For 2003 UCLA graduate ChiChi Nnadi, going back to school is
part of his job. Hired last year by MTV, Nnadi is now a video
jockey for the station’s newest branch, mtvU.
Having harbored the idea of creating a college-geared program
for over a decade, MTV finally purchased the College Television
Network in October 2002. The channel was renamed mtvU and
relaunched in January 2004. The channel aims to become a convenient
and relevant resource for students, according to general manager
Stephen Friedman.
The new branch’s “three-pronged attack” is
designed to engage students through multiple mediums: on-air,
online and on campus.
On television, music fans can watch videos of new, unfamiliar
artists being aired on mtvU’s “The Cut.” At
night, “Real World” addicts can catch reruns of their
favorite seasons, as well as other MTV shows such as
“Daria.” But to get the gist of mtvU, all one needs to
do is log on to the channel’s Web site, www.mtvu.com. From
program schedules to music downloads and grant applications, the
site is mtvU in a nutshell.
Nnadi’s job is to extend this plan of connectedness. He
and five other VJs visit schools across the country, helping bring
mtvU assignments on campus. The “Stand-In” project, for
example, collaborates with school faculty to introduce various
cultural icons, ranging from Marilyn Manson to Frank McCourt, to
the classroom.
The projects require Nnadi to spend much of his life on the road
and on planes. Despite the lack of respite, he enjoys traveling and
makes it his personal agenda to meet as many people from different
places as he can.
“My family is from Nigeria and Canada, and I love meeting
people from different perspectives,” Nnadi said.
“I’ve gone from doing keg stands with frat guys at Ohio
State to having after-parties with dudes in Atlanta, Ga. I just
want to have the greatest variety of experiences with people the
same age as me, but coming from a totally different
place.”
Because of their ability to relate to other students, mtvU VJs
are valuable to the channel’s mission.
“ChiChi just graduated and two (VJs) are still in college.
(They) give us a visceral connection to colleges,” Friedman
said.
Nnadi attributes much of his success to his experiences as a
student in the UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television and Digital
Media. Though a theater student, he also took courses in directing,
writing, film editing and television production. It was his work on
“ucla: next,” a student-produced national cable TV
show, that landed him the opportunity to become a VJ. For
“ucla: next,” Nnadi created short documentaries,
including interviews with basketball icon Bill Walton and Elmo from
Sesame Street.
“The program allowed you to do what you wanted to
do,” Nnadi said. “(The school) gave you a $5,000 camera
and you shot pieces, edited and pre-produced them yourself. Two
weeks later, you turn on to channel 36 and your stuff is on
TV.”
Nnadi’s submissions to the student Emmy competition caught
the eye of one of the judges, an MTV executive. In March of his
senior year, Nnadi attended various auditions and acquired the role
of VJ for mtvU.
When asked if he had ever paid attention to college television
programming during his time at UCLA, Nnadi laughed.
“It’s a funny story, actually. (During) my junior
year, I was running on the treadmill in Wooden, and I looked up and
saw CTN’s host interviewing some professor. And I said,
“˜This show sucks. This guy sucks. This piece sucks.’
I’m like, “˜Wouldn’t it be cool if I could do that
and make it better?'”
A year and a half later, Nnadi is doing exactly that.