Brian Graden.Created an anti-hate campaign to promote tolerance in the MTV MTV in full Music Television U.S. cable television network, established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music. MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business. generation Under the tutelage TUTELAGE. State of guardianship; the condition of one who is subject to the control of a guardian. of Brian Graden Brian Graden (born 1963) is an American television executive. Graden grew up in Illinois and graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1980. He graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1985 with a degree in business, and later graduated with a MBA from Harvard. , president of programming at MTV, the now-20-year-old music television network kicked off the current "Fight for Your Rights: Take a Stand Against Discrimination" campaign with a powerful original movie about Matthew Shepard Matthew Wayne Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998) was an American student at the University of Wyoming who was fatally attacked near Laramie, on the night of October 6 – October 7, 1998 in what was widely reported by international news media as a savage titled Anatomy of a Hate Crime. Immediately following the film's debut, the network scrolled names of hate-crimes victims, compiled in partnership with the Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an internationally known nonprofit organization that files Class Action lawsuits to fight discrimination and unequal treatment; it also tracks hate groups and runs a program to educate Americans about racism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of , continuously for 17 1/2 hours. Graden explains that MTV decided to focus on the "seeds of hate" after an early national survey they conducted among 12- to 24-year-olds showed that concern about discrimination was on the rise: "It caught me off-guard, because as a gay man, I thought, We've made such strides--I mean, isn't this an inclusive world? Aren't we living in a tolerant time? It seemed like an old issue to me." But as the research data kept rolling in, Graden says it "slapped them in the face" and made the network realize that a growing awareness about differences had brought issues of discrimination to a head. "For example, because of all the images in the media, [young people] can self-identify as gay much earlier, because they've seen a gay character on Will & Grace," says Graden. "But they also said [that because of the increased media visibility], `Now everyone else knows what I am too, so it's like I have this big target on my forehead.'" The project is obviously one Graden holds close to his heart. He speaks passionately about how MTV will continue to address discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. , and physical and/or mental abilities through news specials, 10-second public service announcements called "snaps" (which run throughout the regular broadcast day), and "Delete Discrimination" guides, which will be passed out free this summer in conjunction with major music festivals like the Area One tour. And Graden has even more planned, including a documentary film about ex-gays and young people who were sent to gay rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. camps. "Not to get too high on the horse," says Graden, "but as a television executive, I could work anywhere, but I wanted to be here because MTV is a network that wants to do more than entertain." |
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