Housing Works raised a record $1.1 million at its 9^th Annual Design on a Dime event – a three day décor sale event to benefit a housing expansion program for people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. Through advocacy and action, Housing Works battles the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS providing lifesaving services and entrepreneurial businesses to sustain these efforts.

 Viacom (a long-time supporter of Housing Works) and Nickelodeon sponsored the Design on a Dime Benefit and Opening Reception which was co-chaired by five of design’s leading ladies including Viacom’s very own Vice President of Design and Construction, Yetta Banks. Other co-chairs included Good Morning America’s Lara Spencer, “The Chew” correspondent Evette Ríos and HGTV’s Genevieve Gorder and Sabrina Soto. For the past four years Yetta Banks has been a featured designer and this year her dedication as a co-chair helped to attract over 3,000 people to shop in over sixty rooms designed at discount by top interior designers.

“This year, I was honored to serve as a designer and co-chair with a group of fabulous women. As co-chair, I was able to use my voice to raise awareness for all of the amazing work that Housing Works does for the community and identify more partnerships in my industry. I engaged anyone who would listen because my goal was to make this the best year yet! It was a smashing success!” –Yetta Banks  

The line to enter the Opening Reception snaked an entire city block – as people eagerly awaited their chance to buy designer décor at discount for a great cause. Nickelodeon’s adorable Peter Rabbit themed children’s room, complete with a tree house bed, attracted the eyes of many parents. Next to the calm of Nickelodeon’s room, people bullied past the ribbon cutting for the chance to bid on the furniture in Yetta Banks’ all-white fantasy lounge full of luxury fabrics, mannequins and mirrors. Banks let her imagination run wild – but admitted to what inspired her design: “Every year, I create an imaginary muse for the room and selfishly, it’s usually me” Banks said. “This year, I am planning one of the most important events in my life, my wedding. I used that as the inspiration for my vignette, a wedding themed bride & groom lounge.”

Yetta Banks channels her creative talents to help further the mission of Housing Works, but many employees at Viacom are inspired and committed to this cause too. Nickelodeon’s Russell Hicks (President of Content Development & Production) was honored at this year’s Housing Works’ Groundbreaker Awards dinner for his steadfast commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS and homelessness. Last month, Viacommunity Day volunteers packed into the Housing Works’ thrift shop to sort donations and track inventory for a day of community service.

I would like to raise my thrift shop glass – and salute all the hard work and stylish insights that went into planning such a fun and festive fundraising event. Design on a Dime is the perfect event for those socially conscious shoppers on a budget - looking forward to next year!  

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This Friday, the majority of Viacom employees put on their out-of-office autoreplies, made their way to a community service project of choice, and rolled up their sleeves to do something good – as is tradition on Viacommunity Day, our company-wide day to give back. All around the world, droves of Viacom employees dispersed across hundreds of volunteer sites — another year of record numbers, as participation steadily grows.  This year, employees worked on everything from packing goody bags for Boston First Responders, to rebuilding sites still devastated from Hurricane Sandy, and conducting mock interviews for the unemployed in need of such training.

In honor of Viacom’s service on Viacommunity Day, Viacom President and Chief Executive Officer Philippe Dauman and a group of employees rang the NASDAQ opening bell Monday morning. Following the bell ringing, I sat down with Dauman to hear his take on the Company’s corporate conscience and why this day of service is so important. Here’s what he had to say.

Was this your first time ringing the bell at the NASDAQ?

PD: Yes, it was. I’d rung the bell at the NYSE when we were listed there. And Viacom has rung the bell before, but this is the first time I’ve done it, and I am really thrilled to do it in connection with Viacommunity Day. We decided since we were going to ring the bell for Viacommunity Day, we were going to also bring people that worked for various organizations on Friday. We put out a note saying “first come, first serve” to come to the bell ringing, and we had the 40-or-so quota filled almost instantly. I talked to one of our people at the NASDAQ bell ringing and he said, “I jumped on it right away to make sure I got in there.” It was fun. Everybody was on the big billboards in Times Square, so we were all looking up at that.

What did you do for Viacommunity Day this year?

