Press Release

Kelly Ripa, TLC and HSN Team up to Give Female Entrepreneurs the Chance of a Lifetime

TLC Premieres New Series HOMEMADE MILLIONAIRE on Friday, November 19 at 10pm ET/PT

KELLY RIPA, TLC AND HSN TEAM UP TO GIVE FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

(New York, NY – October 11, 2010) — Every day, women in the U.S. think of useful inventions and business ideas and yet don’t have the time or resources to catapult their creations to the next level. TLC has joined forces with HSN and Milojo Productions (owned by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos) to premiere the six-part series HOMEMADE MILLIONAIRE on November 19 at 10pm ET/PT. The series offers aspiring female entrepreneurs the potential opportunity of a lifetime – to have their innovative ideas sold on-air and online through interactive multichannel retailer HSN. With product sales on HSN topping $2 billion a year, a deal with HSN could change these women’s lives overnight.

"We are super excited to be working with TLC and HSN on this project,” explains Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. “We’re sent so many innovative products from women every day, and to be able to help them get into the marketplace is a dream come true for us.  These inventors have worked so hard in this show. We’re beyond proud of them."

“HOMEMADE MILLIONAIRE provides an opportunity to those ‘kitchen-table inventors’ to get their creative ideas out to the masses," says Nancy Daniels, TLC’s SVP of Production and Development. "We are thrilled to be partnering with Kelly and Milojo Productions, and believe HSN is the perfect outlet for these hard-working women to showcase their inventions."

Each hour-long episode of HOMEMADE MILLIONAIRE follows the competitive journey of three women vying for a chance to sell their inventions on HSN. Open calls were held throughout the country, and thousands of women showed up with their unique products in hand, with the hopes of being part of this experience.

“We are very excited to work with Kelly Ripa and TLC to help these inventors realize their dreams,” states Bill Brand, EVP of Programming, Marketing and Business Development.  “HSN is all about great products and amazing storytellers and that is what this series will deliver to our customers.”

The lucky inventors were put through a series of tasks designed to get their product ready for consumers. Helping Kelly coach these women along the way are two business experts, Wendy Robbins and Ed Evangelista, who serve as mentors for these budding business women as they evolve their product and build a unique marketing strategy to present to HSN.

Wendy Robbins, founder of Nowhere To Millionaire LLC and author of "Why Marry a Millionaire? Just Be One!", worked her way out of debt to make millions with her invention the Tingler head massager. She is also a leading expert on mastering the millionaire mindset, and how to manufacture and market ideas to millions. Ed Evangelista became the first advertising executive embedded into entertainment content when he served as a judge, juror, and executioner on ABC’s TV series AMERICAN INVENTOR. Evangelista has created award-winning advertising, marketing and alternative content for some of the world’s largest consumer brands from diamonds and liquors, to automobiles, finance and bubble gum.

Alongside Kelly on the judges’ panel are two HSN executives – Jennifer Cotter, Senior Vice President of Television, and Chris Nicola, Vice President of Product Development – who draw upon their vast experience in television and retail to evaluate each product.

Each episode also features guest celebrity judges and experts in the fields of Home, Beauty, Food, and Fashion, including:
Emeril Lagasse: Celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, and creator of Emerilware and other HSN culinary products
Jennifer Flavin-Stallone: Beauty entrepreneur, wife of actor Sylvester Stallone, and co-founder of Serious Skin Care cosmetics sold at HSN
Colin Cowie: Entertaining authority, author, and creator of the Colin Cowie collection sold exclusively at HSN.
Ingrid Hoffmann: Celebrity cook,creator of the Simply Delicioso collection sold at HSN, and host of Food Network’s SIMPLY DELICIOSO and DELICIOSO on
Galavisión
Diane Gilman: Famed fashion designer and creator of her Diane Gilman collection at HSN.  
Stacey Schieffelin: Founder and president of cosmetics line ybf (your best friend) beauty sold at HSN.

Jeffrey Banks: Acclaimed menswear designer, author and creator of a lifestyle collection of home accessories and women’s fashions at HSN.  
James Mischka and Mark Badgley: Renowned celebrity fashion designers and creators of American Glamour Badgley Mischka sold exclusively at HSN.
Skip Borghese: CEO Multimedia Exposure, Italian Prince and creator of Perlier – Italian Beauty sold at HSN.
Carolyn Forte: Good Housekeeping Research Institute
Allie Lewis: Food Editor, Real Simple Magazine
Lori Bergamotto : Fashion Editor, Lucky  Magazine

HOMEMADE MILLIONAIRE is produced by Milojo Productions and Discovery Studios, for TLC. Executive Producers are Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos, and Nina L. Diaz (creator and EP, MTV CRIBS & MY SUPER SWEET 16, EP of REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY). Co-Executive Producer is Albert Bianchini (Producer, LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY).

About TLC

TLC’s innovative docu-series and reality-based programming include favorites Jon & Kate Plus 8 , Little People, Big World , What Not to Wear , 19 Kids and Counting, Say Yes to the Dress,  and LA Ink . TLC added to its menu of programming with Cake Boss  and Ultimate Cake Off , and continues to expand into the food genre. TLC’s daytime lineup includes the Emmy Award-winning A Baby Story . The channel is available in more than 98 million homes in the US, nearly 8 million homes in Canada and through the website at www.tlc.com. TLC is part of Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries.

About HSN  

Headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL, HSN is a leading interactive multichannel retailer, offering a curated assortment of exclusive products and top brand names to its customers. HSN incorporates experts, entertainment, inspiration, solutions, tips and ideas to provide an entirely unique shopping experience. At HSN, customers find exceptional selections in Health & Beauty  (e.g. M. Asam, Carol’s Daughter, Coty, FranBrand, FusionBeauty, Andrew Lessman’s Procaps, Lancome, Perlier, Serious Skin Care, Wei East, ybf Beauty); Jewelry (e.g. Heidi Daus, Grayce by Molly Sims, R.J. Graziano, IMAN Global Chic, michaeLisa, Noir, Amedeo Scognamiglio, Tori Spelling, Serena Williams Signature Statement); Home/Lifestyle  (e.g. Nate Berkus, Bissell, Colin Cowie, Dyson, Todd English, GreenPan with Thermolon, Emeril Lagasse, Joy Mangano, MoMA Design Store, Wolfgang Puck); Fashion/Accessories  (e.g. American Glamour Badgley Mischka, Curations with Stefani Greenfield, Sam Edelman, Loulou de la Falaise, Chi by Carlos Falchi, Diane Gilman, "Timeless" by Naeem Khan, Adrienne Landau, Sharif); and Electronics  (e.g. Canon, Gateway, GE, HP, JVC, Kodak, LG, Sony).

A leader in transactional innovation, HSN is the only retailer offering live streaming video on three screens: TV network, which broadcasts live to 95 million households in the US in HD 24/7; hsn.com, which ranks in the top 30 of the top 500 internet retailers and features 15,000 product videos; and mobile via its iPhone application. HSN, founded 33 years ago as the first shopping network, is an operating segment of HSN, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSNI).


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