In the coming months MTV will premiere series from 50 Cent, Cisco Adler and Shwayze, and will revamp Diddy’s “Making of the Band.”
50 Cent’s still-untitled project will take the form of a reality show where 16 competitors “compete to learn and master the skills that took 50 from the streets to the top of corporate America.” The winner will receive a full scholarship to either an undergraduate or graduate business program. The show will be executive produced by Michael Hirschorn, Stella Stolper, and Chris Choun for Ish Entertainment; 50 Cent; Chris Lighty for Violator Management. On the MTV side, Liz Gateley and George McTeague are overseeing production.
MTV also greenlit “Buzzin’,” which follows Shwayze and Adler as their first single is worked by the music industry. The show will feature Warren, their tour manager, and Suretone label head Jordan Schur. “Buzzin'” is produced by Suretone Entertainment and Hoosick Falls Productions, with Schur and George Verschoor serving as executive producers alongside Mike Powers. Gateley and Valerie Elustondo are the MTV executives overseeing production, and Steve Bilchik is the MTV talent executive overseeing the project.
Finally, Diddy’s “Making The Band” is getting tweaked – it will now be “Making The Rock Band” as “Diddy steps out of his comfort zone.” While specific talent was not announced, MTV says that rock artists and producers will participate in the show. Gateley and Jackie French are heading the production for MTV.
And it continues to expand beyond music-themed shows into a range of demographically-appropriate topics, MTV also is in the process of developing new programming about celebrity assistants, stage moms, skateboarding and teen pregnancy – although none of these shows have yet been given the official go-ahead.
“The MTV programming team is laser focused on seeking out, developing, and
launching breakthrough content in a variety of genres and formats,” says
Tony DiSanto, executive VP of programming and series development. “This allows us to continue evolving, and offering our audience an exciting roster of hits all year round.”
