Sundance Channel Unveils a New Group of Emerging Talent with Second Season of Short Form Series 'GREY GOOSE(R) Presents The Next Garde(TM)'

Sundance Channel Unveils a New Group of Emerging Talent with Second Season of Short Form Series 'GREY GOOSE(R) Presents The Next Garde(TM)'

Short-Form HD Series Spotlighting Up and Coming Cultural Pioneers Premieres August 28th

NEW YORK, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Sundance Channel will produce a second season of the short-form series "GREY GOOSE Presents The Next Garde" spotlighting 12 emerging talents, including artists, musicians, designers and other cultural pioneers. The details of the series were announced today by Kim Gabelmann, Vice President Branded Entertainment and Sponsorship, Sundance Channel, and Shane M. Graber, Vice President and Managing Director of GREY GOOSE Vodka. GREY GOOSE, the "World's Best Tasting Vodka," is the presenting sponsor.

Shot in HD, the subjects of these intimate one-minute vignettes discuss what fuels their passion and creative process. Each piece will focus on one emerging innovator who's poised to make a lasting impression in his/her respective field and explore what makes this individual inspirational, dynamic, and "someone to watch." They will run as interstitial pieces on Sundance Channel beginning Aug. 28, 2008 and will be available on sundancechannel.com throughout the month.

The personalities profiled in season two include comedian David Hill; aerialist/dancer Angela Jones; filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; curbed.com founder Lockhart Steele; 23andMe co-founder Linda Avey; art director for New Museum, Lisa Phillips; fashion designer Tracy Reese; artist Fay Ku; music producer Ryan Leslie; photographer and publisher Jason Fulford and artist Glenn Ligon.

Commenting on the project, Gabelmann said: "Both Sundance Channel and GREY GOOSE Vodka are committed to innovative content that celebrates the works of artists -- emerging and established -- in a multiplatform environment. We are excited to be moving forward with another batch of these dynamic profiles as part of a new season of GREY GOOSE Presents The Next Garde and continuing our relationship with our incredible partners at GREY GOOSE Vodka."

This fall Sundance Channel will launch the fourth season of "Iconoclasts(R)," which is co-produced by Grey Goose Entertainment, to produce original and unique content for television, music, and film.

"GREY GOOSE Vodka is dedicated to supporting innovative and compelling television content that appeals to our discerning audience," said Shane M. Graber. "Growing our partnership with Sundance Channel emphasizes the passion GREY GOOSE Vodka has for the arts and reinforces our commitment to supporting emerging talent."

The first season of "GREY GOOSE Presents The Next Garde" aired in September 2007 and profiled novelist Nicole Krauss, artist Vik Muniz, architectural design team AvroKO, museum director Thelma Golden, musician Duncan Sheik, storyteller and poet Rives, graphic designer Jakob Trollback, clothing designer, Doo Ri Chung, Metropolitan Opera manager Peter Gelb, production designer Lauri Faggioni, philanthropist Jacqueline Novogratz and entrepreneur Jared Kushner.

   "The Next Garde" Season Two Subject bios    ANGELA JONES   Aerialist   

Angela Jones dances through the air as a trapeze and silk artist and choreographer who uses physical energy and theatrical power to convey specific meaning in her pieces. Described by the New York Times as a "powerful stage presence" with "wild energy," Jones works to fuse entertainment and art, creating work that is as intelligent as it is accessible.

   DAVID HILL   Comedian   

David Hill is a writer, performer, musician, actor, artist, comedian and self described "thinking man" living in New York City. The multitalented Hill has written for the New York Times and Salon, and performed on MTV, Comedy Central and Current TV. He currently hosts his own variety show "The Dave Hill Explosion" and fronts the rock band Valley Lodge. He's been lauded as "brilliant" by New York Magazine and "really funny" by fellow funnyman Robin Williams.

   ERIC LEWIS   Musician -- Jazz Pianist/Composer   

Eric Lewis' intuitive genius in melding modern day rock and jazz on piano, combined with impeccable technique, has made him one of today's most sought-after composers. The Camden, NJ, native won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, effectively crowning him a Master Musician at age 26.

   FAY KU   Artist -- Fine Line Drawings   

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Fay Ku moved to America when she was three. Growing up, her parents told her fairytales with unhappy endings as a way to introduce her to the dangers of the world. Ku creates beautiful fine line works on paper, and describes her art as psychological, narrative and figurative, inspired by stories, myth and folklore. Ku's drawings have been in The New York Times among other prestigious publications and have been part of numerous solo and group exhibitions.

   GLENN LIGON   Conceptual Artist   

Bronx born Glenn Ligon works in multiple media, including painting, video, photography, and digital media. Best known for his large, text-based paintings in which a chosen phrase is repeated over and over until it dissipates into illegibility, his work is greatly informed by American literature. In 2005, Ligon won an Alphonse Fletcher Foundation Fellowship and was inducted into the American Academy for Arts and Letters in 2006.

