MTV makes senior level appointments

MTV, the universe of the young, has brought in Shalini Sethi as the Content and Programming Head and Keegan Pinto as Creative Head. With varied experience in every aspect of the media industry, right from production to programming to movies, Sethi joins MTV India from Bindass, a channel that she launched and where she was Director, Programming; while Pinto, who has won several awards including Cannes Lions, Abbys and Effies joins MTV from DDB Mudra where he worked as the Group Creative Director. At MTV, both Shalini Sethi and Keegan Pinto will be reporting to Mr. Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV.

2014 has been a year of wins for MTV. Starting with the seventh season of MTV Splitsvilla which broke all records and went on to be the highest rated season for the show, MTV then launched an original drama series, MTV Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan which has now been the No.1 daily series in the genre for 15 weeks on the trot. MTV Roadies was launched last month with a brand new format has become an instant hit with the audience with the show rating 30% higher than the previous year and zooming to No.1 spot in the genre in the very first week of the show launching.  And launching next week is a brand new series MTV Warrior High, which captures the lives of young people in a boarding school.

Shalini will be responsible for further building original content based on her strong understanding of media consumption habits of young people. Working closely with young producers and talent, she will strengthen existing franchises while in parallelly building new properties. Keegan who has worked on the biggest brands in the country, will bring his edgy creative sense to drive the bite across all communication elements including brand messaging, show promotions and short format content for multiscreen consumption.

Expressing his pleasure over the additions to the team, Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV said, “People are the biggest asset of my business and we are continuously looking for talent that believe in the power of MTV but are also hungry to push the envelope and challenge the status quos. Shalini and Keegan have an infectious energy and are key drivers in taking MTV into its next phase in the India journey.  I am thrilled to have them as part of the part and I am excited about the madness that we will unleash together.”

Speaking on her new role, Shalini Sethi commented, “Looking in from the outside, MTV has always been the benchmark for everything ‘cool’ when it comes to the youth. And now that I’m here, I can already feel the excitement that drives this brand. It is indeed a pleasure to be here at a time when the channel is adding some very interesting shows and also delving deeper into fiction. I’m looking forward to working with the great set of people that I’ve met here and hoping that I’ll be able to create some great content for an iconic brand like MTV.”

Prior to joining MTV India, Shalini Sethi led programming at Bindass, Disney UTV. She began her career as a production assistant with the company ‘Picture This Co’ and soon moved to AIM Television, a production house where she worked on TV shows such as Khubsurat and Indian Holiday. Moving from Delhi to Mumbai she worked on many projects such as Breakfast with Zee and Deepa Mehta’s movie Earth 1947. Post which she joined the ‘Moving Picture Company’ before launching Bindass.

Discussing his new role, Keegan Pinto said, “MTV is the first and last word on youth and the young at heart. It is a monument, a legacy, a bastion of pop-culture and music so much so that people tend to forget it's an acronym and quote it as if it were a word. It is synonymous with innovation, passion and is known for reflecting the way the youth like to be and express themselves. To be working with people who have been instrumental in defining generations of young people and head the creative team is an extremely exciting idea for me. To add to a brand of this stature, a brand that I grew up with, a brand that enriched my imagination as a creative person, is a humbling honor. I love edgy content and MTV is all about bite and bigness. I look forward to being part of this fascinating culture which encourages creativity and being unabashed in every aspect of work.”

With more than a decade of experience, Keegan Pinto's previous stints were with Lowe Lintas, Bates 141, Rediffusion Young & Rubicam, O&M and Colenso BBDO Auckland, New Zealand. His work has won him accolades in both the international and national circuits including the prestigious D&AD, One Show, Adfest, Cannes Lions, Abbys and Effies.