FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Brown and Brennan, Inc. Megan S. Smolenyak 455 North University, Suite 209 Provo, UT 84601 Phone: 856-795-5383 Fax: 856-795-5382 Email: casting@brownandbrennan.com SailorJones Media Inc. Barbara Jones 232 Scarborough Road Toronto, Ontario M4E 3M6 Phone: 416-693-1889 Fax: 416-946-1889 Email: casting@sailorjones.com AUDITIONS FOR A NEW TELEVISION SERIES! SEEKING HOST & REGULARS FOR A FAMILY HISTORY SLEUTHING SHOW Looking for ENTHUSIASTIC GENEALOGISTS (amateur and professional) and ACTORS (non-union) Auditions will be held in three locations to find a host and on-camera regulars for a new family history sleuthing television series. Interest and/or experience in genealogy a definite plus! Are you one of those people who loves digging into history’s mysteries? Do you sometimes wish you had been born a century (or two or three) earlier? Do you get excited at the prospect of a cemetery visit or learning the real truth about mysterious great-aunt Tillie? Do your special talents include the ability to read a foreign language or old-style handwriting, find just about anything on the Internet, or explain why you should always be a little suspicious of details found on a death certificate? Or are you a professional actor (non-union, please) who can “play nice” with obsessed roots-seekers? If so, we want to hear from you – especially if you’ve ever been described as charismatic, flamboyant, quirky, opinionated, or eccentric! This is a joint US-Canadian venture, and the series producers will be holding auditions by appointment in January and February 2005 in the following areas: - Provo and Salt Lake City, Utah - Toronto, Ontario - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Preliminary applications may be completed at www.honoringourancestors.com/casting.html (attachment of .jpg headshots and/or résumés encouraged, but not required; no phone calls, please). If selected, applicants must be willing to travel (at their own expense) to one of the audition locations. All submissions must be received no later than January 6, 2005. Brown and Brennan, Inc. produces local, national and international television programs, specializing in oral history documentary and instructional media. Capturing the stories of ordinary people and infusing them with compelling dramatic structure is the hallmark of Brown and Brennan productions. In diverse locations, on topics ranging from Shakespeare to the Olympics to religion in Africa, Brown and Brennan has mined thousands of stories world-wide and developed expertise in identifying which stories work best for television and how to craft those stories into entertaining programs. For the past fifteen years, co-founder Marcy Brown has had a presence in the family history community as a creative partner and executive producer of the award-winning PBS ANCESTORS series, which is currently airing on more than 200 public television channels across the United States. ANCESTORS is supported by extensive ancillary educational products and a comprehensive website, much of which was developed by the series’ lead researcher, Megan S. Smolenyak, who sifted through more than 5,000 stories to find the 13 used in the show and the 101 featured in the companion book, In Search of Our Ancestors. Megan is also author of three other genealogical books and a consultant to the U.S. Army’s Repatriation project (to trace families of servicemen who were killed in Korea, WWII and Vietnam). Well-known in the roots community, she has published hundreds of articles, lectured widely, and appeared on THE TODAY SHOW, FOX & FRIENDS, NPR and a variety of other television and radio shows. SailorJones Media Inc. (SJM, www.sailorjones.com) specializes in program development and content design for both traditional and interactive television (iTV) audiences. With competencies in production, network programming and enhanced technologies, SJM is a leader in the creation of programs and products for the 21st century marketplace. SJM is currently developing a portfolio of content assets including enhanced television properties and programs. In operation since 2001, the company’s vision is to be one of the world’s pre-eminent creators and suppliers of interactive television content and services. Current projects include the 7-language documentary FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS, THE JESSE KEITH STORY and two animated series STEFANO STARGAZER and MAD CITY. Having spent the last 15 years passionately researching such obscure surnames as Jones and Brown, amateur genealogist Barbara Jones brings her producing skills in television and new media to this new series. # # #