PD: Every year, I go around to various sites that we have people working on. I try to check out different organizations in the mix every year. This year I visited an animal rescue center, God’s Love We Deliver, an outdoor event in Times Square held for Second Chance Toys, and Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

Over the years, I’ve personally come to discover a lot of worthy causes that we are involved with and it’s always so invigorating to see our people’s enthusiasm. At many organizations, we have employees who are very actively involved and sponsored the project. The one aspect of Viacommunity Day that I’d love for more people to appreciate is that all these organizations, for the most part, were brought to our attention by the people who work here and get added to our list. If anyone at Viacom is involved with an organization, I urge them to suggest them for the day. The reason I do is that it’s a way for other employees to discover those organizations and get involved year-round. Because that’s really the objective – to get people involved not just for the day, but to get involved either in the particular organization or more generally on a year-round basis.

Why is it so important that we take part in Viacommunity Day every year?

PD: We see every day that there are a lot of problems that need to be addressed in society – from education to health issues to voting and hunger – the world, as we saw unfortunately last week, needs a lot of improvement. There are all sorts of worthy causes. Our veterans are coming out of the military service without jobs. Spike and its employees work on that cause. If we don’t get engaged as human beings, nothing’s going to improve. Our job as a company is to really expose our employees to organizations that come to our attention.

What are you most proud of this year?

I’m very proud of the fact that, once again, for several years in a row, we set record participation levels. More than 5,000 people participated in Viacommunity Day on a global basis. When you consider that we have 10,000 employees in the whole world including all our international locations, and we have a lot of employees who have to be at the office because we have to have our networks up and running — this new record is a testament to how involved our people are in their communities and how much they want to get involved. I’ve noticed over the years that we have a more and more engaged population – I think it has to do with a lot of the young people coming into the company. This is a generation that wants to be more engaged, and it fits right into our culture here. So I’m very gratified. And it’s not just in the U.S. – we had perfect attendance in Amsterdam, for example.

How would you say Viacommunity Day reflects our overall business or overall commitment to giving back?

PD: We have a special responsibility as a media company to address our audiences in a way that reflects our lives, and we have a responsibility to improve people’s lives and to improve the world community. We have a megaphone. So in order for us to be credible in doing that, we should also be engaged in our own personal lives. Viacom’s been recognized as one of the top 50 pro-social companies out there – I think we rank very high in that top 50, my personal opinion. That’s why we have so many programs here – we have mentoring programs that we put in place a few years ago – and opportunities to engage. We reflect that on our air and in personal lives and work lives. And that’s how it should be.

Right – and this week, Viacom launched a volunteer match program, for employees to find volunteer projects in their areas at any time.

As a company, we get more opportunities presented to us. People come to us and would like us to be involved, so we make those organizations available to our employees. We don’t require people to do anything; we just make it available and then it’s up to people to follow their own consciences. And in following their own consciences, they’ve been very socially responsible. I’m very proud of our employees, of the level of participation, and we should all be proud of what all of us collectively are doing. It makes a difference, and the combination of all our individual efforts are making it such that Viacom is making a difference. And that makes me very glad.

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Viacom’s year-long commitment to giving back culminates each year in Viacommunity Day, the Company’s annual day of volunteer service, during which we put on our out-of-office autoreplies, make our way to a volunteer project of our choice, and roll up our sleeves to do something good.

All around the world this past Friday, droves of Viacom employees dispersed across hundreds of volunteer sites — another year of record numbers, as participation steadily grows.  This year, employees worked on everything from packing goody bags for Boston first responders, to rebuilding sites still devastated from Hurricane Sandy, and conducting mock interviews for the unemployed in need of such training.

Beyond making a difference through our collective efforts, the objective of the day is to inspire employees to get involved either with that organization or in community more generally, year-round. It also reaffirms the ongoing relationships we have with many of the participating organizations.

Flip through the slideshow above for some of the day’s highlights, #nofilter, then check out some of our favorite #VDAY2013 Instagrams, featured below.  Shout out to the employee with crazy good nail art skills!

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This ruling ignores the opinions of the higher courts and completely disregards the rights of creative artists.  We continue to believe that a jury should weigh the facts of this case and the overwhelming evidence that YouTube willfully infringed on our rights, and we intend to appeal the decision.

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This week, with a simple tweet: “BREAKING: @TheLodgee tweeter to be replaced,” our cafeteria correspondent(s) announced that they were in the market for a new tweeter.

