ABC FAMILY TO PRESENT EXCLUSIVE WEEKLY WEBISODES TAKING VIEWERS BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF THE NETWORK'S GROUNDBREAKING NEW SERIES, "SWITCHED AT BIRTH"

Burbank, CA (June 3, 2011) - ABC Family will premiere 10 weekly webisodes on ABCFamily.com that go behind the scenes of the network's groundbreaking one-hour original series, "Switched at Birth." Launching Monday, June 6th at 9:00PM ET, in conjunction with the premiere episode of the new series, the closed-captioned webisodes take viewers onto the show's set, where they learn about the inspiration for the series and get an insider's view at everything from the auditioning process to exclusive interviews with the cast.

"Switched at Birth" tells the story of two teenage girls who discover they were accidentally switched as newborns in the hospital. Bay Kennish grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and a brother, while Daphne Vasquez, who lost her hearing at an early age due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a working class neighborhood. Things come to a dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live together for the sake of the girls. The series stars Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez; Vanessa Marano ("Gilmore Girls") as Bay Kennish; Constance Marie ("George Lopez") as Regina Vasquez; D.W. Moffett ("Friday Night Lights") as John Kennish; Lea Thompson ("Back to the Future," "Caroline in the City") as Kathryn Kennish; Lucas Grabeel ("High School Musical") as Toby Kennish; and Sean Berdy as Emmett.

ABCFamily.com will release a new webisode every Monday in conjunction with that night's premiere of "Switched at Birth," starting on June 6. The first webisode delves into the inspiration behind the series. Through interviews with the producers, cast and guest star Academy-Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin, viewers discover how the concept was developed and the significance of incorporating deaf culture into the series. The second webisode, premiering online on June 13, highlights the casting process for the teenage roles of lead character Daphne and her best friend, Emmett. In exclusive interviews, viewers learn how the parts were won by newcomers Katie Leclerc, a hard-of-hearing actress, and Sean Berdy, who was born deaf.

Future webisodes will provide viewers with access to exclusive behind-the-scenes details about the series. Viewers get insight into capturing the authenticity of American Sign Language (ASL) and its nuances as they see the cast and crew work with ASL technical consultants and watch series star Constance Marie, who portrays Daphne's mother in the series, rehearse and shoot an emotional scene with Leclerc. Viewers will also get a sneak peek of what it's like to work on a television series and receive an exclusive set tour from series stars Katie Leclerc and Vanessa Marano. Later webisodes follow a young, deaf actress as she auditions and wins a role in the premiere episode, and cameras follow as she visits the set for the first time and shoots her scene with series stars Katie Leclerc and D.W. Moffett.

"Switched at Birth" is executive-produced by Lizzy Weiss ("Blue Crush"), Paul Stupin ("Make It or Break It") and John Ziffren ("Melissa & Joey," "Make It or Break It").

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 98 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relevant stories about today's relationships, all told with diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a mix of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.