ABC CASTING INITIATIVE "MAKE ME A STAR" ANNOUNCES WINNERS

ABC Make Me a Star, the second edition of ABC's national digital talent competition, has found its latest stars.

Comprised of two competitions - one for adults and one for minors - ABC Make Me a Star received almost 1,000 actor submissions from across the U.S. and had over 65,000 visits to the ABC Make Me a Star website during the 3 month contest period. A new competition for actors in the 13 to 17 year old age group was added to this edition of ABC Make Me a Star.

Cornelius Smith Jr. from Detroit, Michigan and Khalilah Joi Dubose from Hampton, Virginia are the winners of the Adults Contest. Lily Cardone from Florida is the winner of the Minors Contest. Winners were chosen by the ABC Casting department for the adults and by popular vote for the Minors Contest.

"We are thrilled to welcome our winners, Cornelius Smith Jr., Khalilah Joi Dubose, and Lily Cardone to ABC," said Keli Lee, Executive Vice President, Casting, ABC Entertainment Group. "ABC Make Me a Star allows us to continue to discover and develop the next generation of diverse talent and unique voices across the United States."

These national digital talent competitions are initiatives conceived by Lee and managed by Peachy Pascual and the ABC Casting Department to find fresh faces and unique voices across the United States through the use of technology and social media.

ABC Make Me a Star is one of the ABC Casting Department's many initiatives that identify extraordinary talent domestically and internationally across various platforms. These initiatives include the ABC Casting Department's Talent Showcase, which in its 12th year continues to discover, train and mentor diverse actors in LA and in NY, the Latino/Hispanic Domestic and International Outreach, the Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic and International Outreach and the Actor Audition Workshops.

The winning videos are on www.abcmakemeastar.com