Cristian Jofre - I Want My MTV

The cultural impact of MTV is beyond measure.  Its voice speaks to - and defines - every generation that comes up through the ranks; its style influences everything from film to fashion.  As Creative Director for MTV Networks International, Christian Jofre holds the reins to one of the most powerful, far-reaching creative platforms in the world. But he still manages to find time for naps.  Behance sat down with Jofre to discuss the importance of personality, the value of confrontation, and the inspiration that can come from a really good cup of coffee.       

Before his current post, Jofre was Marketing Vice President and Creative Director for MTV Networks Latin America, and part of the creative team that gave the world the award-winning and  controversial campaign: "Una vez vi MTV" ("I watched MTV once"). Now, as Creative Director for MTV Networks International, Jofre heads a team of over 50 creative professionals.  Channeling all of that vision and energy into a productive working environment could pose a tremendous challenge, which is why it’s so crucial to build the right kind of team in the first place.  As Jofre explains his hiring policy, “Personality is the key for me.  I prefer someone with the right personality and not sooo talented, to someone talented with the wrong personality. [My aim is] building a ‘friendly environment’ to develop big and strong ideas.”  

Of course, that friendly environment need not be placid or dull.   With a proper foundation of respect, Jofre believes that conflict is necessary for the creation of great work.  “I don’t like consensus: that everybody needs to agree feels very suspicious to me.  I like confrontation that is challenging.  People sometimes take comments very personally, but ‘I don’t have a problem with you, I have problem with your ideas’…there’s a big difference.”

Jofre’s work is incredibly demanding, but his creative success is just as much a result of the time he spends outside the office.  He explains, “I like to spend my time on normal things, ideas for me come more from life than anything else.  A good nap is always good, walking around or having a chat with the Cuban lady who serves you strong coffee...”  Regardless of where he gets his inspiration, in the end, like our team at Behance, Jofre is primarily interested in making ideas happen.  As he puts it, “Building good teams around ideas is very important for me. I’m a lot more obsessed with the execution than with the idea itself.  I enjoy very much the transition between abstract and material.”

As for any advice that Jofre would offer other creative professionals?  “Sometimes I get lucky and find other’s people advice on the street: passing a store in Milan the other day I saw a writing on a window, which said: ‘Good design isn’t just good business, it’s a moral obligation. Now that’s pressure.’ Those are the good advices, the ones you can find by yourself, anywhere.”