Van Toffler, who helped build the VMAs into a pop-culture phenomenon, is returning to the show via a multi-year deal with his studio, Gunpowder & Sky. They will serve as producers of the 2025 show, which is set for Sept. 7, alongside production company Den of Thieves.
Toffler’s mission, according to a statement, is “to bring back the edge, spontaneity and punch that made the VMAs the most talked-about annual event.” The plan is “to supercharge the show from a single night into a week-long, multiplatform celebration of music and music videos leading up to the main event.”
CBS will present the 2025 Video Music Awards for the first time. The show will air live coast-to-coast from UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., on Sunday, Sept. 7 (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/5:00-8:00 p.m. PT), and stream on Paramount+. The CBS broadcast will also simulcast on MTV with a one-hour live pre-show to air across Paramount Media Networks.
In the run-up to the 2025 Video Music Awards, MTV plans to air a week of 24/7 music videos, both classic and current across MTV2, MTV Live and MTV Classic. Past VMA winners and top MTV personalities will return to curate and spotlight their seven favorite music videos of all time.
“The VMAs have always been where music and spectacle collide, and no one embodies that spirit more than Van Toffler,” Paramount co-CEOs Chris McCarthy and George Cheeks said in a statement. “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,” Toffler said in a statement. “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.”
Toffler, 66, joined MTV in 1987, six years after the network’s launch. He was president of Viacom Media Networks Music & Logo Group at Viacom from March 2008 to April 2015. In January 2016, together with Floris Bauer and Otter Media, he formed Gunpowder & Sky, a digital content company aimed at millennials.
Gunpowder & Sky (where Toffler is CEO) has built a portfolio across film, TV, VR, podcasts and digital series. The company’s credits include Audible’s Words + Music, Spotify’s Drawn & Recorded, Amazon’s Seismic and YouTube’s Released, as well as documentaries on artists ranging from Sheryl Crow to Lil Peep and films such as Her Smell, Lords of Chaos and Hearts Beat Loud.
The 2024 VMAs delivered its biggest multi-network audience in four years (up 25% year-over-year) and ranked as the most social VMAs in history, with 66.7 million social interactions.
Megan Thee Stallion hosted last year’s VMAs, which aired on Sept. 11, 2024, from UBS Arena. Taylor Swift was the top nominee with 12 nods and the top winner with seven Moon Person trophies, including for artist of the year and video of the year for “Fortnight,” a collab with Post Malone. Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” won song of the year, en route to a Grammy win for best pop solo performance.
Toffler and Gunpowder & Sky join an already-stacked lineup of pros heading up the 2025 Video Music Awards. The show is executive produced by Bruce Gillmer and Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic. Barb Bialkowski is showrunner. Alicia Portugal is co-executive producer. Jackie Barba is executive in charge of production. Wendy Plaut is executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella is executive in charge of music talent.
