By Sulaiman Jalloh

In an exclusive interview with Expo Times, the Chief Executive Officer of Kings’ Empire, Valentine Mark King has said that the just ended House of Stars Reality TV Show in Sierra Leone promoted the country’s economy due to the influx of cash from the diaspora, noting it also improved the lives of local business people in the country, adding that it also helped relieve the stress and pain of many people.

“The show created several benefits for the country’s economy because we had inflow of cash from the diaspora into the country,” he asserted, adding his company spent huge money in buying goods from local shops and about over eight-hundred billion was spent in purchasing diesel.

“The show also benefited the contestants by giving them a platform to showcase their talents locally and internationally,” he said.

Mr. King noted that the show was inspired by challenging realities in the entertainment industry being experienced by many young talented people. He continued that the house, car and cash won can go a long way in addressing the emerging sufferings of stars in the country.

“We still have stars that have spent ten to fifteen years in the entertainment industry but still stay with their families. I believe that any star who has spent at least three years in the industry should be able to build a house and buy a new vehicle with a minimum of one hundred thousand new Leones in your bank account,” he said, noting that it is not their fault as it is how entertainment has been going in Sierra Leone the very reason why he has decided to organize the reality TV show every year.

Speaking on successes, he said the show went through successfully without a halt.

Mr. valentine Mark King noted that reality TV show exposes individuals’ abilities and behaviors. He stressed that having twenty-four individuals in a house and only two performed immorally does not mean reality TV show promote immorality, citing that reality shows expose the inner part of the individual to the public.

“Through reality TV show, the fans uncover the real individual they follow,” he said.

Despite the many successes, he recognized that there were also challenges, saying that Sierra Leoneans don’t believe in supporting new talent and that his company is here to change that perspective. He also lamented that big companies did not support them, because, according to him, the companies did not believe that the prizes were going to be given.

“I leant a lot of things like body shaming, hut words to themselves and we are planning to edit our contract and rule book to minimize body shaming and sexual abuses among contestants,” he stated.

“Since the beginning of reality TV shows in Sierra Leone, the fans have not seen winners as they are expected to be. One of the reasons is from the show owners. When a reality TV show ends, the organizers don’t want to know about the winners anymore. They just give their money and star prize. For us, we have one-year contract with our winner” he said, adding that they are going to monitor the portrayals of their winner even after the show. He refuted claims that the show was fixed.

He called on young people not to be idle as success does not come easy, noting social media is a career pathway which can be used to promote one’s skills, abilities and business.

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday, March 1^st, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)