Doubles Original Programming Hours with
Seven New and Returning Series, including Second Season of
"Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys"
Network’s "Poptimist" Audience is Highly Engaged in Driving New Trends in Culture
New York, March 1, 2011 – On the heels of the success of its original unscripted series "Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys," and its first ever Golden Globe win for the mini-series "Carlos," Sundance Channel is doubling its original programming hours in 2011 with a slate of seven new and returning series and two non-fiction series in active development. Included on the 2011 slate is a second season of the social media hit "Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys."
The slate signals a new direction for the network, combining substance with fun to create a fresh kind of forward-looking non-fiction programming for its "poptimist" audience. The lineup was announced today at an upfront event by Sundance Channel General Manager and EVP Sarah Barnett.
"Our audience is highly engaged in driving new trends in culture. We call them "poptimists" as they get a buzz from discovering the next big thing before it hits in the world. They are looking for authentic unscripted television that sparks their minds as well as their emotions" said Barnett.
"We’re taking the best of everything that you expect from Sundance Channel – authenticity, depth and smarts – and adding a pop of fun and emotion. Our new slate puts front and center creative personalities living life on their own wildly passionate terms. Watching them is to see tomorrow’s ideas come to life today, and it’s an inspiring journey."
Among the series set to premiere in the coming months, "Quirky" showcases 24 year old entrepreneur Ben Kaufman, who is democratizing innovation, and turning it into a thriving business platform. His pioneering website Quirky.com brings new products to market with a simple and ingenious innovation: everybody is invited to participate, and they all share in the profits. It’s fast-paced, highly creative and full of drama – and it’s the kind of forward-looking approach that will drive the future of American business.
"All On the Line" features ELLE creative director Joe Zee in an arm-lock with a group of highly passionate designers who are struggling to grow their business. Holding on tightly to what made them successful in the first place may just be the thing that’s holding them back now. Will they hear Joe’s tough love direction, or will they stick doggedly to their original vision? No fake competitions, no hidden stunts, this is real-life stakes as artistic purity comes smack up against commercial reality.
"LOVE/LUST" is a fun and surprising look at the back stories of the most iconic products of our time, and "Shoebox Sessions" is a disarming and novel approach to the celebrity biography show. Additional upcoming series include "Ludo Bites America," and "Garo Unleashed."
Headed by Michael Klein, SVP Original Programming & Development, Sundance Channel’s original programming team includes Vice Presidents, Original Programming and Development Nicole De Fusco and Marco Bresaz.
2011 Original Programming Line Up
ALL ON THE LINE (previously announced)
Joe Zee – Creative Director for ELLE – is always one step ahead of the trends. Now, Joe is using his style smarts and eye for detail to guide struggling fashion designers back on the road to success. With insider savvy, a positive spirit, and a double dose of tough love, Joe inspires these listless labels to rekindle their creative fire and stay true to who they are. This just may be their last chance to transform cutting room concepts into rack ready fashions. With a make or break presentation to a buyer looming, it’s "All on the Line." The series premieres on March 29th. Produced by Authentic Entertainment for Sundance Channel. (8×60)
GARO UNLEASHED
Garo -a passionate and utterly original designer who is renowned for showing his clients how to use fashion as a form of self expression. His clients range from society brides shopping for one-of-a-kind gowns to performers looking for show-stopping stagewear. The show is set in Garo’s exclusive East village atelier, where the people who walk through the door are as engaging as the clothes themselves. Produced by North South Productions for Sundance Channel. (6×60)
LOVE|LUST
The bikini, the little black dress, street food, cocktails. Get the backstory of a few of our favorite things. "LOVE|LUST" is a fun and surprising look at the innovative products and ideas that ignited a love affair with us all. Sundance Channel’s favorite pop culture pundits, industry experts, and a few candid celebrities tell us the inside history of the most iconic items in fashion, tech, food, beauty, and more to see what fuels our romance with the defining symbols of our times. Produced by Sharp Entertainment for Sundance Channel. (14×60)
QUIRKY
Welcome to Quirky, the unique technology company that has re-engineered and democratized the business of innovation, fast-tracking the product development cycle to new extremes. In each episode, the Quirky team of design and fabrication geniuses selects one product idea submitted by their online community that seeks to solve everyday problems. The hopeful inventors are then guided through the high-stakes world of innovation from simple sketch to working prototype. Then Quirky shares the profits with the global group of connected influencers – people who help make a good idea even better. A brand new way to create, it’s an entertaining look at what’s just ahead of the curve. Produced by Sharp Entertainment for Sundance Channel. (6×60)
LUDO BITES AMERICA
Classically trained Ludo Lefebvre is a 5-star French chef who’s writing his own restaurant rulebook. He and business partner/wife, Krissy, are hitting the road to reinvent American cuisine. From Texas barbeque to Baltimore crab cakes, each episode finds Ludo and Krissy setting up innovative pop-up restaurants at local eateries desperate for fresh ideas. Working together with their hosts, the creative duo try to fuse Ludo’s high-end cooking with American classics and reignite a community’s passion for food – inspiring them to live a little more outside their comfort food zone. Produced by Authentic Entertainment for Sundance Channel. (6×60)
SHOEBOX SESSIONS
To see a different side of fame, you have to think out of the box, literally. "Shoebox Sessions" digs up the most revealing mementos of a celebrity’s past to shed light on who they are today. From embarrassing teenage photos to love-sick song lyrics, our mystery box of personal history is always full of surprising and insightful revelations. Whether the box lifts the lid on laughter or tears, every item is a turning point in a life’s journey. Hosted by David Nadelberg the creator of the nationwide performance sensation and bestselling book series, Mortified, every episode of Shoebox Sessions introduces you to the true person behind the image. Produced by Relativity Real for Sundance Channel (10×30)
In Development
NEUMONT (WT)
Take the established concept of college and CTRL + ALT + DEL it. Built from the ground up with the help of the leading names in technology, Neumont University is a high pressure, high reward school for whiz kids. Its mission is to groom the next generation of Zuckerbergs, Gates, and Jobs. And while the students battle videogame addiction, burnout, and dating, a group of forward thinking professors devote their time and knowledge to pointing these talented and gifted adolescents towards our future. Failure is simply not an option. It’s a surprising reboot of education that says geeks are the new cool kids.
DIVA OF DISTRESSED (WT)
She’s brash. She’s bold. She’s a billionaire in stilettos. Lynn Tilton is the Diva of Distressed, and she’s on a mission to save America’s troubled businesses. While Wall Street thrives, Main Street struggles to stay afloat. That’s when Lynn steps in with fresh ideas, deep pockets, and high expectations. With her no-nonsense business philosophy and unorthodox style, Lynn works to get these enterprises back on track and return stability, pride, and hope to the small town communities they support. This is a captivating look at the power of creativity to shape the future of our country.
About Sundance Channel
Sundance Channel (sundancechannel.com) is the destination for What’s Next, Now. Showcasing both today’s creative icons and the emerging talent of tomorrow, Sundance Channel tells credible, authentic, and emotionally immersive stories of Invention, Fashion, Film, Travel, Design, and Enterprise. Launched in 1996 and owned and operated by Rainbow Media Holdings, LLC, Sundance Channel provides perspectives dedicated to founder Robert Redford’s mission to celebrate creativity.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media owns and operates some of the world’s most popular and award-winning entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv, Wedding Central and IFC Entertainment (IFC Center, IFC Films, IFC In Theaters, IFC Midnight and IFC Productions). Additional information about Rainbow Media’s multiplatform brands is available at www.rainbow-media.com.