MTV was founded by Nyhl Henson, an executive at Warner Cable, not Bob Pitman or Tom Freston as is commonly believed. MTV existed years before Pitman and Freston joined, with its origins tracing back to Warner Cable's Qube project in 1976. After corporate mergers, Jon Lack was hired and later brought on Bob Pittman, who then hired Tom Freston, in the early 1980s.