ANIMAL PLANET'S "TREEHOUSE MASTERS" PLANTS YOU CLOSER TO NATURE ONE TREEHOUSE AT A TIME

-- Beginning May 31, Tree Whisperer Pete Nelson Delivers One-of-a-kind Retreats Among Nature's Canopy --

(April 22, 2013) - In TREEHOUSE MASTERS, nature is literally at your doorstep; Pete Nelson, world-renowned treehouse designer and builder, provides the portal to life in the treetops. Beginning Friday, May 31, at 10 PM ET/PT on Animal Planet, Pete and his team of skillful craftsman, including his son Charlie, traverse the country to turn clients' sky-high dreams into realities.

Often described as a tree whisperer by his clients, colleagues and contemporaries, Pete uses an approach that's part science/part art to create incredible homes and businesses that are sustained by nature's foundation - trees. From the start, Pete lets the trees do the talking, giving him solid information of where and how to erect each arboreal sanctuary. Then, he and his team execute the most outrageous treehouses designed to delight every whimsy, form and function. Whether he's contriving magnificent multi-bedroom treehouses with state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms or rendering simpler, peaceful one-room escapes, Pete always goes out on a limb to create the most breathtaking treehouses with spectacular vistas.

"We awaken that inner child who dreams of living among the trees," says Pete, who has been creating dream treehouses for decades. "My passion is bridging the spiritual connection between man and nature."

But creating the ultimate dream doesn't come without its frustrations and obstacles. It's a race against time as Mother Nature throws some unexpected challenges their way, delaying their timetable and affecting their execution. But, looming deadlines and dangerous terrain are nothing compared to Pete's demanding clients. Pete's a visionary, and with his team, he must respond to each request with detailed perfection.

From exhilarating, dizzying heights, each of the eight TREEHOUSE MASTERS episodes ignites a fascination with nature. This season, Pete constructs an elaborate family treehouse in a New York backyard; transforms the Texas outdoors into a stunning spa retreat; builds a brewery in the sky deep within Ohio's Mohican Country; and even designs a magical honeymoon suite for a bride and groom who are tying the knot in Pete's own Treehouse Point resort outside Seattle.

TREEHOUSE MASTERS is produced for Animal Planet by STILETTO Television. Mark Grove, Garry Kief and Troy Queen are the executive producers for STILETTO Television. For Animal Planet, Jason Carey is the executive producer; Vaibhav Bhatt is supervising producer; and Sarah Russell is production coordinator. Charlie Foley and Sarah Thompson developed the series for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 96 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.