Van Toffler is going back to where it began after striking a deal to produce the Video Music awards.
Toffler, who spent nearly 30 years at the youth-skewing music network, rising to president of MTV Networks Music and Logo Group, and his company Gunpowder & Sky, which he founded with Floris Bauer, will produce the annual music special alongside Den of Thieves.
It comes as this year’s event will air on MTV sister network CBS for the first time.
The 2025 Video Music Awards will air live on the broadcast network on Sunday September 7 and will be simulcast on MTV and will also stream on Paramount+. A one-hour live pre-show will also air across Paramount Media Networks.
Toffler will also help turn the show from a single-night event to a week-long series of music and music videos leading up to the main event, which takes place at the UBS Arena in New York.
Toffler was involved in some of MTV’s most iconic moments including the Madonna-Britney-Christina three-way kiss, which took place at the 2003 VMAs as well as shows such as The Osbournes, Beavis and Butthead and Jackass.
Barb Bialkowski serves as showrunner for the 2025 Video Music Awards with Bruce Gillmer and Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic as exec producers.
“The VMAs have always been where music and spectacle collide, and no one embodies that spirit more than Van Toffler,” said Paramount co-CEOs Chris McCarthy and George Cheeks who also run Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and CBS, respectively. “Bringing Van back to the VMAs, along with Gunpowder & Sky, is about reigniting the rebellious soul of the show with a week-long music immersion and delivering global moments that are impossible to ignore.”
“We’re not just producing a show,” added Toffler. “We’re launching a celebration of music that spans one week, every screen and every generation. Music has always been the heartbeat of the VMAs, but the show’s soul comes from its willingness to break rules, embrace unpredictability and reflect the times. This is about honoring that spirit while blowing open what’s possible across every format.”
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