Unplugged
Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A freewheeling and riveting memoir from media honcho Tom Freston that takes us behind the scenes of his global adventures—from hitchhiking around the world, to running a clothing export company out of India and Afghanistan, to cofounding MTV, to becoming CEO of MTV Networks, then CEO of Viacom, then later returning to work in Africa and Afghanistan.
Tom Freston’s path to the C-suite was decidedly non-traditional. After getting his MBA, he bartended his way through the United States and the Caribbean, sparking a lifelong passion for travel. After a brief stint on the fast track at an ad agency, he chucked it all and headed to the Sahara Desert and beyond. Entranced by India and Afghanistan, he stayed on for eight years and launched his first big success, Hindu Kush, a company that designed and manufactured contemporary clothing for export to America and other countries.
Freston’s next chapter followed his other passion: music. He joined the small original team that launched MTV where he swiftly climbed the ladder, eventually overseeing not only MTV but also Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, CMT, and other iconic networks. He built a creative powerhouse that transformed global popular culture in cable’s all-conquering heyday.
In this unique memoir of risk-taking, rule-breaking, and warm cultural exchanges, Freston shows how to be successful at living your life on your own terms.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This freewheeling debut memoir from Freston, former CEO of MTV Networks, is equal parts industry tell-all, escapist travelogue, and glittering glimpse into the golden age of music videos. Freston focuses on his professional accomplishments, from attending business school to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War to developing the clothing company Hindu Kush while living in India and Afghanistan in the 1970s. After taking a marketing job with a budding cable startup in 1980, Freston helped build MTV from the ground up before expanding its footprint to include Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. Freston brings readers into the boardroom to witness the development of MTV's brand, behind the scenes of early VMAs, and into a five-hour lunch with Fidel Castro in an attempt to "start some relationships in the creative community," during which Castro revealed that The Sopranos was his favorite show. While the business-heavy sections border on information overload, this is certain to teach anyone curious about or nostalgic for the music video revolution something they didn't know. It's a memorable ride.