The outgoing tweeter came to the Viacom blog to reveal his identity and bid adieu to @TheLodgee’s faithful followers (more than 1,000 to date). We learned that the account is actually run by three employees, and while he didn’t reveal the identities of his counterparts, we now know that one of the three is named Uptin. Uptin works for MTV News, and in the past few years he’s also held roles across the company, at VH1 and Nickelodeon as well as MTV.

Here’s the full text of his goodbye letter:

One of the first things I learned in college was that to create a good business, you must fill a need.  What if, I thought years later, we applied this logic on Twitter? I had been conversing by the coffee machine with a colleague over our love for The Lodge. Not just the assortment of daily cuisines from around the world, or the incredible views overlooking NYC’s Times Square, but even the little things like the dynamic culture, friendly staff and decadent cookies.

That’s when I began thinking. The Lodge has a Facebook page.  Was it too exclusive to have its own Twitter?

And, so, on March 6, 2012, @TheLodgee was created.

While the unpaid work of remembering to tweet out the day’s menu and sending new updates to an ever-increasing and constantly-hungry Twitter following was sometimes tiring, I was satisfied knowing I’ve helped inform and fill the palettes of some several thousand of my finest colleagues.

While my role working in digital production and helping tweet for @MTVNews has been unforgettable, the opportunities to release (sometimes ridiculous) information, free from censorship—all the while attempting to stay anonymous — I have to say creating @TheLodgee is definitely amongst my best memories here at @Viacom.

Thank you to all those who followed, retweeted and sent tips!  Special shout-out to those I’ve never met but we’re highly active and engaged most with @TheLodgee: @KristinaLuca, @lindseyweber, @jennjrogue, @JerseyJonK, @ricenbeats!

While I move on from 1515 and #FOMO moves in, it seems only right that I find another anonymous successor for the account. If you’re interested, go here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/K2R26K3.

– his name is Uptin –

The post One of @TheLodgee Tweeters Unveils Identity appeared first on Viacom Corporate.

Philippe Dauman,Viacom CEO, Accepts the Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award from CUP (Photo Credit: Maximilian Imaging)

This week the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) hosted its 6th Annual Leadership Gala in New York City honoring Viacom with the Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award. Philippe Dauman, President and CEO of Viacom, accepted the award on behalf of the company. Viacom joined fellow honorees Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault, whose inspiring partnership was celebrated with the Philanthropic Leadership Award, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the charismatic creator of the Tony Award winning musical “In the Heights,” who received the Breakthrough Leadership Award.

To kick off this evening of recognition and celebration, Viacom board member, Charles Phillips, introduced Viacom. Phillips spoke to the power of the company’s media footprint, while underscoring how evolving global diversity and inclusion efforts are at the center of its success.

“This is a company that innovates not only on the screen, but also in the way it unites and celebrates people of different cultures and creeds behind the screen,” Philips noted.

Philippe Dauman proudly accepted the award thanking both CUP and the entire Viacom family. Dauman communicated how technology is transforming the media industry and with this rapid change it’s more important than ever to fully ‘commit to diversity and inclusion as our new normal’.

“I want Viacom to be a leader in this space. To reflect the diversity of our audiences – on and off our screens. To not just follow existing best practices, but to create new ones” Dauman said. “To continue to earn recognition as a place where people of diverse backgrounds lead from the c-suite; where women executives thrive; and where working mothers are empowered to succeed with balance.”

Viacom’s diversity champions that work every day to truly elevate diversity were in attendance, including: Marva Smalls, EVP of Global Inclusion Strategy, Scott Mills, EVP of Human Resources and Administration and Tom Dooley, Chief Operating Officer. Viacom also has an active presence in the CUP family – BET’s Martez Moore and Jocelyn Cooley were Gala Co-Chairs this year.

The CUP Gala surely didn’t disappoint with leaders like civil rights activist Vernon Jordan, Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer in the audience. There wasn’t an empty seat in the entire venue, as some of the city’s best and the brightest mingled and networked all evening.

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Lady Gaga’s Born Brave Bus is traveling nationwide to empower youth by connecting them with community and youth services, mentoring, volunteer opportunities and bullying and suicide prevention resources. The fully loaded, polychromatic bus recently drove through Gaga’s hometown of New York City – stopping in front of Viacom’s headquarters in Times Square giving fans a peek inside.

