by Irma Mutuc
MANILA – NBC’s Scott Mackenzie, Vice President, Channels, Asia, straddles business and personal reasons on his most recent visit to the Philippines. On the business side, he’s here to share NBC’s enthusiasm in bringing to their ASEAN audience more Philippine-produced shows in addition to their popular Philippine-based reality show “It takes gutz to be a Gutierrez”. In the pipeline is another E reality show which features Rex Atienza’s styleList, Inc., which will take us on a tour of what happens day to day in the first styling services company in the country a la the “Rachel Zoe Project”, and the Asian version of “How do I Look?” a well-loved NBC program hinged on wardrobe make-overs of unsuspecting fashion victims referred to the show by either family members or friends. The latter will be aired in NBC’s Diva Channel. In addition, a third show is in its production stage and scheduled to be launched in the third quarter of 2015.
According to Mackenzie, this may well not be the last of NBC shows which will be produced in the Philippines, “For us, it’s really more fun in the Philippines. It works to our favor that Filipinos have an affinity for US shows.” In addition, he says that their experience in producing “It takes gutz to be a Gutierrez” has been so pleasant and rewarding, “The Filipinos are easy and fun to work with. In particular, the Gutierrez family have been so open and cooperative and each of them really have their own story to tell. And they’re so at home with the camera.” Mackenzie also mentions how NBC was pleasantly surprised that when they took members of the Gutierrez family to Singapore and to other Asian countries, their Asian fans came to see them in droves but even when they were literally mobbed, the Gutierrez’ impressed them with the way they so graciously interacted with their fans and viewers. NBC in Asia, particularly Mackenzie, seems to have a very solid relationship with the family because the executive’s other reason for flying into the country this time is to stand as one of the principal sponsors at Elvis Gutierrez and Alexa Uichico’s wedding.
