or


[05/31/06 - 12:00 AM]
USA Network's Digital Community Spawns New Short-Form Programming from Magical Elves

[via press release from USA]

USA NETWORK'S DIGITAL COMMUNITY SPAWNS NEW SHORT-FORM PROGRAMMING FROM MAGICAL ELVES

USA NETWORK'S DIGITAL COMMUNITY SPAWNS NEW SHORT-FORM PROGRAMMING FROM MAGICAL ELVES

Brand is Basis for New Original Programming Development

NEW YORK, NY � May 31, 2006 � On the heels of the success of the first digital social networking initiative from a TV brand, USA Network announced today the launch of "Character Road Trip" � a television offshoot of the successful Show Us Your Character web destination. This is one of two short-form programs it plans to debut as part of the channel's ongoing efforts to expand its Characters Welcome brand to all facets of the business. Marking a joint effort between programming and marketing, the innovative short-form programming from Magical Elves ("Treasure Hunters," "Project Runway") is set to launch in October 2006, it was announced today by Jeff Wachtel, USA's executive vice president of original programming and Chris McCumber, USA's senior vice president of marketing and brand strategy.

"We're excited to participate in the growth of the company's successful Characters Welcome campaign," Wachtel remarked. "The distinctly stylized productions Magical Elves has brought to the marketplace prove that reality shows can have a clean, original look on a reasonable budget without sparing top-notch production values. They are truly the masters of integrated programming."

"Since we launched the Characters Welcome brand in July of last year, we have steadily introduced new facets of the initiative," explained McCumber. "What we realized quickly with the success of showusyourcharacter.com was that the content users were submitting would make for great television. The next logical step was to expand the initiative to include an on-air component."

Produced by multiple Emmy nominees Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth, the creative team behind production company Magical Elves, the addition of original shortform programming serves as a complement to Characters Welcome. For each project, USA Network will produce forty five-minute episodes a year, with 10 of each scheduled to air per quarter. With this latest venture, USA continues to broaden the scope of the brand and salute the real-life characters that populate cities and towns across the country.

Character Road Trip � An on-air extension of showusyourcharacter.com, "Character Road Trip" will be featured as a series of short-form interstitials throughout a primetime show. At its heart, the segments are a celebration of what makes our country great. Each week the hosts (TBD) will travel to a different American town in search of the greatest "characters" the country has to offer. Viewers will be given a peek into who they are and what makes them unique. Whether someone can juggle chainsaws, has the world's largest banana collection, writes symphonies for tugboats or is a Thai Elvis impersonator, they will be provided with a platform to strut their stuff and demonstrate how they do it.

Character Fantasy � Have you ever wanted to be a celebrity? Did you ever want to be the life of the party? Now's your chance to become the character you've always dreamed of with USA Network's new wish-fulfillment show. Paired with USA's Saturday afternoon programming, the host(s) (TBD), who are characters in their own right, will seek out real people with character fantasies. Perhaps you'd like to be transformed into an actor from your favorite movie. Or, maybe you've always wondered what it would be like to shed your girl-next-door image and experience being a stylish sophisticate. Whatever the wish, the fantasies will be about unleashing people's inner characters. Through this, people will get the chance to become whatever they want to be and learn to have more fun with their lives.

Since its formation in the summer of 2001, Magical Elves has developed and produced numerous acclaimed shows for NBC, ABC, Bravo and HBO. After a successful collaboration on the Emmy-nominated reality show "Bands on the Run," Lipsitz and Cutforth formed Magical Elves to exploit their diverse backgrounds and varied experience. This partnership has gone on to create some of the most talked about shows on television, including the Emmy-nominated "Project Runway" and "Project Greenlight" for Bravo, as well as "Last Comic Standing" for NBC. More recently, in addition to new seasons of those shows, Magical Elves has produced the ratings success "Top Chef" for Bravo and the upcoming "Treasure Hunters" for NBC. One of the largest reality shows NBC has ever commissioned, "Treasure Hunters" is a partnership between Magical Elves, Madison Road and Imagine Television. Magical Elves has constantly been on the cutting edge of entertainment, embracing new technologies and pushing the boundaries of reality television.

