Known as the love guru due to his long-standing television show on CVM TV ‘The Love Zone’, Alrick McKenzie is now a well-known media personality who has made a name for himself as a host, model and entrepreneur. After more than a decade in the media fraternity honing his craft both behind and in front of the camera, McKenzie is about to be a game-changer in the industry as he embarks on a new television venture known as ‘The Alrick McKenzie Show’.
BUZZZ Magazine sat down with Alrick McKenzie to get the dish on his ‘buzzworthy’ new show, upcoming plans, a bit about his past and how he went from trying to find his way in the world, to calling the shots in a production that bears his stamp.
The Love Zone
In early 2017, ‘Love Zone’ ended its long and successful run. For the show’s host, it was years filled with valuable life lessons which broadened his skill set and cemented his place in media. “We called it quits after eight years of telling peoples’ love chronicles on television. The show centred on connecting with people in their natural home environment. For example, we went to Arnett Gardens to a lady’s board house and sat on two buckets and conducted our interview because we wanted to be as true to life as possible and have our viewers live the experience with us.”
‘Love Zone’ he said, had built the Sunday 6:30 pm television slot over the years based on viewers response obtained from the Marketing Strategy Survey. “It confirmed that we held 55% percent of the market while ‘Profile’ was at 42%.” “‘Love Zone’ was truly impactful on people’s lives. “
“I remember a domestic violence episode was aired and a woman who wanted to commit suicide watched it and after seeing our show about a woman who triumphed over that kind of relationship, she decided not to end her life. It was not about me being a TV star it was about the show’s positive impact. So you see, it was never about money so even when we were struggling financially, we still believed that what we were doing made a difference.”
The Alrick McKenzie Show
After more than 160 episodes, he decided that ‘Love Zone’ had run its course. “It took me two years to make the decision but eventually, I decided I needed a change. It was also a business move. I went back to the drawing board because I always wanted to have the Alrick show to give people a chance to tell their story; feel they have a personal stake in the show and therefore embrace the brand Alrick McKenzie even more. Plus a name change drives more attention to us and that we will not just stick to what we have always been doing. Therefore it was an evolution that was necessary.”
Growth for McKenzie also involves recognising your weaknesses and for his show, it was their social media content. That has since been rectified with a savvy company now handling that aspect of their programme. “We want to do socially relevant issues, particularly in education, looking at disenfranchised youth who have fallen by the wayside…….
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #6 January-February 2018
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