DYLAN NEAL ADDED TO THE CAST OF THE HALLMARK CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIE, "CEDAR COVE," WHICH BEGINS PRODUCTION TODAY FOR WORLD PREMIERE Q1 2013

Movie Stars Andie MacDowell, Begins Production Today in Victoria, British Columbia

Hallmark Channel announces Dylan Neal ("Blood Ties," "Bones," "Dawson's Creek") has been cast opposite Andie MacDowell in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie, "Cedar Cove." The two-hour movie is the pilot for Hallmark Channel's first-ever scripted series and begins production today in Victoria, British Columbia. "Cedar Cove," the movie, will premiere early in Q1 2013, with the series expected to beginning airing shortly after.

"Cedar Cove" is based on the book series by #1 New York Times bestselling author, Debbie Macomber, and is the fictionalized story of characters in a small town, the nexus of which is Municipal Court Judge Olivia Lockhart (Andie MacDowell), her family and her friends. Dylan Neal will play "Jack Griffith," the new editor of the local Cedar Cove newspaper and Lockhart's love interest.

"Cedar Cove" is an Orchard Road Productions Ltd. Film. The movie pilot is written by Bruce Graham ("Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas"). Mr. Graham adapted the material from Debbie Macomber's series of books, Cedar Cove. Executive Producers are Debbie Macomber, Dan Wigutow, Caroline Moore, Harvey Kahn, Michael Scott and Allen Lewis. Michael Scott will direct "Cedar Cove," the movie.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. The top-tier program service is distributed through approximately 5,500 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country.

Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, Frasier, Little House on the Prairie, and The Waltons. Since 2010, Hallmark Channel has also been home to original daytime lifestyle programming and is debuting two new daily series, Home & Family and Marie!, on October 1, 2012. Hallmark Channel's sibling network is Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, which focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of classic theatrical films, presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library, original Hallmark Channel movies and special events.