Discovery Studios Names Emmy Winner Beth Hoppe Executive Producer for CURIOSITY: The Questions of Life

-- Groundbreaking 60-Episode, Five-Year Series to Premiere on Discovery Channel in February 2011 --

(Silver Spring, Md.) Discovery Studios President Carole Tomko today announced the addition of Beth Hoppe as executive producer of CURIOSITY: The Questions of Life. Hoppe will oversee production of the multiyear television project for Discovery Studios, the internal production unit within Discovery Communications.

As executive producer for the series, Hoppe will report to Tomko and work closely with Discovery Communications Founder and Chairman John Hendricks, as well as the Discovery Channel production team. Previously, Hoppe served as president and CEO of Optomen Productions, a New York-based company that has produced successful programming for cable networks including Discovery Channel, History Channel, Animal Planet, Lifetime and Food Network.

"For CURIOSITY to be the definitive television experience for the knowledge seeker, it must have a world-class storyteller with a deep, multidisciplinary background lead it," said Hendricks. "Beth has the ideal skill set and artistic vision needed to capture Discovery's mission of 'satisfying curiosity.'"

CURIOSITY: The Questions of Life is the television component of the CURIOSITY project, first announced in September 2009. The television series is a multiyear project engaging the foremost experts in academia and the preeminent producers of nonfiction content to answer the fundamental questions and underlying mysteries of our time. Twelve hour-long episodes-each addressing a different question-will premiere per season, over the course of five years. The first season will premiere on Discovery Channel in February 2011 on Sundays at 8:00 PM. The series also will feature a global presence, eventually airing across Discovery networks in over 170 countries around the world. Beyond television, The CURIOSITY Project will offer extensive, multiplatform, academic capabilities through partnerships with Experius Academy, Discovery Education, and top colleges and universities.

"Beth Hoppe is quite simply one of the best producers in the nonfiction world today and a huge addition to our CURIOSITY team at Discovery Studios. She has an incredible track record of creating fascinating programming over a wide variety of genres, such as MONSTERS INSIDE ME for Animal Planet, ARE WE ALONE? for Discovery Channel and "Evolve" for History Channel," said Tomko. "She has an acute understanding that compelling characters and engrossing stories are always the foundation of excellent television."

Before joining Optomen, Hoppe spent many years in public television. While director of science programs at Thirteen/WNET New York, two of her series won Emmy� awards for Outstanding Science Program: "DNA" and "The Secret Life of the Brain." She also was executive producer of PBS's groundbreaking "Frontier House" and "Colonial House" series. Before joining Thirteen, Beth was series producer at WGBH for the award-winning PBS science strand "NOVA."

About Discovery Studios

Discovery Studios is the full-service production studio within Discovery Communications that develops and produces innovative, high-quality original programming in any format or genre for any platform. Featuring offices in Silver Spring, Los Angeles and New York, Discovery Studios is the largest domestic producer of content across all of the Discovery networks. From multipart series and award-winning theatrical documentaries to branded entertainment, blue chip specials and more, Discovery Studios offers unique access to the talent, reach and unrivaled expertise of Discovery. Discovery Studios is also home to a robust Footage & Music Services division offering an outstanding multimedia library for use in productions around the world.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's number one nonfiction media company, reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.