She balanced her work commitment with her new role as mother and travelled with her partner, who is a celebrity fashion stylist and businessman.

“That experience exposed us to a different circle entirely – being surrounded by celebrities and heiresses. But he maintained a low profile so that even though there was this element of fame, we lived a very quiet life – including home schooling my daughter,” Cole said.

“In 2014, when I returned to TT, a long-time friend pointed out to me that while I was considering a lifestyle-based TV show, that the Black Caucus Movement was currently seeking someone to be the face of their show on Synergy. I didn’t think at the time that I had the prerequisites to be there. I didn’t know much about Pan Africanism but I was in tune with my experiences coming out of two mainly Afro-Trinidadian communities – that is Laventille and Tunapuna. So I could have spoken from my experiences. My daughter’s dad is an African as well and I realised that I wanted to raise her with that sense of identity - so it worked out in the end,” Cole said.

While hosting that programme on Synergy, her work veered towards a political slant. Cole explained, “We stumbled across HDC developments in Chaguanas that were partially built and never occupied – representing both the waste of resources and a waste of homes for people. As we explored the issue further, we discovered as many as 10,000 homes similar to that – that could house up to 50,000 citizens but for whatever reason, they aren’t complete or haven’t been allocated.

"We invited our membership to sign a petition so that discussions could be entered into with the HDC and the Ministry of Housing so that something could come from this terrible waste of homes and resources,” she explained.

"In the final stages of discussions with the HDC I was removed from the project ... so I could not continue the fight. Unfortunately nothing came of it and I felt terrible for raising the hopes of people on this matter only to see their hopes dashed,” Cole lamented.

Coming out of that, she had a chance meeting with a now-former senator, who asked of her interest in politics due to the attention and recognition she now had. She signed on with pne the major political parties as a candidate in the Local Government Elections, but while she received substantial support, she was ultimately not the winning candidate.

In late 2017, Cole continued hosting the Black Caucus Programme but suffered a stroke shortly after, resulting in partial paralysis. “I was told that I may be like this for a long time, but I started pushing myself to get up and move around. I tried to use the functioning parts of my body as best as I could. But I admit that I never truly felt so low,” she recalled.

“I moved myself to home care to be closer to my daughter and pushed myself to recovery for her.” With the support of Dr Joe Persaud and others, she was able to do just that. In 2018, Cole returned to TV, this time hosting her own show – The Cole Truth. The show gained notoriety when a particular political independent stormed off the set after some intensive questioning, but beyond that managed to bring light to areas that mainstream television programmes had yet to feature – like the issues within in the society regarding LGBTQI persons.

Despite moving from strength to strength, the show was cancelled in April – but that is just another small hurdle for Cole to tackle, as she sees it. “Synergy TV has had their issues but I know they will get past them. I wish them all the best for the experience and environment it offered me to learn and grow,” she noted, “but we do intend to continue on with our team in some way.” Though there is the option to go 100 per cent to social media channels, Cole believes that television offers a kind of validation of your work, where you have to be ‘better than the rest.’

Cole has also been involved with the One OAK Foundation – geared towards children who have lost their parents to violence and violent crime. The organisation was inspired by her chance meeting with a young boy who told her he had lost his father to a shooting a few days earlier.

“At just six years of age, he looked at me and said that he can’t wait to get older to ‘shoot back the people’ who shot his father. A six-year-old – carving a life of a criminal out for himself,” she said. “We’re formalising the organisation this year as well, but in the years since we have managed to help facilitate counselling and psychological support for young children.”

And though she doesn’t admit it outright, it’s obvious that she works assiduously to raise the funds to get that done herself with the support of her team.

Credits

Wardrobe: 212 Location

Fashion Stylist: Nacher Jack

Shoes: Noticed Styles

Makeup: Shania Perez

Manicutist: Totally Polished

Special thanks to/shot on location at More Vino