NEW YORK – Frederick Morton is the visionary behind Tempo, a dynamic celebration of all things Caribbean and MTV Networks’ newest channel. Morton, who is the consummate creative thinker, with a laser beam ability to execute and impeccable credentials to back him up, is emphatic that Tempo can deliver the full scope of Caribbean culture to the entire world.
Born and raised in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands to Nevisian parents, Morton was aware – even as a boy – that the Caribbean held an irresistible magnetism. “Its music, its history, its breathtaking scenery – the place is earth’s last Eden and just gives people joy!” Morton also knew that someday he would deliver that joy to people everywhere. With characteristic drive, he set about achieving the world-class qualifications that would someday help him realize his dream. A law degree from Rutgers University and a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University were just the beginning. As an attorney at the prestigious law firm Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett, Morton represented numerous Fortune 500 companies. His stature rose even further when he became Corporate Counsel for Johnson & Johnson and then joined Viacom Inc. where he quickly rose to Chief Litigation Counsel.
By the time Morton became MTV Networks’ Deputy General Counsel of Business and Legal Affairs, he had amassed a shockingly concentrated amount of high-profile legal experience in under the course of a decade. He’d also maintained his passionate immersion in Caribbean culture. He knew, with an almost prophetic sense, that he would one day be able to combine the two and create a groundbreaking venture. “My skills as a litigator helped me persuade MTV networks to see my vision of a channel devoted to the vibrant Caribbean culture. I argued what I believed to be an undeniable case for Tempo before the Supreme Court of MTV Networks.”
Indeed he did. With facts, savvy and his background as a native son at the ready, Morton blitzed MTV Networks with the inevitability of Tempo. “There are millions of Caribbean people around the world. Caribbean culture from music to food to travel and tourism to sports generates billions of dollars in and out of the region”. He knew Tempo could serve as a dedicated platform for these industries, enhancing and ultimately sharing in the further development of these markets. “I knew it would be perfect for the MTV Networks model.”
MTV Networks agreed. Morton’s brainchild now effortlessly joins Viacom’s roster of popular and highly-targeted cable networks which includes MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET and Spike TV. “Tempo will be the ultimate platform for the entire Caribbean experience,” says Morton. “Caribbean people have a passion for living which shines through everything they do. Tempo will be the bridge to this culturally rich and trendsetting community.”
As Senior Vice President and General Manager of Tempo, Morton is at the helm of an astonishingly vast undertaking. But, he says with characteristic assurance of a creatively (almost mystically) driven soul, “passion, faith, and love will clear the way”. This is a man constantly erupting with ideas and too forward-thinking to rest on his already considerable laurels. “I like to say that It’s not about eureka moments, It’s about a eureka lifetime.”
