On Monday, Brian Graden stepped down as the chief of MTV programming. His 12 years there included the transformation of VH1 from a step-child music video network to an 80s obsessed reality playground, and the launch of LOGO, which despite a lacking schedule (until recently), is significant for actually putting a GLBT network in millions of homes with MTV’s marketing push behind it. (He also helped get South Park off the ground, bless him.) Graden is, for the most part, a well-liked fellow around MTV, bouncing between their New York and LA offices whenever duty called. It was always a treat running in to him on a weekday evening in New York, finding him dancing in the corner of an unpopulated nighspot — a tradition he’ll probably continue. And just because he’s leaving MTV behind doesn’t mean he’s leaving television: He’s working out a production deal with the network. Losing Graden, however, doesn’t mean the hallways of MTV will ever be devoid of powerful gays. Trust: 1515 Broadway, and 345 Hudson, are still teaming with them. Below, Graden’s farewell:
For more than a dozen years now, Brian and I have been each other’s work spouses. That’s a longer partnership than most unions, so it’s only natural that this comes from both of us. Let me now step aside for a moment and let him go first. Brian….
If you look at the shows we have all created together – especially lately – you can feel a tangible fascination with people on the brink of their next great adventure in life. We have called it aspirational
television – capturing people at the moment of transformation into a bold new iteration of themselves. Well, over the last year, I woke up to the fact that I’m a character in my own personal reality show and
this is my time for that next transformation.Last year, Trey Parker convinced me I could afford to replace my beat up, 20 year old “rental” piano, and helped me pick out an amazing Yamaha Grand. Last Saturday night in Los Angeles, I played 10 original songs on that piano, while a full cast of actor/singers brought Limbo – a musical I’m writing with friends – to life for 100 guests (I have a big living room).
I know you’re shocked: a gay man who loves musicals.
Truth is, I’d never written a song in my life until a few years ago, and now, I’m arranging on Logic Pro almost every night when I should be sleeping. The point isn’t that I think I’m the next Diane Warren – I’m not. The point is: no matter what any of us have done in life, there’s always some new passion waiting to show us how to keep evolving — if we honor that call when we hear it.
I’ve had a very unusual ride. Though I’ve been in one place, MTV Networks, for 12 years, I’ve been afforded a series of sequential chapters, each completely unique — like getting a new “calling” every couple of years. First serving the TRL generation at MTV. Later loving up the 80’s at VH1. Working then with CMT and various international channels, and 4 years ago, a personal triumph, launching LOGO. All of which says a lot about the dynamic nature of MTV Networks and Viacom.
For me, it’s time to complement my television ambitions with some new passions already in motion – the writing of two books, making music, creating theater, speaking on subjects that matter to me, raising alpacas…okay, perhaps not all calls will be heeded right away. I have no idea if I possess any of these talents, but my friends who know me well know that these new adventures have been tapping my shoulder for a few years.
Television however remains my first love, and I’m already deep in conversations with MTV Networks about shaping a situation that would allow me to still play with you guys in new ways for years to come. At MTV, it’s necessary to think like a 19 year old girl every day, which wasn’t much of a reach for me (yes, I have a favorite Jonas); in my next chapter however, the dream is to pursue a wider array of ideas that intrigue me, borne more from the heart than a need to serve any particular demographic or brand.
Van says I have a somewhat freakish ability to toggle between business and creative, kinda like Parent Trap – only my Haley Mills are internal, and can run networks. As the portfolio of responsibilities broadened and the businesses got more complex, the creative left side of my brain started to feel like Hilary at the democratic convention — left out.
That said, let me be clear: for 12 years this has been the greatest job in the world, and I’ve loved every minute of it. The good times through the hard times; from Britney mesmerizing in Catholic school
girl uniform through Britney stupefying in her “Gimme More” performance to Britney yet again dominating the 2008 VMA’s. Yes, I measure my career in “Britney’s”, don’t we all?Seriously, it’s been a rush to not know where “job” ends and “Real World” begins. Nowhere else in the programming universe is the unexpected quite as routine as it’s been here.
I’ll spare you further recounting of years gone by, but let’s just say: I have worked at a company brave enough to shut down MTV for 17 hours and run the names of hate crime victims; brave enough to launch an LGBT channel when others said it couldn’t be done; even brave enough to cross Kanye West… but then smart enough to make up…fast. I know more brave things are ahead, certainly for the rest of this year, and most definitely beyond.
