BRAVO ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF 'AMERICAN ARTIST' (wt) FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER SARAH JESSICA PARKER AND MAGICAL ELVES
Network Unveils Premiere Dates, Series Pick-Ups And Roster Of New Unscripted Programming In Development Including "Fashion House" And "Top Chef: Masters"
NEW YORK � July 20, 2008 � With blockbuster docu-dramas and Emmy and Peabody Award winning creative competition series, Bravo has posted explosive growth in the last three years, boasting an 83 percent increase in adult viewers (18-49) and an astonishing 138 percent increase in women 18-49, according to Nielsen Media Research. On the heels of back-to-back best years ever in 2006 and 2007 and currently with an unprecedented 11 consecutive quarters of growth, the network is pacing for a third record breaking year across all platforms and screens. For second quarter 2008, the network enjoyed a 46 percent increase among adults 18-49 (vs. 2Q07) and year-to-date ranks as the No. 18 ad supported cable entertainment network, Bravo's highest ranking ever. And online, Bravo Digital posted its best second quarter ever in page views and monthly uniques, averaging 90.8 million page views and 2.95 million monthly uniques.
Known for high quality, engaging programming � Bravo again shattered its previous record for Emmy nominations with a total of 11, including retaining the distinction of being the only cable network ever to be nominated in the Outstanding Reality Programming Category and with two nominees ("Top Chef" and "Project Runway") � Bravo became the number one network in all of television for program engagement among the coveted adult 18-49 demo according to Nielsen IAG's most recent year-to-date reporting. Bravo again broke network ratings records on-air and online earning the highest second quarter in network history among adults 18-49 and total viewers in primetime versus the second quarter in 2007.
Today, Bravo announced a number of new and returning programs in the food, fashion, beauty, design and pop culture affinity groups, as well as various projects in development. From producer, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Sarah Jessica Parker, her production company Pretty Matches, and the Emmy-nominated Magical Elves comes "American Artist,"(wt) an hour-long creative competition series in development between aspiring contemporary artists who will create and compete in a range of disciplines including sculpture, painting, photography and industrial design. Based on the British format and show of the same name comes "Fashion House," (wt) a creative competition series in development where teams of designers replicate the workings of the fashion business through a fashion house by designing an entire, cohesive line with the opportunity of having their line mass marketed. And "Top Chef: Masters," a spin-off of the Emmy-nominated "Top Chef" produced by Magical Elves also in development, featuring world-renowned chefs competing against each other in a series of weekly challenges. The announcements were made by Frances Berwick, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Bravo Media.
"Bravo has enjoyed unprecedented and award-winning success by catering to our unique audience of the most educated, upscale and engaged viewers, and by creating high quality, creative originals around our five affinity groups," said Berwick. "We've steadily increased our original programming from just one night three years ago, to four nights starting this Monday."
The network also unveiled a number of pick-ups for its returning series, and premiere dates for upcoming fall series and specials. Pick-ups include second season orders for "Make Me A Supermodel" and "The Real Housewives of New York City," which boasts a new housewife for season two � designer, model, author and fashion editor Kelly Bensimon. Additionally, the network announced that the upcoming fifth season of the No. 1 food show on cable, "Top Chef," will be set in the culinary mecca of New York City.
The Rachel Zoe Project will premiere on September 8 at 11 p.m. ET/PT � following the finale of "Date My Ex: Jo & Slade (which launches Monday, July 21 at 10 p.m.), before moving to its regular time period on September 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" will premiere on Tuesday, September 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, and the special "Tommy Hilfiger Presents: Ironic Iconic America" will premiere on October 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Following are the new, returning and in development programming announcements:
NEW SERIES/SPECIALS:
THE RACHEL ZOE PROJECT
Premieres September 8, 2008 at 11 p.m. ET/PT, Moves to its regular time period on September 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, along with her trusted inner circle � husband Rodger and fashion team, Taylor and Brad, will be featured in the docu-drama "The Rachel Zoe Project", as they endeavor to take Zoe's business to the next level. In the series, the perfectly styled, go-to force among "it" starlets, fashion houses, beauty firms and magazine editors will give viewers a fly on the wall look at how she juggles constant deadlines, fashion shows and celebrity clients. "The Rachel Zoe Project" is produced by Original Media for Bravo. Charlie Corwin, Jamie Patricof and Rachel Zoe are executive producers.
THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA
Premieres Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
The latest edition to the "Real Housewives" franchise, the seven episode series "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" follows five women from Atlanta's social elite � from NBA and NFL wives to sassy single moms � as they juggle their burgeoning careers and busy home lives with the whirl of the south's hottest city. An up-close and personal look at life in Hotlanta, these driven and ambitious women prove that they're not just "housewives," but entrepreneurs, doting mothers and classy southern women. NeNe Leakes, DeShawn Snow, Sheree Whitfield, Lisa Wu Hartwell and Kim Zolciak show the world what it takes to live large in some of the hottest zip codes in the south.
TOMMY HILFIGER PRESENTS: IRONIC ICONIC AMERICA
Premieres October 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT
Produced by Radical Media for top American designer Tommy Hilfiger, this one-hour special provides a cross-country look at American pop culture, highlighting American beauty, fashion, love and sex, design and food. Hosted by supermodel Bar Refaeli and poet Rives, and inspired by Hilfiger's book collaboration with George Lois, "Iconic America: A Roller-Coaster Ride Through the Eye-Popping Panorama of American Pop Culture," the special includes an introduction by Tommy Hilfiger and explores how pop culture has influenced American tastes and styles.
