“Whether it's marketing, sales or production, events are a big component of MTV”

Having extensive experience in managing and coordinating artists and talent for the Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, Vh1 Music & Fashion Awards and MTV Movie Awards, Chantal has been overseeing MTV Asia's multiple departments to create, develop and execute the network's large scale TV programming strategies in China, India and Singapore. Her focus was to create international franchise properties based on the blueprints of successful MTV events and programming in the US. Chantal served as the Project Director for the first ever MTV India Style Awards (and has been involved with the event ever since) and the MTV India Video Music Awards in Mumbai. Bindu Nair caught up with her backstage before the Lycra style awards in Mumbai to find out her plans for MTV India…Excerpts...

What are the different properties that MTV is going to be looking at developing in India? The different thing is that having a team and having people, who can focus on events, is going to make the big event and even the small ones better and bigger. And we're even going to have new ones, so that's going to be the big advantage of having an events department for MTV Asia.

This has been your baby (the entire events division)... what's the sort of scope in India, given that you have the Style Awards and the Immies?

It's not only in India, everywhere it's the same. More and more, MTV is events driven. Whether it's marketing, sales or production, events are a big component of MTV. Sometimes we film them, sometimes we air them; sometimes we don't. We've done tours and all kinds of things like that; so it's very events driven and I think it's going to increase. There are only 2 large events that we do in India; but there's also the Music Summit, which is between the Style Awards and the Immies. Eventually, if we can focus more on this (because everybody in the office is so busy with everything else that they have to do) and if we can focus a little bit more on creating new ones, and making the ones that are existing bigger and better; that will be the focus.

How important is this from a programming point of view?

It's very important because what you get on air is the result of what is happening on-ground, so if it's done well and professionally on ground, then it will show on air. Unfortunately, what tends to happen is that everyone is so busy with the weekly shows and everything else that they're doing, that when you do an event, you don't have the manpower within the company to be able to handle it. You hire a lot of vendors, which is great and things go well, but it's always better to have people who can focus a bit more so it can look better on air.

Will you be involved with developing similar properties for Vh1, given the fact that recently it has been showing good numbers?

Absolutely, that's the goal. Its very new with Vh1; as you know, it was launched just last year. MTV in India is a bit more towards local music, and the music on Vh1 is very international; there's definitely a need for that. I want to get involved with it; it'll be a lot of fun. Hopefully we'll be able to bring in a lot of international stars.

Can you tell us which stars we can hope to see in India?

I can't tell you anything about that; that would come from the talent department to announce it in due time. But always when we do our events, we always like to have at least — if we have 5 events, at least one or two will be an international star; that is always our wish. If you look at last year's Immies, we had Alanis Morisette, which was the biggest name in the international scene. So we always try to do one big name like that; and a few bands that are internationally known.

And how do you plan to take the Style awards further as a brand?

The difference is that because this is our third year, we always improve and get better every year. Now that the team has done it 2 times, we are able to focus more on the look, the choreography, the music; each piece of music in the show (except for one performance) is a collaboration between the designer and the band. So we're spending a lot more time on that; we're fine-tuning it so its looking much better. I think, quality wise the show is going to improve this time around.

Abroad, MTV is known by its distinctive look and style of programming but in India there is not much differentiation in terms of both when you compare it with its competitor Channel [V]. Will you be looking at changing that?

I can only speak from this event's point of view. In my opinion, this formula that we have is very MTV-ish. And I think if anything like this is done anywhere else, it's a formula that we have used in the States; the combination of designer and artist. I think that's how we stand out, the way that MTV has done things throughout in the rest of the world. I have come here and sometimes we bring people in from other parts of the network to add a little touch to the way things are done. I think there is room for everyone and it is about making it more different. I have been coming here for three years and I love coming here because it reminds me of the way MTV USA used to be way back. There is a lot of passion and excitement.

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