Cynthia Germanotta, Born This Way Foundation President and Lady Gaga’s mother, spoke to VH1 about the importance of this passion project and all the bus has to offer young people across the country. Covered in artwork created by fans, the bus provides youth with an interactive way to meet like-minded peers and access information.

“This is a wonderful, mobile youth experience where they can come to connect to their society,” Germanotta told VH1. “This side of the bus we have different kiosks where they can learn about the foundation, about our partners and the services that they offer and also we have an amazing map where they can learn about organizations in their communities.”

Viacom is a proud partner of the Born This Way Foundation and a supporter of the Born Brave Bus’ March tour which stopped in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C and New York City.  At Viacom, we continue to leverage our programming and platforms to work to advance the mission of the Born This Way Foundation. Our Viacom family wishes Lady Gaga a healthy, full recovery from hip surgery – her commitment to build a ‘kinder, braver world’ inspires people across the country to be courageous and accept their individuality. 

“Although my daughter is recovering and not able to complete the tour, it is important to her that the Born Brave Bus lives on,” said Cynthia Germanotta. “The bus has already impacted thousands of young people and, with the support of our partner organizations, this incredible resource will continue to help guide the large youth populations of Philadelphia, Washington, DC, New York and Chicago towards local support in their communities.”

For those who couldn’t board the bus last month, check it out online: http://bornthiswayfoundation.org/bus/virtual .

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The rain may have been out in London during Be Viacom’s exclusive Talking Shop event in late February, but that certainly didn’t dampen the mood (or turn-out).  The event hosted at London’s uber-cool Century Club brought together the crème de la crème of media agencies, marketers and advertising execs, with VIMN’s Christian Kurz showcasing the key findings of Viacom’s “The Next Normal: An Unprecedented Look at Millennials Worldwide.” Despite the early start, the room was buzzing with excitement as everyone waited for Christian to reveal how the study’s findings could help brands engage with Millennials.

The Next Normal report – which was first unveiled by Viacom in November 2012 at the Monaco Media Forum – is the first of its kind, surveying a whopping 15,000 millennials across 24 countries and highlighting the similarities and differences in attitudes, values, aspirations and perspectives of Millennials globally. Based on the findings from The Next Normal, Christian advised the audience that for brands wanting to engage Millennial youth in 2013 and beyond, there are 4 key takeaways to remember:

1. Brand Aid: enabling, upskilling and providing support
2. Love Brands: delivering authentic experiences by connecting to passion points
3. Brand As Family: facilitating close connections and personal interactions
4. Brand New: provide inspirational glocal content and experiences

Christian was then joined by MTV UK’s Kerry Taylor (General Manager & SVP, VIMN UK, Australia, Hungary & Russia) and William Higham (consumer strategist, futurist, author and CEO of Next Big Thing) to underpin how brands must leverage these new insights.  With Be Viacom’s Russell Samuel (VP, Creative Services and Planning) on hand to moderate the session, the brand leaders and marketers were treated to Kerry discussing how content (including shows such as Geordie Shore, Underemployed and Catfish) strives to reflect Millennial values, whilst William provided insight from a raft of other non-TV brands.

So what should brands learn from this? According to VIMN, in order to truly connect with this young demo, brands need to inspire and support; always deliver authentic experiences; build close connections and relationships; and provide inspirational experiences.

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That’s a lot of great thinkers and thoughts to cram into one 40 minute (!) session, so the event organizers understandably asked panelists not to bring reels.  But what’s a discussion of creative transformation without a little creative sizzle to show?  That’s why we’re lending Jeff some space here on the blog this morning to post a few key examples of campaigns and creative where Viacom has driven value for marketers across its media assets.  Check ‘em out below and, if you’re lucky enough to be in the Crescent City this morning, enjoy the 4As.

The post Jeff Lucas on Value of Tapping into Viacom Creative Assets appeared first on Viacom Corporate.

“This suit is nothing more than a hypocritical attempt by Cablevision to void a long term carriage deal they agreed to only two months ago.  Cablevision is crying foul over a standard business practice that expands choice and lowers cost for consumers – a practice they use extensively to sell their own services. Cablevision received significant discount on a package of networks that account for nearly 20% of the total viewing audience.  Now they want the lower price without the obligation to offer our networks to their customers.  For Cablevision it’s ‘do as we say and not as we do’ – an arrogant approach all too familiar to its customers.”

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