By Kiana Wilburg
Having led an illustrious career as a charming radio announcer with a golden voice, Allana Bose is now tuning into her entrepreneurial frequency with the recent launch of Bose Media Company. Her new venture aims to solidify her brand in Guyana’s media landscape, offering high-quality commercial voiceover and production services that leverage the latest digital marketing tools.
During her interview with Guyana Standard, Allana shared critical highlights of her journey to becoming one of the most well-known voices country-wide, taking us back in time to the influential role of her mother—an aficionado of elocution.
Allana shared that she lived with her mom in a quiet East Coast Demerara (ECD) community. She would also spend quality time with her dad almost every weekend. While much of her upbringing was sheltered, and for the most part, marked by solitude, she reminisced about her mother’s insistence on eloquence. “I’ve always had a knack for English in school, and I was an avid reader; also, if you knew my mom, I had to speak properly around her always. She’s a Bishops’ High School old girl, so I guess it was just rubbed off on me,” Allana shared.
It was this very foundation that allowed Allana to make an almost seamless entry into the local media landscape after being encouraged by her mom to do so.
“My mom was actually the one who saw the notice in the newspapers that Network NCN (the National Communications) had open auditions for on-air announcers, and she suggested I try out,” Allana recalled.
She said there were several rounds of audition she had to go through in the midst of industry veterans Isaiah Chapelle and Michella Abraham-Ali. “I did these auditions while I was still in fifth form, and I was successful in it,” the former Marian Academy student shared.
Though she had to wait until she was 16 to begin her internship at NCN, Bose said it was her first introduction to being on the airwaves, “and I’m happy to say once I stepped in, I never looked back.”
Bose said she has been fortunate enough to have her start and training at NCN as she worked under other local greats like Merrano Isaacs and Rovin Deodat.
She also had key role models along the way such as veteran Guyanese broadcaster Wanita Huburn, whom she praised for the silky clarity in her voice. “I often tease her about the times I would be ironing my school clothes on Sundays while listening to her on Top 40 at the time, not even knowing that would be my future in a bit.”
Regionally, Bose said she deeply admires Cricket Journalist and CPL Commentator from Barbados, Alex Jordan. So great is her admiration that she even toys with the idea of trying her hand at Sports Journalism one day. “…I don’t even know where to start there, but I’ve always watched the level of production that goes into CPL media when they play locally and thought to myself ‘I wanna be in that’. Who knows eh?”
KEY OBSERVATIONS
With 13 years in the profession, Bose was proud to share that she has benefitted from honing her skill set at various institutions. After working at NCN for a few years as a freelance radio announcer, she continued to refine her talent at Radio Guyana Inc., NTN Radio, and Hits & Jams Entertainment.
Her current posting is at Kaieteur Radio, working alongside Casual, another popular radio announcer, on the Morning Rush show sponsored by Digicel.
Reflecting on some of her critical observations about the local media landscape, Bose did not hesitate to point out the progressive strides taken by most practitioners in using social media platforms and other digital tools to aid their craft.
Even with such a praiseworthy development, Bose said there are still fundamental gaps in the broadcasting area which need to be addressed. In this regard, she pointed to the need for prospective announcers to undergo training about the rules they are required to follow. This can ensure that they understand, for example, the impact of their words and the responsibility they hold as media personalities.
The seasoned radio announcer also spoke of the charm and challenge of the size of Guyana’s media landscape. While the close-knit community can offer a degree of camaraderie, Bose bluntly noted, “the fight down is real”. It is a mentality she hopes will change over time.
Another key challenge she spoke of was the reluctance of companies to fairly compensate radio announcers for their talent.
Bose said, “Just because we all can talk doesn’t mean we have the know-how and confidence to execute it on radio. This for me has been my biggest challenge; now I’m happy to say I’m secure enough in my skill to give my rate and stick to it. I know what I bring and I know how it should be valued.
“This takes time because when you’re starting out, you can sometimes be fearful of losing clients by sticking to your price and you allow yourself to be low-balled, but trust the process and trust yourself.”
BOSE MEDIA
While she is already a well-known figure in the media landscape, Bose believes it is only fitting that she makes a natural progression to creating a company that helps to solidify her brand, as well as her ability to navigate the intricate needs of brands in the digital age.
Guyana Standard understands that her company offers, among other things, script writing, voiceover recordings and voiceover productions across various media platforms.
She also shared that her cousin played a huge part in pushing her to establish the company, and she expressed her gratitude for this nudge.
“…I’m definitely happy that I made the jump cause there’s a whole world out there and I’m excited to see what’s in store for me,” the radio announcer said.
BEYOND BUSINESS
As she stands poised to elevate Guyana’s media landscape with a mix of old-school savvy and digital dynamism, Bose proudly shared that she isn’t just a radio announcer. She’s is a “nap queen” and an avid foodie whose always keeping an eye out for ways to monetize the latter.
Equally important to her is animal welfare advocacy. In fact, she devotes much of her time to Tails of Hope, an animal rescue organization.
Reflecting on the breath of her journey thus far, Bose said she would impress upon her younger self to save more and to simply be confident in her abilities. “… I wish I had the confidence and skill set I have now, back then…I’d go global…you’d be paying me the big bucks for this interview,” she said with the most charming giggle.
On that note of self-love and awareness, Bose, offered a key piece of advice to budding media professionals and marketers: “Just be you. Don’t be afraid to incorporate some of you into your on-air persona. People will love it. People might not. Yuh can’t please everybody in this life and you shouldn’t be killing yourself to do that either.”
To make contact with Bose for her services, you can reach out to her via her Instagram handle: [https://instagram.com/bosemediaco?igshid=YzAwZjE1ZTI0Zg==](https://instagram.com/bosemediaco?igshid=YzAwZjE1ZTI0Zg== “smartCard-inline”) .
