CALDERONE SAYS
GOODBYE AT VH1

VH1 chief Tom Calderone is exiting after serving as its prexy since 2008 and working at MTV Networks since 1998. Prior to his arrival there, the well-respected exec was among the architects of the Modern Rock format, tripling the number of outlets during his time at Jacobs Media. He sent this internal memo to his colleagues today.

This email from me is not about a “Best Job Ever” contest, or links to our new shows, or some really great music that we are championing.

I’m reaching out today because I am leaving the VH1 family. And with that in mind, my very first thought, was to send an email to say thank you to all of you.

Usually these emails start with “I never thought I would be sending this...” or “I remember when I was at....” (then pick a personal story about a crazy behind the scene moment at a taping of a scripted or unscripted show, or a funny antidote about Live Aid, Unplugged, Storytellers, VMA, or a wacky pop culture event.) Trust me, some of those are my stories, and I have shared those moments with countless of you throughout my time here.

As important as those stories are to paint a picture of my journey, as I leave here in the next week, I find it more important to say thank you.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your creative and business lives here at VH1 and Palladia. As well as my years at MTV and MTV2. Thank you for always feeling comfortable to stop by my office to ask a question, bounce an idea, or just to simply talk about a creative solution to a problem. Or sometimes to just pop in and Shazam what music was coming out of my office. I hope you all know how important it was to me that you always felt at ease to come to my office, or stop me in the hall to chat or brainstorm.

Thank you for not rolling your eyes when I had a dumb idea. Uh, well, let me at least believe that...

Thank you for always making the environment at VH1 an inclusive, welcoming, and honest place to work.

Thank you for pushing me, challenging me, and standing up for an idea that you believed in.

Thank you for ALWAYS bouncing back quickly after a difficult moment or time.

Thank you for laughing at my jokes. And thank you for making me laugh too.

Thank you for always treating Robin with the utmost respect that she deserved. She is not your typical executive assistant; she is much more than that, and thank you to those that got it... and her.

Thank you for not just listening to me or each other, but also hearing what was said.

Thank you for always presenting to me stellar pilots, live events, creative marketing plans, digital initiatives, basically for bringing to me some of the best creative output from EVERY department at VH1, so that I could be your champion and bring it to whatever platform it belonged on. I also want to acknowledge that the strategy would not be complete without the support of our music, press, scheduling, finance, research and BALA teams. Ultimately, together, we brought great content.

And finally, Thank you for letting me lead you every day from every aspect of the business. I did not take that task lightly or for granted. You all made it an amazing and wonderful experience to be here for the last several years.

And I truly mean this. Thank you.

Tom