Metro TV's Jackie on the rise
Back when radio in Ghana was in still in its infancy, one had to be seasoned and advanced in age before they would be given the opportunity to host shows or work as on-air personalities.
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The youth were usually kept at arm's length due to the widely held belief at that time that they were inexperienced and thus not ready to be given the task of hosting and moderating programmes.
However, this philosophy of media houses has changed since the liberation of the airwaves and the proliferation of private media houses in Ghana.
Lately, many youngsters especially students are given the opportunity to work as radio/TV presenter alongside their education.
Jackie Naa Adukwei, the host of Smash TV and Playlist on Metro TV, is one of the young people making a name for themselves in the media.
In an interview with Showbiz last week, she shared how she got started in showbiz, "I would say its divine or it was destined to happen. My friend, Eddy Blay called me to come for an audition. I went there for the audition and was picked as the host of the Smash TV show. I had mixed feelings initially but I knew it was God who made it possible. It is even more remarkable because I had never done TV presenting before going for the audition. Although I had acted in the hit TV series Peep, this was a totally different challenge but I took it up and here I am by God’s Grace after almost 2 years," she narrated.
"I wouldn't say my success is just as a result of my hard work but rather because I have a wonderful team behind the scenes who provide direction."
Jackie was a student at the Ghana Institute of Journalism at the time when she landed this TV job at Metro TV and narrated how she managed to juggle her work and education. "When I started, I was wondering how I was going to combine both but was determined to deliver and I knew this is what I wanted as well
I would go to school during the day and right after that I will go to the studio to shoot, that's if I had a shoot. When I got home at night, I would take my books and go over what I was taught before I went to bed. In all of this, I would say my family helped me a lot. They were supportive and would help me in any way they could if I needed their assistance. Also, God is the centre of everything I do because even before I leave home, I pray for strength to go through it. He has been very faithful and I can't thank him enough," she added
When asked why she uses the moniker “JackieIsEverywhere” on TV, she said the name was given to her by Eddy Blay.
Real name, Jacquline Naa Adukwei Susan Mercedes Acquaye, Jackie hails from Sempe in the Greater Accra Region. She started her education at the St. Paul School and then continued at the Tema Secondary School.
Owing to her intense love for French, Jackie enrolled at the Alliance Francaise to pursue a course in the French language. She also attended Ghallywood Academy of Films to learn about movie acting, film directing and script writing.
In 2015, she graduated cum laude from Ghana Institute of Journalism and was adjudged the Best Student in Journalism and Print News. She told Showbiz that she'll be going back soon to pursue her master’s degree programme.
She expressed gratitude to Eddy Blay and television host Blakofe for their support, “I would love to say a huge thank you to Eddy Blay, if you had not believed in me, there would have been no story to tell. Blakofe is also such an inspiration. I grew up watching her and wanting to be like her and luckily for me I had her as a coach! Bless these two" she concluded