“When he took the job, Bill Roedy made an immediate and profound executive decision: He would take MTV and its core proposition that pop music was the universal lingua franca of youth, internationalize it and create a powerful vehicle for change, understanding and good–whilst also building a great business in the process. MTV has changed since then, so has the world, and Bill is one of those people responsible for that change. He is a remarkable man!”–Sir Bob Geldof
“It has been said many times that with great power comes great responsibility. Bill Roedy lived by that rule all 23 of his years at MTV Networks. He helped to build a global entertainment superpower, but along the way Bill educated the MTV generation and made them realize they had the power to change the world.”–Jon Bon Jovi
“Bill Roedy has been a tireless fighter in the battle against HIV/AIDs. As he relates in this book, and his life’s story reflects, one can make a profound difference in the greater community by bringing together their individual abilities and corporate resources. When this happens, the community, the corporation, and the individual all win.”–Kenneth Cole
“My friend Bill Roedy is a statesman, and adventurer, a wise man, a humanitarian and much more all rolled into one. His personal life and career has been exciting, productive, and beneficial to mankind. He continues to lead an incredible life and has always been a remarkable story teller. Fasten your seatbelt and read on, you’re in for a great experience.”–Seymour Stein, Co founder/Chairman Sire Records, Inducted Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2005
“Few things are more difficult than building a new business. From helping to sell HBO to mom and pop cable systems in the 1970’s and 80’s to establishing the MTV brand around the world, Bill Roedy has more experience in that art than anyone I know. Those people intending to do business internationally can learn a great deal by reading this book.”–Frank Biondi, Former President and CEO, Viacom
Review
Roedy spent 22 years with MTV, building its networks around the world. He imparts a number of business lessons learned from his successes and mistakes during his years in cable TV, reinforcing the importance of prioritizing and the need to delegate. Of course, the real highlights of the book are Roedy′s many anecdotes, including deflecting P. Diddy′s more outrageous demands, wearing sneakers to meet the Dalai Lama and soothing the Duchess of York′s hurt feelings when rockers swore at her on TV.
Computer World
As business how–to books go, there are few as entertaining as Bill Roedy′s What Makes Business Rock.
New York Post
What Makes Business Rock is rockin′ good fun and full of actionable advice for execs who hope to plant their own flags in new frontiers with an entertaining twist it′s chocked full of fabulous gossip, celebrities, rock idols, politicians, global leaders and of course loads of music.
CNBC.com
A CNBC Best Book of Summer 2011
“Historians in the next century may look back with wonder at how a cable TV channel that started out playing only music videos ended up a titan of global media and a force in international politics. But that′s the remarkable story told in Bill Roedy′s What Makes Business Rock: Building the World′s Largest Global Networks, a memoir of his time as head of MTV Networks International. . . it′s hard to believe that none of Roedy′s exploits are exaggerated. But that would be to miss the point. It′s a tremendous read, and more than worthwhile for anyone seeking to understand how to scale a business globally – or even just for music fans who have laid down their guitars and taken out the piercings.”
The National
What Makes Business Rock chronicles Roedy s journey and the lessons he learnt along the way. These include a stint in the US Army, fighting in Vietnam, running a nuclear missile base in Europe, studying at Harvard Business School as well as running an iconic international television channel that reflected the passion and brashness of a new age featuring an even newer art form the music video .So how did MTV become, well, MTV?…[Roedy] ensured that the channel reached its young audience.
Business World
Any entrepreneur will be able to identify with Roedy s story. When he took charge, MTV was just beginning to grasp the way Europe functioned. By the time he left, he was overseeing MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, VIVA, TMF, Game One, Comedy Central and Paramount Comedy. Along the way he also became one of the most prominent characters in the global fight against HIV and AIDS.
–Forbes India
From the Inside Flap
As Chairman and Chief Executive of MTV Networks (MTVNI), Bill Roedy built the largest and arguably most culturally influential television network in the world. Beginning with a single channel in 1989, under his direction, MTVNI developed and launched more channels and networks than any other entertainment company. Roedy and his team built a global operation that includes 175 locally programmed channels and 400 digital media properties that stretch across 165 countries and reaches a potential audience of more than 2 billion people speaking thirty–three languages.
In What Makes Business Rock, Roedy tells the inside story of how he built the world′s largest entertainment network by employing unique strategies that enabled MTV to thrive internationally in an extraordinarily diverse range of cultures.
What Makes Business Rock is the valuable business memoir of the man who Bill Clinton has described as “the best businessman in the world.” In an environment increasingly dependent on global trade, it serves as a primer on how to build and manage a business when the partners on whom you rely don′t speak your language and operate under different and often challenging conditions. But what makes this book truly unique is how MTVNI succeeded by following a strategy very different than other multinational corporations. It worked because Bill Roedy learned that building the world′s largest entertainment network while dealing with the cultural demands of countries as diverse as Australia and Zambia, Pakistan and Brazil, China and Germany required adhering strictly to one inviolate rule: break all the rules!
In a three–decade trip through the media industry, Roedy takes you on an incredible journey as he builds a network while dealing with almost daily crises around the world, from meeting with China′s President Jiang Zemin in the Forbidden City to watching as the Berlin Wall comes down, from wrestling with the Vice–Mayor of Leningrad on the floor of the Winter Palace to dealing with the legendary and infamous Robert Maxwell.
Roedy also was honored as the U.N. Correspondents′ 2009 Global Citizen of the Year for uniting MTV with public service initiatives that saved lives while building tremendous brand recognition and loyalty throughout the world. In What Makes Business Rock, he shares the lessons he learned, along with great stories about working with heads of state, Nobel Prize winners, creative leaders, renowned media executives, and the most talented musical artists in the world.
From the Back Cover
Praise for What Makes Business Rock
“Bill′s global mission required an innate respect for diverse traditions, and a creative sensibility that speaks every language and builds bridges around the world. That mission also required Bill on occasion to brandish the steel will he honed as a combat–decorated officer in Vietnam and go toe–to–toe with repressive government officials or entrenched competitors who were challenged by the revolutionary impact of our programming. Bill is an advocate for human rights and an open–minded student of unfamiliar cultures a man trained in warfare who spent decades deploying entertainment, children′s programming, and health education all over the world.” Philippe Dauman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Viacom
“Bill Roedy and I grew up together in the media world and I am proud to call him my friend. Bill is one of the few people who have played a role in all of the extraordinary changes we′ve seen since the earliest days of cable television. He has been a true pioneer, finding unique ways to extend the reach of MTV throughout the world. The lessons he learned about establishing a brand internationally are invaluable to anyone who intends to prosper in the global business world.” Jeff Bewkes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner
About the Author
Bill Roedy was chairman and chief executive of MTV Networks International. In this role, he ran all of MTV Networks′ global multimedia operations for the brands MTV: including Music Television, Nickelodeon, VH–1, VIVA, TMF: The Music Factory, Game One, Comedy Central, and Paramount Comedy. He also has received numerous honors for his corporate and personal contributions to a range of humanitarian causes.
David Fisher has worked on seventeen New York Times bestsellers, including his most recent book, No One Would Listen with whistleblower Harry Markopolos (Wiley).
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