For photos of all USA NETWORK projects, please log on to the NBC Universal Media Village at http://www.nbcumv.com/.

USA NETWORK is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports and entertainment events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. The #1 basic cable network across the board in 1Q06, USA Network is seen in 90 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.

USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.





  [may 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· LAST COMIC STANDING (NBC)
· PROJECT GREENLIGHT (HBO)
· PROJECT RUNWAY (FREEFORM)
· TOP CHEF (BRAVO)
· TREASURE HUNTERS (NBC)





[07/10/25 - 05:03 PM]
Meagan Good Returns to Lifetime to Executive Produce and Star in the Alluring New Thriller "I'll Never Let You Go" Alongside Antonio Cupo and Thomas Cadrot, Premiering August 16 on Lifetime
Good stars as Emily Westover, a poised and successful art gallery director whose life takes a dark turn after a brief, impulsive affair with a magnetic Italian artist, Carlo (Cupo).

[07/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
"Virgin River" Is Returning for Season 8
"On behalf of myself and the whole 'Virgin River' family, we're eternally grateful to Netflix and to the fans for allowing us to continue on this journey with these beloved characters," said showrunner Patrick Sean Smith.

[07/10/25 - 12:00 PM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: New York Mets to Visit San Francisco Giants on July 27
Karl Ravech will call the action with analyst Eduardo Pérez, analyst and five-time World Series Champion David Cone and reporter Buster Olney.

[07/10/25 - 11:04 AM]
Paris Berelc to Co-Star and Executive Produce Upcoming Tubi Original YA Romantic Comedy Film "Kissing Is the Easy Part"
Fawzia Mirza (The Queen of my Dreams) is set to direct the film, which is based on the popular Wattpad webnovel (currently at 31.9 million reads) of the same name by Christine Duann adapted by Rebecca Webb.

[07/10/25 - 10:30 AM]
HBO Orders Untitled American History Sketch Comedy Starring and Executive Produced by Larry David and Higher Ground
President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. ...But then Larry David called.

[07/10/25 - 10:10 AM]
Apple's Acclaimed Sci-Fi Series "Murderbot" Lands Season Two Renewal
The season one finale of "Murderbot" premieres globally this Friday, July 11.

[07/10/25 - 10:06 AM]
AMC Networks Returns to Comic-Con International with Dynamic Lineup of Fan-Favorite Series Panels, Screenings, A Shudder Fan Activation & More
Panels include a return to Hall H for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, featuring an exclusive first-look at the official trailer from the third season, premiering Sunday, September 7 on AMC and AMC+.

[07/10/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Marc Maron: Panicked" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
He's mining for gold in a river of panic.

[07/10/25 - 09:55 AM]
"The Great Food Truck Race" Hosted by Tyler Florence Returns with New Roster of Competitors and Epic Culinary Challenges
The new season premieres Sunday, August 3 at 9pm ET/PT and streams next day on HBO Max.

[07/10/25 - 09:39 AM]
Peacock Announces September 4 Premiere Date for "The Paper"
The series premieres on Peacock with four episodes on September 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through September 25.

[07/10/25 - 09:34 AM]
MGM+ Unveils "Let The Devil In" Premiere Date
Premiering August 31, the four-episode documentary series is about a decades-old tragedy that destroyed one family and ignited the darkest fears of a small New Jersey town.

[07/10/25 - 09:01 AM]
Prime Video Adds Broadcast Veterans to NBA on Prime Game Coverage Lineup
The broadcast team includes award-winning play-by-play announcers Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan, Michael Grady and Eric Collins.

[07/10/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Starz Releases Key Art and Trailer for Timeless Romantic Drama "Outlander: Blood of My Blood," Premiering Friday, August 8
From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, intersecting in surprising and unforeseen ways.

[07/10/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases Trailer and Key Art for Season Two of "Sausage Party: Foodtopia"
All eight episodes of the animated comedy will be served all at once in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Prime Video August 13.

[07/10/25 - 08:13 AM]
Star Designer Bobby Berk to Host Newly Greenlit HGTV Series "Junk or Jackpot?" (wt) Produced by John Cena
Executive produced by actor, wrestler and entrepreneur John Cena, the six-episode season follows collectors as they discover the true monetary value of their massive and unusual collections.