The last time we took a deep look over Berlin’s river Spree our eyes were introduced to a swan’s pair of blue frozen feet which we recognised as a clear evidence that the incredible creative Chuck Porter must have been – somewhere somehow – around, which in fact, he was.
This time we are not sure what the visual scenery (shown above) wants to let us know; but since we take Bill Roedy’s advice to never ever give in seriously we are quite confident that we will be figuring it out – someday somewhere somehow.
Our staff photographer Andreas Baier recently downloaded a new set of digital oil brushes from the internet, so almost everything and everybody is going to be touched with them – even some originally good tasty looking sandwiches. Our readers are cordially invited to make the most out of this situation.
There we go: Honouring Bill Roedy’s exceptional career which is based on two remarkable cornerstones (Military and MTV), our staff-photographer felt responsible to melt down both aspects to one music-clip-lookalike-look.
In general: The creation of this visual language happens to be with all the respect he could pay him and MTV remembering quite well that MTV EUROPE was the only TV-channel that was willing to screen his commercial for a fictional funeral company named «Mr. Sandman’s Finest Funerals» Andreas Baier once was desperate to compete in Cannes with.
Picture above: Two members of the German Designer’s Club’s (DDC) executive board: Niko Gültig and Michel Eibes. Recommended music track: Modest Mussorgsky’s «Pictures At An Exhibition»
Right from the start the Berlin School of Creative Leadership’s President’s Lectures enjoyed the status of a never ever to be missed event.
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The president of the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, Michael Conrad, introduces Bill Roedy and, of course, his book «What Makes Business Rock» as well.
Roedy’s book details his experience in expanding a corporation and gives advice to executives and aspiring executives in creative companies.
Clark Parsons and Michael Conrad.
The managing director of the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, Clark Parsons, introduces each Participant of the Berlin School’s MBA-program to the audience. As a matter of fact, they literally come from allover the world.
As Bill Roedy will say a little bit later: «I am convinced that it is always possible to teach execellent creatives the secrets of financial business habits as it is impossible turning brilliant financial experts into creative directors».
After an impressive introduction, Michael Conrad hands over the microphone to Bill Roedy in order to clear the way for his president’s lecture.
As the Berlin School of Creative Leadership Class 11 Godfather, Bill Roedy brings with him a wealth of experience and educational inspiration. Roedy was most recently Chairman and Chief Executive of MTV Networks International (MTVNI).
A dedicated internationalist and music lover, Roedy was the architect of MTVNI’s successful localization model, which empowered the local operations to embrace both commercial and artistic autonomy, while finding the right balance between local and international content.
By the Milky Way, Bill Roedy finds: «These are sneakers with a huge whow-factor».
Bill Roedy’s sneakers come along with a huge kick-down-and-go-for-it-factor.
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It is Roedy’s pioneering strategy of respecting and reflecting audience diversity through local language, music and fashion that led to MTV Networks’ rapid global expansion – throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
Under Roedy’s leadership, MTVNI developed and launched hundreds of channels, starting with MTV Europe in 1989. He worked on making MTV available in East Berlin and celebrated with Europe when the wall came down.
He and his team built a global operation that now includes over 172 locally programmed and operated TV channels outside the US in more than 162 countries in 33 languages, reaching a potential audience of two billion people, making MTVNI the largest networks in the world.
Bill Roedy exclusively demonstrates
the broadcasting mechanisms
of dish aerials
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Let’s now reflect about Bill Roedy’s thesis that the music channel MTV helped to tear down the German wall: Due to his quite aggressive strategy having MTV broadcasted via satelite without any encryption in order to conquer one country after the other, the people started to buy dish aerials all over the world with which they could receive and watch MTV for free. Once these dishes were installed the people were then also be able to get in touch with other countries’ news channels; with the interesting side effect that all news of the world were now bypassing unfiltered any government’s censorship.
Such new newsfeeds surely helped to build up a new sort of self-confidence helping unhappy earthlings to get rid of their totalitarian leadership figures in oh so many countries around the globe – and, of course, in East-Germany as well.
