MTV Ups Entertainment Veteran David Janollari to Executive Vice President, Head of MTV Programming and Chris Linn to Executive Vice President, Programming & Head of MTV Production

NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- MTV, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B) today announced veteran entertainment and television executive David Janollari will take on the expanded role of Executive Vice President, Head of Programming for the network effective immediately.  In addition, Chris Linn will become Executive Vice President, Programming and Head of MTV Production.  The announcement was made today by Van Toffler, President of MTV Networks Music & Logo Group and Stephen Friedman, General Manager of MTV.

With Janollari and Linn's new roles overseeing programming and production, MTV is well positioned to continue building on its leadership among the 12-34 year old audience.  MTV recently closed its fiscal year with a 27% ratings increase for Q3'10, compared to last year, and Q4' 10 is off to a great start with a 61% increase year to year, making October's year-to-year growth the best for any month in MTV history.  This summer, MTV also delivered the #1 series across all of television for P12-34 ("Jersey Shore,)" the two top original cable series for P12-34 ("Jersey Shore and "Teen Mom") and eight of the top ten cable telecasts for 2010.  Moving forward, Janollari and Linn will oversee a diverse group of talented programming executives who cover a range of productions including scripted, reality, music, comedy, animation, news, documentaries, live studio, specials and events.

"MTV produces more content than anyone else in television," said Toffler.  "With David's professional pedigree and track record in TV entertainment combined with Chris' creative instinct and production prowess, they are the perfect team to continue our momentum and help take MTV into its next wave of reinvention."

Janollari will oversee the scripted, comedy, animation and west coast reality teams, as well as partnering with Linn on east coast reality development and on potential TV movies that could serve as back door pilots for series.  In addition to partnering with Janollari on east coast reality, Linn will manage made-for-TV movies, news and specials, studio productions, music development and production management.

Said Friedman, "As we continue to expand our development and programming slates to satiate our audience's voracious appetite for different kinds of entertainment, David, Chris and their stellar teams will ensure we keep pioneering new creative that builds on MTV's legacy."

Janollari joined MTV in January of 2010 as head of scripted development.  Since joining MTV, David has worked closely on the development of the upcoming MTV series, "Skins," the U.S. adaptation of the popular UK hit; the reinvented thriller, "Teen Wolf" both set to debut next year; the Doug Liman-directed "I Just Want My Pants Back;" and the adaptation of another UK hit series "The InBetweeners," both currently being piloted.  Prior to joining MTV, Janollari served as President of Entertainment for The WB Network during which he was responsible for developing the hit show "Beauty and the Geek" and "Supernatural" among others.  Before that, as an award-winning producer, Janollari co-founded the Greenblatt Janollari Studio with Robert Greenblatt, during which he produced several successful series including the multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winning "Six Feet Under."  Janollari will continue to be based in the Santa Monica office and have a dual report to Toffler and Friedman.

Linn, a 20 year veteran of MTV Networks, has been responsible for managing television's biggest current hit, "The Jersey Shore," as well as identifying one of MTV's freshest new talents, Andrew Jenks of "World of Jenks," which debuted earlier this fall as MTV's highest rated new series ever.  Linn has also spearheaded MTV's original movies including the most recent thriller, "My Super Psycho Sweet 16 Part 2" and "Made the Movie," based on the successful MTV series.  In addition to his programming responsibilities, Linn also oversees the physical production of all MTV series including logistics, budget and all related negotiations.  Before joining MTV, he held several positions at Nickelodeon where he oversaw physical production of both live action and animation projects including the hit series, "All That" and "Blues Clues."  In 2002, he served as Vice President of Production at MTV Networks' Spike TV, where he oversaw production for all of that network's original series, pilots, specials and production management for on-air promotions.  Linn will continue to be based at MTV Networks New York headquarters and has a dual report into Toffler and Friedman.

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand.   With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people.  MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy®, Grammy® and Peabody® award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile.  MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture.  MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com.

SOURCE MTV

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