Melinda Ferguson, TRUE LOVE magazine’s features editor, was named the author of the Best Profile published by a magazine in the Media 24 Magazine Excellence Awards, held in Cape Town on last week. The event rewards editorial and publishing excellence within the group, and accolades are awarded after a peer review process that sees the company’s editorial teams exposed to the best work in its diverse stable of titles.
Ferguson’s award winning profile was published in the March 2012 issue of TRUE LOVE titled ‘Love’s Hangover’, and was the product of her ongoing engagement with South African personality, Kelly Khumalo.
“Everyone has always known who Kelly was – the scandals, fast living and legal battles – and she had lost the respect of many of her fans, particularly in the aftermath of the notorious accident in which her then-boyfriend, Jub-Jub, was involved,” says Ferguson. “When I met Kelly in November last year, she was at a real rock bottom – she was coming to terms with the end of her relationship, and with addressing her cocaine addiction. I took her to a drug addicts’ support meeting, and watched her take back control of her life. Her story almost exploded onto my page, when it became clear that she was ready to be honest and transparent, in the realisation that telling her story would set her free.”
Ferguson adds that it is not often that South African writers have the opportunity to tell stories of dramatic redemption such as this one that unfolded before her. “Kelly’s story was one of wasted talent, bad decisions, heartbreak and hurt – but it was also one of incredible honesty and human insight as she opened up about her journey to be clean, and a new force to be reckoned with.”
The story generated significant publicity for TRUE LOVE, revealing the magazine to be a serious contender in human interest journalism. The issue in which the profile appeared was one of the year’s best selling, and the profile formed the foundation of Ferguson’s recently published biography, The Kelly Khumalo Story.
