Matthias Schweger
Encyclopedia
Matthias Peter Schweger is an award-winning director, writer, and producer for television. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded and managed internationally successful music projects Edelweiss
and Bingoboys
, as well as music video production companies, and helped launch Germany's first music video channel, Viva Television
. He has also worked as a creative consultant to European top executives, including Dietrich Mateschitz
, CEO and founder of Red Bull
, and Gerhard Zeiler
, CEO of RTL Group
.
he met fellow producer Martin Neumayer, and together they created the musical project Edelweiss, a unique cross-over between Austrian folk music and US hip-hop. Subsequently, the ABBA cover "Edelweiss, Bring Me Edelweiss" became a world-wide multi-million selling smash-hit with Warner Music, which was followed up by the Enterprise-spoof album Starship Edelweiss.
In 1991 Matthias Schweger signed another Austrian music project, Bingoboys
, with Atlantic Records
in New York
. The first single How To Dance
peaked at No.1 in the US Billboard Club Play, and was followed by an album The Best of Bingoboys. Noteworthy is the dance-instructor in the video to "How to dance", whose word-bite "Now, here comes the music" has been used in many trailers, commercials and artbreaks.
), as part of the founding team of "X-Large", a new weekly 90-minute youth-magazine format, which later branched out into a family of "X"-branded shows on national pubcaster ORF 1, providing several hours of previously unavailable content per week. After initially hosting the show, he moved on to present and produce an ironic weekly showbiz segment called "Pop News", which stayed on-air for more than six years. Schweger became more involved in directing, producing, and developing new formats, and creating award-winning screen designs and opening titles. He left ORF to help launch Germany's first 24/7 music video channel Viva Television
,
In 1997 he was hired by Brent Hansen, President MTV
Europe, to help with the regionalization of MTV Europe for the German language market, which was a direct reaction to the success of Viva Television.
In 1988, when Matthias Schweger was a resident of West London, Mag. Kathrin Zechner, then Head of Programming for ORF (Austrian Telvision) brought him in to develop and oversee a new weekly programming slot on ORF channel 1 named "Nitebox", which became a ground-breaking and award-winning innovation.
he founded Department M.
Schweger oversaw the creative development process for over 120 music videos, and also taking the director's chair for classics including Edelweiss, Bingoboys
, Germanic icons like Nina Hagen
, Udo Lindenbergh, Extrabreit
, Culture Beat
, and the trash-smash Shut up and sleep with me
.
, CEO and founder of Red Bull. The project Matthias Schweger headed was entitled "Red Bull Network", and included the creative, strategic, and technological planning of a global multi-media network featuring Red Bull Content. After almost three years, most of the findings have been shelved in favor of an "Alpen-Donau-Adria" niche channel called Servus TV.
Edelweiss (band)
Edelweiss was an Austrian electronica/dance band consisting of remixers Martin Gletschermayer, Matthias Schweger and Walter Werzowa. The group is best known for their 1988 worldwide hit "Bring Me Edelweiss", and their European hit "Starship Edelweiss"....
and Bingoboys
Bingoboys
Bingoboys are a dance music trio from Vienna consisting of DJs Klaus Biedermann, Paul Pfab and Helmut Wolfgruber.They had two chart entries on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1991. Their debut single, "How to Dance", featuring Princessa, hit #1 on the dance chart and climbed to #25...
, as well as music video production companies, and helped launch Germany's first music video channel, Viva Television
Viva Television
Viva Television Corporation or Viva Television is one of the ten companies of Viva Entertainment, Inc..-History:To push its software across another medium, Viva Entertainment ventured into television production in 1986 thru local filmdom’s hottest property Sharon Cuneta via The Sharon Cuneta Show...
. He has also worked as a creative consultant to European top executives, including Dietrich Mateschitz
Dietrich Mateschitz
Dietrich Mateschitz is an Austrian businessman who co-founded the Red Bull energy drink company and holds 49 per cent of the company's shares.-Biography:...
, CEO and founder of Red Bull
Red Bull
Red Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
, and Gerhard Zeiler
Gerhard Zeiler
Gerhard Zeiler is the current chief executive officer of the German media company RTL Group and a member of the executive board of Bertelsmann, the media conglomerate that owns the RTL Group.- Early life :...
, CEO of RTL Group
RTL Group
RTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
.
Music Career
When working for Austria's national Top 40 station Hitradio Ö3Hitradio Ö3
Hitradio Ö3 is one of the national radio stations of Austria's state-run broadcaster ORF.The station focuses on contemporary music. Until 1995 its schedules included many specialist music shows, but following a reorganization of ORF's channels shortly before the introduction in Austria of private...
he met fellow producer Martin Neumayer, and together they created the musical project Edelweiss, a unique cross-over between Austrian folk music and US hip-hop. Subsequently, the ABBA cover "Edelweiss, Bring Me Edelweiss" became a world-wide multi-million selling smash-hit with Warner Music, which was followed up by the Enterprise-spoof album Starship Edelweiss.
