STEPHEN FRIEDMAN
General Manager, mtvU, MTV Networks
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Stephen K. Friedman is General Manager of mtvU, MTV Networks’ channel solely dedicated to college students and college life on-air, online and on campus. In this position, Mr. Friedman oversees all aspects of the college-based network, including programming, marketing, and distribution. mtvU can be found on more than 730 college campuses and universities across the country reaching 7 million students. Under his leadership, the channel relaunched from CTN: The College Television network into mtvU, and has grown over 30%. He has overseen the creation of “mtvU Über” (mtvU.com), MTV Networks’ first channel distributed entirely over broadband; the Woodie Awards, the first awards show devoted to the music loved by the college audience; and “Stand In,” a series that surprises students by bringing the cultural icons they’re studying into class to guest-teach for a day. Past Stand Ins have included Nobel Laureates Elie Wiesel and Shimon Peres, Senator John McCain, Tom Wolfe, Marilyn Manson, and Kanye West. He also supervised the channel’s Sudan campaign, which has been held up as a model in the New York Times for giving more attention to the crisis in Darfur than any other network.

Mr. Friedman joined MTV in 1998 when he founded MTV’s department of Strategic Partnerships and Public Affairs. During his tenure, he created the Emmy Award-winning Fight For Your Rights (FFYR) campaigns, managed the Choose or Lose campaign, and co-executive produced two of MTV’s global events, MTV’s World AIDS Day concert from Cape Town and Seattle, as well as Be Heard: An MTV Global Discussion with Colin Powell, where young people from around the world participated in a conversation with Secretary of State Colin Powell. Under Mr. Friedman, MTV’s FFYR campaigns garnered three Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.

Mr. Friedman developed and oversaw 1999’s FFYR: Take a Stand Against Violence campaign, which launched at the White House in conjunction with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education, the National Endowment of the Arts and RIAA; then in 2000, he managed MTV’s Choose or Lose voter education and registration campaign. In 2001, he directed FFYR: Take a Stand Against Discrimination, which made TV history when the channel went dark for over 17 hours and scrolled the names and stories of the victims of hate crimes. Mr. Friedman also created the channel’s 2002-2003 campaign on sexual health, FFYR: Protect Yourself, one of the largest media-foundation partnerships, with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Mr. Friedman serves on the Advisory Board of Viacom’s KNOW HIV/AIDS campaign and the Advisory Board of Hollywood, Health and Society (Partnering Entertainment, Education and the CDC).

Prior to joining MTV, Mr. Friedman was a Vice President at Robinson, Lerer & Montgomery, a strategic consulting firm in New York where his clients included Microsoft and NBC. He has also served as a Director for the PEN American Center (the international writers’ human rights organization) and has contributed articles to Entertainment Weekly and Details magazine as a freelance writer.

Mr. Friedman holds a B.A. with Honors from Wesleyan University.

Broadcasting to over 730 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of approximately 7 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. 24hrs a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S.

mtvU Über (mtvU.com) makes mtvU the first MTV Networks channel distributed in its entirety via broadband, streaming 24/7 and on demand, featuring all of mtvU plus exclusive new music, original shows and student-produced programming for college students and music fans everywhere.