Music and Youth
VH1 US boosts programming department
MUMBAI: VH1 US is looking to boost its programming lineup. This is being done through promotions.
Jim Ackerman has been promoted to senior VP, development and production. Maggie Malina joins VHI as senior VP VH1 Films and Scripted Series. Jeff Olde is senior VP, production and programming; Brad Abramson moves up to VP, production and programming.
The announcements were made by VH1’s executive VP, original programming and production Michael Hirschorn.
He said, “This team has achieved an astonishing amount of success, delivering high quality original hit series that have yielded record numbers of viewers at VH1 while sharpening and expanding our unique point of view. Their new responsibilities as well as the additions to our team will ensure that VH1 will build on its tremendous momentum and launch even more hit programs that resonate with our viewers in 2006.”
Ackerman was most recently VP development production and programming. In his new post, Ackerman will be responsible for overseeing development and production of original series. While at VH1, he has overseen such series as Best Week Ever, Celebrity Fit Club, Remaking and Race-o-Rama.
VH1 connects viewers to music, artists and pop culture events that matter to them with series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 claims to be available in over 87 million households in the US. VH1 also has an array of digital services including VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH Uno, VH1 Mega Hits and VH1 Country.
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
