Born and raised in Porirua, with arguably the best head of hair in the TV business, New Zealand born Kristian ‘Krit’ Schmidt was the winner of the NZ VJ Search Competition in May 2014, landing himself the role as MTV’s most recent VJ. 

With a Master’s degree in Education, a conjoint degree in Law and Arts and a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright scholarship in the US, Krit began lecturing at the University of Auckland for a short time before winning the MTV VJ competition, which changed his life completely.

 However, it’s not just street smarts that the quick-witted 30 year old brings to his life as a MTV VJ. With visits to more than 25 countries under his belt, globetrotting Krit has travelled the world as a dancer with hip hop crews and Pacific performance groups.

With a passion for all types of music, Krit has scoured the globe in pursuit of the world’s biggest artists, even charming his way backstage at a TLC gig and catching the eye of vocalist Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas. Krit has also been known to hustle his way on stage with hip-hop heavyweight Pharrell! With a cheeky grin and killer smile, Krit’s ability to work the room makes him a perfect fit as an MTV VJ.

“Working in education for 10 years, I never thought it would lead me here! Joining MTV is a dream come true” says Krit. “Kate's the jam too! We¹ve already slayed a bunch of red carpets and interviewed heaps of stars together since I started, I can't wait to see what's next on this crazy ride.”

After scoring the job as an MTV VJ, Krit’s striking good looks haven’t gone unnoticed. His crazy curls have appeared on billboards, print ads and on the side of Sydney busses, as Krit was chosen as one of the faces of the 2014 summer Glue Store campaign in Australia. However, Krit isn’t the only member of his family blessed with good looks - show business is in his blood with action heavyweight Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson being his cousin!

Since becoming an MTV VJ, Krit has interviewed the likes of Ne-Yo, Chris Rock, The Jonas Brothers, James Bay, ScHoolboy Q, Charli XCX, Nev Schulman, Justice Crew, Samantha Jade and Meghan Trainor  (to name a few) and attended major red carpet events such as the Logies, VMA’s and Aria Awards.

When he’s not strutting his stuff down a carpet, Krit can be found on MTV co-hosting the weekly MTV Pop 20 series alongside Kate Peck, as well as MTV News and tent-pole events such as MTV Summer of Music and club tour initiative, Club MTV.

“I love being an MTV VJ because I’m always in exciting places where I’m engaging with fun people!  I keep my mind stimulated with the research aspect when it comes to artist interviews, and I maintain my creative writing with our show scripts and other personal stuff I work on like Talking Krit.  Best of all I’m in a career that revolves around two of my big loves - music and entertainment!”