MTV Enlists Brooklyn-Based Artist Kaws to Redesign 'Moonman' for 2013 VMAs

MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), has teamed up with the world-renowned, Brooklyn-based artist KAWS to reimagine the MTV Moonman for the 2013 MTV "Video Music Awards" -- the first major awards show to ever take place in Brooklyn, airing LIVE from Barclays Center on August 25, 2013. An artist whose work has been presented at prestigious museums and galleries from Los Angeles to Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong, KAWS' art will be present throughout the award show, influencing the design for both the set and the logo. Additionally, artists who win a 2013 "Video Music Award" will take home a special-edition KAWS Moonman, which was created exclusively for this year's show.

"Creative experimentation and reinvention are in MTV's DNA. We have a history of partnering with groundbreaking artists - from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Andy Warhol - to bring inventive, thought-provoking works directly to our audience," said Stephen Friedman, President of MTV. "KAWS is the perfect partner to continue this legacy, and his redesigned Moonman is the perfect centerpiece for music's most irreverent award show."

"I grew up watching MTV and the 'Video Music Awards,' so I was excited to interject my work into this world," said KAWS. "It's a true honor to be able to reimagine such an iconic symbol in music and pop culture, especially since the show is taking place in Brooklyn. I'm looking forward to seeing KAWS Moonman take over the 2013 'VMAs.'"

KAWS, who has also collaborated with musicians including Kanye West and Pharrell, kept the design true to the Moonman's iconic image, while re-contextualizing it with his signature inflated skull and crossbones. The special-edition KAWS Moonman draws influence from KAWS' COMPANION, and echoes the artist's earlier works which have created a dialogue with iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse and The Simpsons. KAWS, who has been compared to Keith Haring and other pioneering contemporary visual artists, straddles the line between street and established art. His transformative works move seamlessly from art to commerce, as he injects sophisticated humor and playful intricacy that reflects on and sparks a conversation about the nature of contemporary culture.

MTV's collaboration with KAWS builds on the network's rich legacy of introducing its audience to vanguard art, including early work from Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Stephen Sprouse, Spike Jonze, Kenny Scharf and Doug Aitken, as well as Andy Warhol's 15 Minutes. Additionally, glass sculptor Dale Chihuly's work made an MTV "Video Music Awards" appearance in 2004, when one of his pieces was built into the show's set. And, in 2012, MTV partnered with MoMA PS1 and Creative Time to revive Art Breaks, airing a series of ten original video art pieces by some of the most exciting emerging artists from around the world.

Since the first "MTV Video Music Awards" aired in 1984, the VMAs instantly earned its reputation for delivering the most popular bands and artists to create the loudest, most influential and at times, the most controversial, annual live celebration of music in the world. No other award show has been responsible for creating more memorable or bigger musical moments in pop culture history than the MTV Video Music Awards. From Madonna, Michael Jackson, Guns N' Roses and Nirvana to Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Kanye West, an appearance on the VMA stage can forever change the trajectory of an artist's career in one single night.

The 2012 "MTV Video Music Awards," broadcast live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, was the #1 telecast across all TV for the night of September 6, 2012 in P12-34, scoring a 5.3 P12-34 rating with 6.1 million total viewers. Across the Viacom networks (MTV, VH1, MTV2 and Logo) the simulcast of the premiere averaged 8.0 million total viewers. Encore presentations of the 2012 show on MTV earned a 2.4 P12-34 rating at 10:00 p.m., and a 1.2 P12-34 rating at 12:00 a.m., for a total rating of 8.9 for the evening.

At the time, the telecast was also the #1 social TV event of the year according to Trendrr. With more than 19 million mentions, the 2012 VMAs more than tripled the full-day social-media response of 2012's record breaking telecast. In addition, MTV drove more online streams on this date than any other VMA show ever, and generated nearly a whopping 200 topics trended throughout the night, both in the U.S. and worldwide.

The 2013 "MTV Video Music Awards" will air across MTV's global network of more than 60 channels reaching more than a half-billion households around the world as well as through syndication. In addition, its convergent programming and content will reach the entire interactive community, via MTV's more than 200 digital media properties around the world. The 2012 VMAs was one of MTV's top performers in key markets across Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia.

Jesse Ignjatovic/Den of Thieves is the Executive Producer for the 2013 "MTV Video Music Awards." Amy Doyle, Garrett English and Dave Sirulnick are Executive Producers. Joanna Bomberg, Jen Jones and Lee Lodge are Co-Executive Producers. Hamish Hamilton is Director. Wendy Plaut is Celebrity Talent Executive.