But I won’t spare you this admission: I love all of you. Really, genuinely, you’ve created the most special culture and brands in the world. Fortunately, I won’t even be saying farewell for a while, as Judy and Van have asked me to stay through 2009 and help facilitate a great transition, which I’m happy to do — but we felt it was right to let people know now that this next evolution was beginning to occur. Until then I still get to launch a few more shows, watch a few more VMA’s get handed out, witness a millennial brand makeover at MTV, and watch Diva’s return on VH1.
When I speak to college kids, they often ask me if I had a detailed career plan – as if that’s possible in entertainment – but the truth is: I just get up every day and do things that make me happy. I work with people I love, I trust in my heart as much as my head and everything else follows.
My fondest wish is that you’re able to do the same in the years to come.
Emma
Have a fighting chance of succeeding!!! Under his tenure ratings and ad sales have tanked at MTV and Logo…well we know what a disappointment that has been since it’s launch 4 years ago.
D-Sun
…So The Hills, The City, The O.C., A Shot At Love, That’s Amore, A Double Shot At Love, Date My Mom, Next, Parental Control, The Ex-Effect, The Phone, Cribs, Teen Cribs, My Sweet Sixteen, that Sweet Sixteen spin-off where the kids got sent to the jungle, Room Raiders, and Paris Hilton’s My New BFF all happened on this guy’s watch?
Oh my. What crushing news this is.
seth
Weird!
I thought Matt Farber, Jon Sechrist, Jeff Elgart, Joanne Jacobson, Tim Smith and a few others launched Logo and then Graden came in and said “I want that!”
Hmmm. Just sayin.
7SnowyNights
@D-Sun: Don’t forget Is She Really Going Out with Him?. I watched three minutes of that garbage, I feel entitled to 3% of MTV.
dgz
that is perhaps the most unflattering picture i’ve ever seen.
i know fluorescent lights wreak havoc on skin tone, but wow.
Movement Guy
In agreement here… Graden oversaw the worst dumbing down of media since the launch of Fox News. I used to love MTV and VH1 and now I haven’t watched them in years. Logo is similarly awful.
TANK
Focus on music videos and musicians instead of braindead television shows that slowly eat away at your soul?
Kyle
Good riddance! I worked with him at VH1 and he created the most dysfunctional work environment. Good luck to VH1 in going in a new direction.
adolf
heres a different view of brian that was posted yesterday @ street carnage
“You know all about the head of programming at MTV, right? His name is Brian Graden, and he’s the angriest and most bitter gay man on the planet.
He got his fucking big break by “discovering” the South Park jesus vs. santa video – because, at the time, he was just coming out of the closet and boo-hoo-hooing about Jesus not loving him. You see, he went to a religous boarding school and fuckin Oral Roberts U – Now we all have to suffer because he spent his formative years with nothing but homophobes, including himself.
Now as payback, he serially walks through every fucking piece of MTV programming to remove anything funny or real, and makes sure it has a larger PC message of humorless moral fucktitude –
I guarantee He’s 100% behind this kind of “hunt-the-racist” initiative. EVERYONE at MTV hates him and is abuzz esp after layoffs. I guarantee you that these girls are cringing at having to make this self-righteous piece of shit documentary that belongs in 1991.
You know they fucking have no HEALTH CARE here for 90% of employees, right? biggest broadcaster in the world – no healthcare. And now he’s on a witchhunt for RACISTS?? How about some fucking healthcare for my co-workers you fucking hypocritical self-righteous DOUCHEBAG??””
http://streetbonersandtvcarnage.com/blog/mtvs-looking-for-racists/
Dusty
People move on. Period.
BELF
I hate Things and People too and have a keyboard for Typing! Now is My Comment!
hardmannyc
True, he gave us Logo, but that doesn’t make up for rebranding VH-1 from MTV for Boomers to snark-stupidity central.
Bitch, please!
@ADOLF: Are you sure your last name doesn’t begin with an “h” and end with a “r”? So if I got this right, you agree with that angry queen is because Brain was refusing to find “funny” in racist sterotypes and was not providing health benifits? I could not see the connection between the two, because one had nothing to do with the other. However, I do know this–fags like you get all stretched out in your already stretched out assholes when the attack is towards the advantages because of your race. PC is not pick and choose–it is either for all, or for none. Get it, jackass?
blake
Question: “What Will MTV & LOGO Do Without Brian Graden?”