In 1991 Matthias Schweger signed another Austrian music project, Bingoboys
Bingoboys
Bingoboys are a dance music trio from Vienna consisting of DJs Klaus Biedermann, Paul Pfab and Helmut Wolfgruber.They had two chart entries on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1991. Their debut single, "How to Dance", featuring Princessa, hit #1 on the dance chart and climbed to #25...
, with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The first single How To Dance
How to Dance
"How to Dance" is a 1991 single by the Austrian house music trio Bingoboys from their debut studio album The Best of Bingoboys. The song features American female rapper Princessa....
peaked at No.1 in the US Billboard Club Play, and was followed by an album The Best of Bingoboys. Noteworthy is the dance-instructor in the video to "How to dance", whose word-bite "Now, here comes the music" has been used in many trailers, commercials and artbreaks.
Television Career
In 1987, Schweger moved from Austrian national radio to television (ORFORF (broadcaster)
Österreichischer Rundfunk, ORF, is the Austrian national public service broadcaster.Funded from a combination of a television licence fees and revenue from limited on-air advertising, ORF is the dominant player in the Austrian broadcast media...
), as part of the founding team of "X-Large", a new weekly 90-minute youth-magazine format, which later branched out into a family of "X"-branded shows on national pubcaster ORF 1, providing several hours of previously unavailable content per week. After initially hosting the show, he moved on to present and produce an ironic weekly showbiz segment called "Pop News", which stayed on-air for more than six years. Schweger became more involved in directing, producing, and developing new formats, and creating award-winning screen designs and opening titles. He left ORF to help launch Germany's first 24/7 music video channel Viva Television
Viva Television
Viva Television Corporation or Viva Television is one of the ten companies of Viva Entertainment, Inc..-History:To push its software across another medium, Viva Entertainment ventured into television production in 1986 thru local filmdom’s hottest property Sharon Cuneta via The Sharon Cuneta Show...
,
In 1997 he was hired by Brent Hansen, President MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Europe, to help with the regionalization of MTV Europe for the German language market, which was a direct reaction to the success of Viva Television.
In 1988, when Matthias Schweger was a resident of West London, Mag. Kathrin Zechner, then Head of Programming for ORF (Austrian Telvision) brought him in to develop and oversee a new weekly programming slot on ORF channel 1 named "Nitebox", which became a ground-breaking and award-winning innovation.
Music Video Career
Matthias Schweger started to direct music videos in 1987 with Bring Me Edelweiss, shot on 16mm film without video assist or time-code slate. Together with Austrian music-video pioneers Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher of DoRo ProductionsDoRo Productions
DoRo Produktion Ges.mbH aka DoRo Productions is a film company based in Vienna, Austria. DoRo was named after the surnames of founders Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher.- History :...
he founded Department M.
Schweger oversaw the creative development process for over 120 music videos, and also taking the director's chair for classics including Edelweiss, Bingoboys
Bingoboys
Bingoboys are a dance music trio from Vienna consisting of DJs Klaus Biedermann, Paul Pfab and Helmut Wolfgruber.They had two chart entries on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1991. Their debut single, "How to Dance", featuring Princessa, hit #1 on the dance chart and climbed to #25...
, Germanic icons like Nina Hagen
Nina Hagen
Nina Hagen is a German singer and actress.-Early years:Hagen was born as Catharina Hagen in the former East Berlin, East Germany, the daughter of Hans Hagen , a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer...
, Udo Lindenbergh, Extrabreit
Extrabreit
Extrabreit is a German band established in Hagen, Germany in 1978. The band was one of the most successful exponents of the Neue Deutsche Welle movement of the 1980s.-History:...
, Culture Beat
Culture Beat
Culture Beat is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Torsten Fenslau. The act has gone through a number of line-up changes over the years; they achieved the most success whilst fronted by singer Tania Evans and rapper Jay Supreme. Their 1993 single "Mr. Vain" was a No...
, and the trash-smash Shut up and sleep with me
Sin With Sebastian
Sin with Sebastian is a moniker used by the German musician/singer/songwriter Sebastian Roth currently living and producing in Berlin, Germany. Sin With Sebastian came to prominence in 1995 with the Europe-wide hit, "Shut Up ", which made it up to #1 in Spain, Austria, Finland, and Mexico, and Top...
.
Consulting
Schweger was hired to consult Dietrich MateschitzDietrich Mateschitz
Dietrich Mateschitz is an Austrian businessman who co-founded the Red Bull energy drink company and holds 49 per cent of the company's shares.-Biography:...
, CEO and founder of Red Bull. The project Matthias Schweger headed was entitled "Red Bull Network", and included the creative, strategic, and technological planning of a global multi-media network featuring Red Bull Content. After almost three years, most of the findings have been shelved in favor of an "Alpen-Donau-Adria" niche channel called Servus TV.