MOST guys pushing 40 know zilch about teenagers, other than what they deduce from rolled eyes at the dinner table or sarcastic remarks during the drive home from soccer practice.
Thirty-nine-year-old Tony DiSanto, meanwhile, is fully aware of what “ROFL” and “crunk” mean, who Lil Wayne is and how Stephen on “Laguna Beach” should, like, totally go out with L.C. ‘cuz she’s, like, soooo much better for him than Kristin.
In fact, he knows all those things weeks before America teen nation finds out.
DiSanto is MTV’s executive vice president of series development and programming. He’s the man whose shows are the talk of study hall – like the reality (well, more or less) hit “Laguna,” and its spinoff “The Hills.”
He’s also given the go order on other MTV hits like “Run’s House,” “The Andy Milonakis Show” and “Celebrity Rap Superstar,” and he co-created the MTV institution that booster-rocketed his career in the 1990s, “TRL.”
If you’re an oldie who laments the fact that MTV hardly shows any music videos anymore, it’s DiSanto’s golden touch with narrative programming that’s to blame. DiSanto’s not apologizing, though. He’s too busy helping MTV mature – and the best part is he gets to feel like a teenager indefinitely.
Word is that as a college student you fibbed to get an internship at MTV. Any truth to that rumor?
I was a freshman at NYU, which didn’t allow internships until junior year. Meaning, you couldn’t get credit for it. So I mocked up a little letter on NYU letterhead giving myself the OK and applied for the internship. It worked. By the time I was a junior, I was still interning, so I did finally got some credits.
Did the internship pay?
It was unpaid the whole way through. For me, it didn’t even matter. It was about the education and getting to play in this world. I was in school three or four days a week, and a day or two at MTV. Then full-time in the summers. Eventually it rolled into a job. I was the intern who never left, who went from one job to the next and just kept showing up.
What did you learn as an intern?
In the very beginning I did everything from labeling videotapes to timing the veejay segments so they’d know the length to plug them into between videos.
What was your favorite assignment?
Actually, one day I was sent to wait at Mark Goodman’s apartment for the cable guy to show up. Back then, nobody had CD players, but he did. I thought it was the most awesome, futuristic technology ever. I hung out at his apartment listening to The Beatles’ “Revolver.”
What did you do for spending money?
I was also working on the outside, cutting trailers for low-budget horror movies like “Witchboard 4.” And I directed a few videos for heavy-metal bands, like Bile. We shot under the Long Island Expressway right outside the Midtown Tunnel with no permits or anything. It wasn’t much money, but every bit of free time I had, I was reading, writing, shooting and editing, learning more with each project.
What was your big break at MTV?
After NYU, I freelanced on “Headbanger’s Ball,” “Totally Pauly,” “Spring Break.” Then Carson Daly and I came up with the idea for “TRL.” The timing was perfect.
That was the beginning of the end for music on MTV, around the time they stopped showing entire videos. If video killed the radio star, did Tony DiSanto kill the video star?
What we’re doing has always been about music. Whether it’s straight videos or a musical performance or even the attitude – the rock ‘n’ roll attitude. Like, “Jackass” had music at its heart and soul. Or “Laguna,” which was really emotive and emotionally connective because of the soundtrack. MTV is evolving how our viewers experience music.
Ten years ago, sitting back and watching MTV was about the only way to experience music videos. Now there are lots of other ways. People get what they want, when they want. We like to call them Generation P, a generation of programmers curating their own thing.
So there’s no going back? We can expect more reality shows on MTV?
It’s an evolving genre, part of the fabric of TV, and it’s gonna stick around. Just like game shows or sitcoms. Of course, reality shows need great stories and great characters. The challenge for us creatively, and a big mantra for myself, is to make sure there’s a diversity of formats and voices. That’s what’s key.
If reality TV is dubious “reality” because of all the cameras hovering around, why not just make shows that are fictional?
That’s been the evolution on MTV over the last couple years – from shows that only played in the visual language of straight documentary to reality-style shows using the visual language of narrative. We are moving into fictional programming. We just shot a pilot for a show called “Cheerleader Camp.” It’s sort of “Bring It On” meets “Scream.”
How cool is your office?
People who sit in my office figure I’m either a madman or a highly immature individual. I’ve got a 3-foot-tall Michael Myers doll and a light saber. I do feel like a kid in a candy store. But a lot of that is from the creative freedom, the fact that we’re encouraged to take chances.
Is it aggravating that no matter how good a show is, teenagers with microscopic attention spans will get bored with it anyway?
Our core is ages 12 to 24, and those viewers set a high bar. They’re constantly looking for the next big thing. So that’s our job. When something’s working, the temptation is to keep doing it. But especially with our viewers, you’ve got to go for broke and find something new.
Any advice for someone who aspires to be a reality TV star?
Be yourself. If I’m watching a tape and it looks like you’re acting, I’ll steer away. If it’s forced, then that’s eventually going to come through on camera.
What about advice for a young job-seeker looking for a job at MTV or in entertainment?
You’ve got to really want it. This business, for me, was more than just a job. It was also my hobby. Starting out, what helped me was volunteering and working in every area of the network. From ADing in the studio to PAing on sets to working with talent. Later, as you move up, you can start honing and focusing in on what area appeals to you the most. In the beginning, volunteer and learn.