Not only has Mark Kenny arguably raised the bar on television production in Jamaica with his hit series The Wray & Nephew Contender, he has helped to return the local spotlight on a sport that has huge economic potential.

The Wray & Nephew Contender is a reality TV show which follows a group of 16 boxers competing against one another in an elimination-style tournament of which the winner is rewarded with $1 million. It is an adaptation of the original The Contender show produced in the USA in the mid-2000s by Sylvester Stallone and Mark Burnett.

In a display of great foresight, Kenny saw the original show and came up with the idea that the concept could work in Jamaica.

“I saw the series from the USA and through initial conversations with (Jamaica Boxing Board of Control president ) William Tavares-Finson three years ago, I started to put together a plan for producing the show in Jamaica and it was then that I took it to the marketplace for sponsorship,” Kenny told Sunday Finance.

Kenny and his production team – MJK Productions – have an impressive track record for producing some of the best television shows in Jamaica, including Digicel Rising Stars, Magnum Kings & Queens of Dancehall and most recently Claro Cash Cab. But, even against this background, not many corporations shared his vision of bringing what would be a big budget boxing reality TV show with production costs in excess of $40 million to local shores.

“Well, it was very tough to get sponsorship for the series because the production value that I wanted to bring to the show demanded a large budget, and in Jamaica, when you’re looking for contributions on that level, it is a hard sell when you don’t have a precedent for it,” said Kenny, noting that “As a producer you have a vision for how a show will look and feel and you know you’ve hit the jackpot when a corporate entity shares the same vision.”

However, strong relationships bore fruit for Kenny as J Wray and Nephew decided to provide their financial backing and become the major sponsor for the ambitious venture.

“I was very fortunate that Andrew Desnoes was newly appointed as the CEO of J Wray and Nephew. He had previously green lit Magnum Kings & Queens of Dancehall while he was marketing director for Lascelles Wines & Spirits. I think because of our history and the fact that Andrew Desnoes has great vision in terms of his marketing expertise; he agreed to back me for a second time seeing the success I’ve had with Kings & Queens and the Magnum brand,” noted Kenny.

Soon, Claro joined the partnership as an associate sponsor.

“Claro came on board once they saw the success of Claro Cash Cab. That show allowed me to build my relationship with them, and Latoy Williams, media manager for Claro, was looking for new ways to drive the brand through high end television exposure which The Contender had all the potential to deliver,” said the MJK Productions boss.

The other partner, Televison Jamaica (TVJ), was basically always on board, disclosed Kenny.

“My relationship with Television Jamaica has been a very positive one since I produced Rising Stars in 2004. They had always alluded to me that they wanted a sports programme for their schedule and they felt comfortable enough with me as a producer to achieve the production value that matched the aspirations of their programming schedule,” he revealed.

Judging by the hundreds of persons who pack into the Chinese Benevolent Association facility in Kingston on Wednesday nights for the taping of the fights for the live TV show and the critical acclaim the series now entering its eighth week has received, Kenny has certainly ‘paid’ back the support of his sponsors, who are pleased.

“Claro is happy to be associated with the Wray & Nephew Contender as it will shed new light on boxing at both the amateur and professional level,” said Claro media manager Latoy Williams, noting that the company “…sees the potential for boxing to return to its former glory in Jamaica and have its place in the public eye, and not just inside the gym.”

Wray & Nephew brand sales manager Dominic Beckford said the show has delivered what they signed on for.

“We decided to sponsor the series for a number of reasons. Firstly, we saw the potential of the show to offer authentic and unique entertainment to the Jamaican people, that they have been clamoring for. Also, the producer, Mark Kenny, does excellent work and we were confident the production quality would be at the top of its class,” said Beckford.

Kenny credits his team, which includes bright local minds, and the support of TVJ general manager Kay Osborne for the “top of its class” production quality that Beckford alluded to.

“I’ve been very lucky over the last number of years to come across individuals such as Sanjay Ramanand and Natalie Parboosingh who together with me have grown in terms of our capability of producing the highest quality of television,” acknowledged Kenny.

“My day-to-day help comes from my astute production assistant Lori-Ann Johnson (and) we have partnered with some of the best people in the business: director Jason Williams; editor Mykal Cushnie; graphic artist Kemal Lawrence; motion graphics artist Kritic; lighting and sound producer Peter Shoucair of Electrotech and last but not least the expertise of Delano Forbes/Phase 3 as the director of the television production,” he continued. “This collaboration has supported me in creating my proudest work to date. I have also been very fortunate in having the support of Kay Osbourne in helping me craft my television projects.”

To only highlight how The Wray & Nephew Contender has raised the standard for television production in Jamaica would be to short change the impact of the series. The high TV ratings along with the party-like atmosphere and entertainment spectacle it brings to the Chinese Benevolent Association on fight nights has brought back the buzz in Jamaica to a sport that in the past made lots of money for local athletes such as Mike McCallum and Trevor Berbick, and persons associated with it, from the trainers to the promoters. In other words, industry experts say the series has made boxing bankable again.

Jamaica Boxing Board of Control (JBBC) president William Tavares-Finson told Sunday Finance that he is pleased at the rate at which the series has caught on.

“What they’ve done is really give the public value for what they are looking at – Even persons who are not boxing fans have gotten into the whole aspect of it with the team and the personalities etc,” said Tavares-Finson, noting that “The sport wasn’t in the public eye as much for many years.”

Tavares-Finson noted that The Wray & Nephew Contender has done a lot to conjure sustained interest in the sport by putting emphasis on highlighting the individual personalities of the fighters. Against this background and the fact that MJK Productions has said that they would like to continue the series in the long run, he said the financial prospects of the sport definitely looks brighter now than before.

“From a promotional standpoint, in terms of the revenue generation, I think when The (Wray & Nephew) Contender is finished, the ability to host an (boxing) event and have people come in and look is going to be a lot greater than it was two months ago… This thing has really done something from the standpoint that it has not only just given you back boxing, but also faces,” said Tavares-Finson, adding that the country’s burgeoning gambling market can also benefit the sport financially.

“From the standpoint of an athlete, the benefits are there but it’s quite a ways down the road as a professional boxer,” said the JBBC president, who noted that the association is currently working to improve the quality of local coaching.

A ‘victim’ of its own success, MJK Productions is now “seriously thinking” of moving the taping of The Wray & Nephew Contender to a bigger venue because of the huge crowds that it has drawn.

“Those details will be released to the public in the coming weeks,” said Kenny, whose all-time favourite boxer is Muhammed Ali.

As for the future plans of his production company, Kenny said it has a portfolio of eight television and two feature film production projects in development. The Irish national, who was producing the Irish version of American Idol called You’re A Star when he was offered the opportunity to come to Jamaica to produce Digicel Rising Stars, is bullish about the local television production industry and is so confident in the island that he has made it his permanent place of residence.

Said Kenny: “I really appreciate the potential for television in Jamaica and since 2007 I’ve decided to make Jamaica my home.”