#Newsmaker: Rozanne McKenzie on starting a media company and producing her first TV show

She’s also employed at Via-TV as executive producer and presenter and is the traffic presenter on The Workzone on Jacaranda FM, weekdays from 12-4pm.

Rozanne McKenzie

Here, she tells us more about her new company and show and how she made it in Afrikaans and bilingual media, being a woman of colour…

You’re currently producing your first TV show. How did this come about?

I had the idea of creating a TV show around Jacaranda FM’s Good Morning Angels, which is featured on Breakfast with Martin Bester every Wednesday morning, a few years ago. It’s been mulling around in my head and last year, I actually sat down and had a discussion with Martin Bester, Dianne Broodryk and the Jacaranda FM team about possibly pitching it to a channel. We pitched it to Via and they were very excited to commission the show. We also needed a sponsor and Roman’s Pizza, a loyal supporter of Good Morning Angels came on board immediately.

Tell us more about it.

Omgee-engele is a revisit of some of the incredible stories that listeners have heard on Good Morning Angels over the past few years. Presented by Martin and Dianne, the TV show goes back to the beneficiaries and we chat to them about how it’s going with them now and how their involvement with Good Morning Angels has changed their lives. These guests then get the opportunity to identify someone else in need and then pay it forward by making a cash contribution in every episode. This element is a surprise for the recipient. It’s absolutely heartwarming to see the reactions.

Tell us about your experience and how it has equipped you for this new challenge?

I’ve been involved in media and broadcasting for almost 15 years. I studied Drama and Media Studies at the University of Cape Town before completing my Honours in Drama in 2003. I’ve had so many great mentors on this journey into producing, including Wim Steyn from Idea Candy. A few years ago, I co-produced on the first series of Sarie Voorbladgesig with him and also a few TV commercials and online content projects. I learned so much from those experiences.

Why the cross-over to production, and why TV specifically?

In 2018, I finally felt confident enough to branch out on my own and I started Rozanne McKenzie Media.

I’ve spent so many years in front of the camera and behind the mic, that now is the perfect time for me to also start creating my own work. I want to be in the rooms where the decisions are made. It is also so important for me to start creating content that is representative of the South Africa I live in. There are not enough women of colour taking up space as producers. It’s time to change this.

What do you love most about your career and industry?

I love that this industry is constantly changing. There is so much opportunity and no one day is the same. It’s exciting and challenging. What really excites me about the direction I’ve moved in now with my company is the variety of stories that are out there to be told.

Any career highlights you’re particularly proud of?

Seeing Omgee-engele on a TV screen and sharing that with South Africa is something that I’m so very proud of. We persevered despite losing four weeks of our original production time due to the Level 5 lockdown and having to change some of the stories because of the Covid-19 protocols. The team did the best job of getting the show shot in less time than we had initially and still going out to get the stories we wanted to tell. Despite all these challenges we still delivered a show we can be proud of before our deadline.

Some of my highlights in front of the camera include interviews with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and John Cleese. Until late last year, I was a news anchor on Nuusdag on e.tv, before it was taken off the air. I’d wanted to be a news anchor since I was a little girl and getting to do it in Afrikaans, live every night, is something I will never forget.

View this post on Instagram

Dreams come true and they also come to an end. Tonight is my very last @nuusdag bulletin. After 13 months on air, the show in its current format ends tomorrow. It’s been very sudden and quite a bitter pill to swallow, but I’m smiling because I got to work with these incredible people from whom I have learned so much. I will miss this more than I can say. Tune in at 18:30 tonight on @dstv Channel 195 and @openviewforever Channel 105 to watch me not burst out crying on live TV. �� #nuusdag #newsanchor #newsteam #ilovemyjob

A post shared by Rozanne McKenzie (@rozmckinsta) on Oct 31, 2019 at 7:55am PDT

I grew up in a single-parent household in Bonteheuwel on the Cape Flats. I was very lucky to have a mom who wanted me to have the best education and worked tirelessly so I could have better opportunities than what she had. My maternal grandparents also played a big role in raising me and instilling the belief in me that there is nothing I can’t do and I should be proud of where I come from.