It is common sense that it was definitively MTV’s purest and highly genuine attractiveness that drove the people into buying tons of dish aerials. So, during this particular time frame MTV was the seed for the creation of that what is now considered to be a worldwide community.
On this photograph Bill Roedy exclusively demonstrates the broadcasting mechanisms of dish aerials and how their signals were crossing hurdles completely unharmed, such as the former German wall was one.
Finally, we can say that the experienced former commander of nothing less than three NATO Nuclear Missile bases in Italy significantly helped to change the world with something even the military was not aware of its tremedous long-term power: Music!
In 1998 Mr Roedy was named Ambassador for UNAIDS and he has addressed the UN General Assembly on several occasions regarding the pandemic.
He was a founding member and chair of the Global Business Coalition (GBC) on HIV/AIDS from 1999 to 2002, and currently serves as Chair of the Advisory Board. In 2005, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed him founding chair of the Global Media AIDS Initiative Leadership Committee. Mary Robinson also appointed him as an Envoy for the Global Alliance for Vaccinations and Immunizations (GAVI) in 2010.
Also part of the audience: Michael Schirner.
Kofi A. Annan addresses Bill Roedy
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The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan addresses in a speech: «Ten years ago in 2001, HIV/AIDS had been around for 20 years. 28.6 million people were infected with the virus, and many millions more had lost their lives.
It was then that I called on the world’s businesses to join together in the global fight against the virus. The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS was formed, uniting the corporate sector, governments, and civil society in one common cause. MTV was one of the businesses at the forefront of the coalition, using its global network of channels to disseminate cutting-edge, entertaining, and innovative HIV messaging to young people worldwide. Under Bill’s leadership, HIV prevention and education was an integral part of MTV programming, and he was asked to serve as a Special Ambassador for UNAIDS in 1998.
As HIV statistics rose and fell in different countries and demographics over the years, young people accounted for over half of new infections almost every time, and still do today. In recognition of the media’s powerful role in reaching this affected group, the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) was established in 2005 to galvanise media organisations to play an even stronger role in prevention and education.
Bill was the first person I thought of to chair the leadership committee of this crucial initiative. His passion and dedication to the fight against HIV, particularly among the world’s young people, made him the perfect leader and pioneer for the GMAI. Under Bill’s chairmanship, it grew to include 140 companies from 70 countries.
As we approach the 30th year of AIDS, I cannot praise Bill enough for his continued dedication to the cause. Through the Staying Alive Campaign, countless young people are educated and informed through a medium that they trust and believe in. Further still, MTV has reached thousands of young people through the Staying Alive Foundation, ensuring that HIV prevention is tackled at a tangible, grass roots level in the local communities where it really matters.
Ist is an honour for me to lead our tribute to Bill today. I know there are many people from across the world that will have words of praise and admiration for Bill’s incredible achievements throughout his 22 years at MTV.
Thank you Bill for your tireless activism in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, and many congratulations on a long and successful career at MTV Networks International.»
Medals & Awards
Click to enlarge honouredlyBefore joining MTV in 1989, Bill Roedy was Vice President, Affiliate Operations Manager of HBO. He completed his Bachelors in Science at West Point and then served with the Airborne, Ranger and decorated combat service where he received the Bronze Star, Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry (with Silver Star). He also served as a commander of three NATO Nuclear Missile bases in Italy. He received his MBA at Harvard University.
In addition: He has received the International Emmy Founder’s Award, amfAR’s Award of Courage, Individual Business Leadership Award presented by US President Bill Clinton, Doctors of the World Leadership Award and the UN Correspondents Association Global Citizen of the Year Award presented by UN Secretary General Ban–Ki-Moon in 2009. He has given numerous commencement addresses with honorary doctorate degrees.
Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI)
The «Global Media AIDS Initiative» (GMAI) is an umbrella organization that unites and motivates media companies around the world to use their influence, resources, and creative talent to address AIDS. The GMAI creates a framework for sharing television and radio programming among media companies in order to increase public health messaging. The organization also educates journalists, editors and producers on how to cover the issue. HIV is preventable, and GMAI members aim to improve public awareness and knowledge to help stem the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Within the GMAI, there are five national and regional coalitions of media companies. As of July 2009, the media initiatives in Africa, Asia, Russia, Latin America and the Caribbean included over 300 member broadcasters total. The GMAI was conceived and organized by the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS with financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Bill Roedy explains why he is passionate in the fight to end pneumonia, a preventable disease: «As a music lover and former CEO of MTV Networks International, I’ve spent decades trying to give voice to young people struggling for creative freedom. More recently though I’ve also taken to a new cause: the struggle of babies and children in poor countries just to survive.
Few people can even name the leading global killer of young children — it’s pneumonia — and it claims a child’s life every 20 seconds. Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of these deaths take place in the developing world where access to health prevention and care is sometimes complicated.
World Pneumonia Day (WPD), November 12, is an opportunity to remember those many young lives lost to pneumonia which could have been prevented in large part with vaccines, access to simple antibiotics and improved nutrition. If we could ensure that existing vaccines reach those children who need them most we would make a huge difference in preventing the more than 1.5 million young lives lost each year to this devastating disease.»
Go on reading here.
Q & A
Questions & Answers.
Berlin School of Creative Leadership’s President Michael Conrad listens to the questions.
Michael Conrad moderating Q & A.
After the official part of Bill Roedy’s president’s lecture, David Slocum discusses with members of the audience.
Susann Schronen.
After a long and very exhausting march through the jungle of creatively dried out lands (Berlin’s new wannabe airport) Michael Eibes, the Chairman of the German Designer’s Club’s (DDC) executive board, has now reached a refreshing and most lifesaving oasis that has also been provided with the unique capability of signing books.
In the center (f.l.t.r.): Susann Schronen, Jamshid Alamuti, Sheridan Johns and Marie Budde.
The «Ambassador of Striking Yellow» and also member of the German Designer’s Club’s (DDC) executive board, Niko Gültig, awaits his personally dedicated Widmung from Bill Roedy. Recommended music track: Yello’s «On Track».
Recommended music track: Crowded House’s «Four Fingers In One Day».
«Recognising a serious lack of green in this very same coloured image we both ourselves find us integrated, maybe you might like to consider starting your dedication with the creation of a green spot … possibly right here. Well, just a thought…»
Well, there is another way to describe Bill Roedy best – with the help of two of his tweets:
1) 10:51 AM – 15 May 2013:
«Had a great dinner with Barbara Bush and Mark Dybul in NY. And hearing about great work of both the Global Health Corps and Global Fund.»
2) 7:00 AM – 20 Jun 2013:
«Sitting in Finnegans sipping Guiness in Dalkey where Bono and Ali are having lunch with Michelle Obama. Ireland is as beautiful as ever!»
Bill Roedy’s DedicationTwo dedications waiting to be compared and interpreted. Above Bill Roedy recommends our copywriter Hamlet Hampster: «(…) Please Read this Book! (…)»
Sir John Hegarty’s DedicationThe famous creative Sir John Hegarty, however, recommended our copywriter Hamlet Hampster in July 2011: «DON’T READ THIS BOOK!»
What we are now asking ourselves is: What will happen when reading a book that – quite obviously – better should not be read; and not reading a book that cannot wait to be read? Honestly, we are a bit afraid of trying out… Are there any suggestions, out there?
With the visual impression of the formerly best known «Testbild» we not only say buy-buy but like to draw your attention to this «tent talk» with Bill Roedy and Michael Conrad:
Following this link you will be able to watch Bill Roedy’s complete President’s Lecture. So, be a happy sneaker – and just do it!
***Materials For Extended Discourse***
Sir John Hegarty’s President’s Lecture
Hartmut Ostrowski’s President’s Lecture
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe’s President’s Lecture
The Freitag-Brother’s President’s Lecture
Thomas Burrell’s President’s Lecture
Chuck Porter’s President’s Lecture
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Religious topic. Therefore comments off.
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