CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS HANGS IN-HOUSE PRODUCTION SHINGLE TO INCREASE PRODUCTION OF ORIGINAL CONTENT

Benefits Include Increasing Original Content Output, Ownership of Worldwide Rights, and Increasing Crown Media Family Networks' Extensive Film Library

Crown Media Family Networks, home of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, announces the launch of Crown Media Productions, an in-house production company aimed at increasing the company's original content across multiple platforms. Michelle Vicary will have oversight of Crown Media Productions where it is expected that creative relationships fostered over 15 years will make the startup immediately successful. Benefits of the in-house production unit include an increase in original content output, ownership of all rights, more direct involvement with the creative process, and providing another avenue for increasing Crown Media Family Networks' extensive film library.

Crown Media Productions will produce up to 6 TV films in 2015, all of which will be released under the banner of a Hallmark Channel Original or Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Original. The new production shingle will target doubling of this year's output in 2016 and beyond. The first original films to come from Crown Media Productions will begin airing later this year.

''Launching Crown Media Productions represents the next stage of the company's evolution,'' said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. "A production arm creates the infrastructure that makes it possible for us to keep up with an ever-growing demand for more and more Original Hallmark-branded programming across a variety of platforms, and it benefits Crown Media with more direct input into the creative process and financing, rights retention, and growing one of the best family film libraries in entertainment," Vicary concluded.

Crown Media Family Networks brand has a long and storied history as a distribution banner and will now enjoy the benefits of an internal production arm. The company will provide financing for the new entity and retain all distribution rights worldwide. Crown Media Productions will have in-house creative production executives and strategic publicity and marketing capabilities while relying on the company's overall infrastructure to power the new division. The new entity will be presented to Hollywood creative agencies within the coming weeks.

Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube

TWITTER: @HallmarkChannel, @HallmarkMovie #CrownMediaProductions