Experts
Tom Freston
Fmr. Pres. & CEO, Viacom
Freston left Connecticut at 17, and never looked back. Read More
Am I part of the problem, or part of the solution? Read More
The Gates Foundation, Freston says, would do a good job. Read More
More and more people, Freston says, are becoming masters of their own destinies. Read More
This is a transitional age, Freston says. Read More
Just look at Mao’s Great Leap Forward. Read More
Freston, on the world's greatest challenge. Read More
Why are we so obsessed with it? Read More
Freston says there is plenty of responsibility to go around. Read More
And what needs to change? Read More
How do we address this phenomenon? Read More
Special education and public responsibility. Read More
When you read the newspaper or watch the news, what issues stand out for you? Read More
Freston recalls the anti-Americanism of the Vietnam era. Read More
We're all immigrants. Read More
Be comfortable in your own skin. Read More
We must confuse God. Read More
Freston rejects the Hobbesian view of mankind. It's time to believe in our better side. Read More
Freston, on Kerouac. Read More
The story of Apple. Read More
About Tom Freston
Tom Freston was one of MTV's founding executives and until recently served as CEO of Viacom. Freston is responsible for the generation-defining ad campaign "I Want My MTV." In 1987 he became the CEO of MTV Networks, using his position to advance the networks' position in new markets, as well as launching several ancillary product lines and tie-ins, including "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," "The Real World," "Beavis and Butthead," "South Park" and "SpongeBob Square Pants." From 2004, Freston led Viacom, overseeing all cable network properties (MTV Networks and Showtime Networks), the motion picture businesses of Paramount Pictures, and the publishing operations of Simon & Schuster. He resigned in September 2006. Freston was educated at New York University and is currently on the Board of Trustees for Emerson College in Boston.
Ideas recorded on: 11/5/07