SERIES PICK-UPS:
MIAMI SOCIAL
Miami is an international cultural melting pot filled with the young, gorgeous and wealthy looking to live the good life. South Americans, East Coasters, native Floridians� everyone comes to Miami for the sun and fun � it's a city that specializes in people that work hard and play even harder. With "Miami Social," Bravo will follow a successful group of friends who are some of the most connected and interesting young professionals in South Beach, as they go from the city's night life to the board room and magazine offices where they lead their intertwined lives.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
AMERICAN ARTIST (working title)
Producer, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Sarah Jessica Parker and her production company Pretty Matches, will team with the Emmy-nominated Magical Elves and Eli Holzman, to produce "American Artist" (wt), an hour long creative competition series between contemporary artists. "American Artist" will bring together aspiring artists to compete for a gallery show, a cash prize and a sponsored national tour. In each episode, contestants will create unique works of art highlighting art's role in everyday life, while they compete and create in a range of disciplines including sculpture, painting, photography and industrial design (to name a few). In working beyond their preferred mediums, artists will have to adapt quickly to changes in order to succeed. Completed works of art will be appraised by a panel of top art world figures including fellow artists, gallerists, collectors, curators and critics. The finalists' work will be showcased in a nation-wide museum tour.
FASHION HOUSE (working title)
"Fashion House" (wt), a creative competition program based on the British format of the same name, replicates the workings of the fashion business through a fashion house. Teams of designers will live together and work to create not just a single item of clothing but an entire, cohesive line. These collections are created on deadline and are presented to commercial buyers with the opportunity of having the designers' line mass marketed.
TOP CHEF: MASTERS
A spin-off of the Emmy-nominated hit series "Top Chef" and from producers Magical Elves, "Top Chef: Masters" unites some of the brightest stars in the world of food, award-winning, widely-renowned Chefs who will compete against each other in a series of weekly challenges.
RETURNING SERIES:
MAKE ME A SUPERMODEL (Season 2)
Premieres 2009
Bravo's creative competition series "Make Me A Supermodel" returns for season two to search for the world's next supermodel. Beautiful and talented men and women will live together in New York City and explore friendships, romance and naked ambition while undergoing a series of creative challenges designed to test their professional modeling potential, all while exploring what it takes to turn the exceptionally good-looking into the next king or queen of the catwalk.
"Make Me A Supermodel" is produced by Tiger Aspect Productions, a division of IMG Media. Andrew Zein, Jamie Munro and Jym Buss are executive producers.
THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY (Season 2)
Premieres 2009
Bravo's watercooler sensation "The Real Housewives of New York City" returns for season two with all five original Housewives and a new cast member � designer, model, author and fashion editor Kelly Bensimon. Season two will follow the busy lives of everyone's favorite Manhattan women as they juggle their careers, children, jam-packed social calendars and summer in the Hamptons. With an average of more than a million viewers per week in its first season, the series increased its delivery week by week in every key measure to become the highest rated freshman docu-drama in network history. "The Real Housewives of New York City" is produced by Ricochet Television Inc. for Bravo. Jennifer O'Connell and Nick Emerson serve as executive producers.
THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY (Season 4)
Fourth Quarter 2008
The original series that began The Housewives 'franchise,' returns to the real-life Peyton Place that is the exclusive gated community in Orange County, CA with the fourth season renewal of its hit docu-drama "The Real Housewives of Orange County." The new season will feature the series' original housewives Vicki, Jeana and Lauri, as well as last season's newest addition, Tamra, and two new housewives sure to make waves. "The Real Housewives of Orange County" is produced by Evolution Film & Tape Inc. with partners Douglas Ross, Gregory Stewart and Kathleen French serving as executive producers. Series creator and Orange County resident Scott Dunlop also serves as executive producer.
TIM GUNN'S GUIDE TO STYLE (Season 2)
Fourth Quarter 2008
The second season of Bravo's "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style," hosted by Tim Gunn, will premiere in fourth quarter with a new "fashion accomplice" for Gunn, Gretta Monahan, fashion expert, personal stylist and owner of Grettacole Spas, Salons and Boutiques in Boston. Each episode will chronicle one person's fashion dilemmas and introduce the answer to all their troubles � Gunn himself, with his inimitable style, propensity for coaching and encyclopedic expertise in fashion. Under his tutelage, deserving folks in need of some change will get the makeover of a lifetime from the man Entertainment Weekly called "a major arbiter of style." "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" is produced by Stone & Company Entertainment, with Scott Stone and Sarah-Jane Cohen serving as executive producers.
TOP CHEF: NEW YORK (Season 5)
Fourth Quarter 2008
Bravo's Emmy-nominated hit series and the No. 1 food show on cable, "Top Chef," returns for a fifth season, offering a fascinating window into the competitive, pressure-filled environment of world-class cookery and the restaurant business at the highest level. The series � hosted by Padma Lakshmi and presided by head judge Chef Tom Colicchio � features sixteen aspiring chefs who compete for their shot at culinary stardom and the chance to earn the prestigious title of "Top Chef." The most recent cycle, "Top Chef: Chicago," became the highest rated "Top Chef" season ever, averaging 1.81 million adults 18-49 and 2.539 million total viewers, a 23 and 15 percent increase respectively over season three. "Top Chef" is produced by Magical Elves. Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz and Shauna Minoprio serve as executive producers.
Source: Nielsen Galaxy Explorer: Live + 7 through 6/29/08; IAG Research, measured nets, 01/01/08-06/30/08. Program Engagement nonsports programming, A18-49, Cable Prime: M-Su 6P-12A & Broadcast Prime: M-Sa 8P-11P / Su 7P-11P. Bravo Internal Web Logs (Omniture, 2007/2008)
Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com.
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