Hopefully not put on garbage like “Flavor of Love” or gazillion other crap.
Tonyboy
I’m glad to see the face that was responsible for all the crap that has littered MTV for all these years. Now it makes sense why MYV has been so out of touch with its audience. Doesn’t MTV target teens? What does a 50 something year old dude know about teens? Does he have kids?
mark
MTV has contributed to homophobia and sexism in American society. It is homophobic towards the male-male interaction but not the female-female one. It plays videos by female artists who portray themselves more like strippers than as singers, whereas the men are allowed to keep their clothes on.
As an example of MTV’s homophobia towards the male-male interaction, note how it effectively banned gay or bisexual men from appearing on its bisexual dating show “A Shot At Love”. To my knowledge, there were three series made but none permitted gay or bisexual men.
A big “fuck you” to MTV and Brian Graden.
simon
Brian, you and MTV are examples of selective homophobia. If it’s guy-guy, it’s marginalized. If it’s girl-girl, it’s considered “hot”. Go fuck yourselves, the both of you.
Charles
“If it’s guy-guy, it’s marginalized. If it’s girl-girl, it’s considered “hot”.
Not to defend MTV (I haven’t watched it since the early nineties), but they didn’t invent that type of ‘selective homophobia’. That’s sort of prevalent in society in general.
galefan2004
Logo will show something besides shitty assed music and MTV will actually show music again.
galefan2004
@Bitch, please!: I will gladly take a none. I think that we should be able to defend ourselves from gay jokes and laugh at the ones that are truly funny. I think that black people should be able to do the same. I think we need to live in a country where we are more worried about defending ourselves from inappropriate conduct and actions then from stopping it from happening. I can defend myself, I don’t need the media doing it for me.
Bri
@simon:
God, you need to get over yourself. I feel sick every time I hear someone whine, “they marginalize us but not lesbians waaaah” As if “A Shot At Love with Tila Tequila” was all about embracing gay and bisexual women. That shit is degrading and you know it.
TANK
@BELF:
lol!
Dennis
@BELF:
Funniest post I’ve ever seen on Queerty. In fact, I vote for renaming the site after your post…(truth in advertising and such.) Brilliant!
Sam
The commenter pool here is toxic. Brian is a great guy and a class act who has pushed MTV to become more LGBT-friendly and made sure they did their part to stop school bullying by running GLSEN campaigns and specials on teens who were victimized. He’s relentlessly supported the community and been an advocate for more LGBT visibility in media.
I guess those who can, do, while those who can’t post bitchy comments on blogs. Sadly, girls, there are no monuments to critics.
Marc
@Sam:
by the sounds of it there won’t be monuments for this guy either. it looks like the persona he presented to the public through the press is quite different than the person he actually was with the people he worked with. most corporate big wigs are like that. they cultivate an image but are often different at work. there must be some truth seeing their are more posts trashing the guy than supporting him.
galefan2004
@Bri: As long as every single “straight” guy can comment on how he wants to get with two women at one time but gay guys are gross and disgusting and should be shot, lesbian women will never struggle for the same acceptance that gay men have to struggle for. If you don’t like that then it sucks to be you, but the truth is that is simply the way it is. Hell, even full op male to female transgenders get more respect than gay men.
Jim
Brian Graden is as phony as a 3 dollar bill. He’ll smile to your face while he stabs you in the back. I lost respect for this guy a long time ago. His ambition knows no bounds, and will do and say anything to get what he wants. All the while selling himself as a easy going, nice guy. All things considered, I wouldn’t piss on this guy if he were on fire. Ya, good riddance to this treacherous, purveyor of tripe. Slink back home to fly-over country, dig a hole, stay in it until you expire. The world has had enough of you and your crap!
jason
I stopped watching MTV when I realized how homophobic it was insofar as male-male sexuality. MTV has a bisexual double standard, and uses it to segregate or censor male-male sexuality into a convenient compartment which can be avoided. At the same time, it promotes and glamorizes female-female sexuality through music videos, bisexual dating shows, and all sorts of other things.
MTV can fuck off. It’s got a homophobic double standard.
jason
Just remember that MTV basically banned gay and bisexual men from all its bisexual dating show series. That says everything you need to know about MTV and its phony gay-friendliness.