   HEIDI EWING & RACHEL GRADY   Documentary Filmmakers -- Loki Films   

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady are dedicated to making films that evoke a deeper understanding of the human experience with all its complexities, high stakes and humor. Their films include the Academy Award-nominated(R) Jesus Camp and the Emmy Award-nominated The Boys of Baraka. The filmmakers have been widely recognized for their fair, balanced and bias-free approach to delicate subject matter.

   JASON FULFORD   Photographer/Publisher   

Photographer Jason Fulford's style is classic Americana mixed with documentary and subtle humor. Fulford's images have been in featured in The Green Guide and Harper's among other magazines. His works have graced the covers of Time Magazine, The New York Times Magazine and books by Ernest Hemingway, John Updike and Don DeLillo. He and artist Leanne Shapton launched their own publishing company, J&L Books, to release books on photography and art.

   LINDA AVEY   Biotechnology Entrepreneur, Co-Founder -- 23andMe   

Linda Avey is the co-founder of 23andMe, a web based service that helps people read and understand their DNA. With a combined 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, Linda Avey and her partner Anne Wojcicki are committed to helping individuals understand their own genetic information using recent advances in DNA analysis technologies and web based interactive tools.

   LISA PHILLIPS   Director, New Museum   

Lisa Phillips is responsible for making New Museum a home for contemporary art, an incubator for new ideas, and an architectural contribution to New York's urban landscape. The New York Times praised it as a museum that "renews your faith in New York as a place where culture is lived, not just bought and sold."

   LOCKHART STEELE   Online Real Estate Mogul -- Curbed.com   

Newspaper and magazine journalist Lockhart Steele launched Curbed.com in 2004 to facilitate a virtual conversation about real estate, rent and neighborhoods in New York City. Curbed is the most-trafficked real-estate blog on the web and flagship of the Curbed Network, a collection of neighborhood blogs covering in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

   RYAN LESLIE   Music Producer   

Though his talent defies easy categorization, Ryan Leslie is an artist and visionary in the music, film and digital realms. The singer, songwriter, producer, engineer, and Internet visionary has been called "one of the hottest record producers in the world" by New York Magazine. Leslie is a protege of Diddy & Tommy Mottola and a Harvard graduate, who has been producing, arranging, writing and recording music since his early teens. Leslie is the CEO of NextSelection Lifestyle Group, a media company that provides a platform for talented content creators to showcase their art to the world.

   TRACY REESE   Fashion Designer   

A Detroit native, designer Tracy Reese headed east to attend Parson's School of Design in New York, ready to make her dream of designing beautiful clothes a reality. Upon graduating, Tracy worked with designer Perry Ellis, among others and in 1998 launched her eponymous collection. Tracy went on to create a second line, plenty by Tracy Reese that exudes a worldly boho style. Since then, Tracy has ventured successfully into home design, accessories and a third collection of day-to-evening occasion dresses called frock!; making her the go-to designer for a feminine chic lifestyle.

ABOUT GREY GOOSE(R) Vodka

Blended and bottled in the celebrated Cognac region of Western France, GREY GOOSE Vodka is truly a unique offering. Every element that goes into its production ensures that GREY GOOSE Vodka stands alone as the "World's Best Tasting Vodka." The 80 proof (40% alc. by vol.) super-premium spirit is packaged in beautiful frosted glass bottles, with a clear window in the shape of a Grey Goose silhouette that allows a peek at the flight of the Grey Goose across the majestic Massif Central Mountains. Each bottle is sealed with a cork stopper and an elegant foil closure. The GREY GOOSE portfolio is comprised of GREY GOOSE Vodka, GREY GOOSE La Poire, GREY GOOSE L'Orange and GREY GOOSE Le Citron flavored vodkas. Additional information available at www.GREYGOOSE.com.

About Sundance Channel:

Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel is the television destination for independent-minded viewers seeking something different. Bold, uncompromising and irreverent, Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries, and original programs, all unedited and commercial free. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC. Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of encouraging artistic freedom of expression. Sundance Channel's website address is www.sundancechannel.com.

Rainbow Media Holdings LLC

Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC) . Rainbow Media is a leading producer of targeted, multi-platform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, WE tv, Sundance Channel, Lifeskool, sportskool, and VOOM HD Networks. Through IFC Entertainment, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a leading distribution company for independent film; IFC Productions, a feature film production company that provides financing for select independent film projects; and IFC Center, a three screen, state-of-the-art cinema in the heart of New York's Greenwich Village. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales company; Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company; and 11 Penn TV, a company that manages Rainbow Media's NYC studios and post-production facilities.

   SIP RESPONSIBLY   www.greygoose.com   

(C)2008 GREY GOOSE AND GREY GOOSE AND DESIGN ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS AND THE FLYING GOOSE DEVICE IS A TRADEMARK. IMPORTED BY GREY GOOSE IMPORTING COMPANY, MIAMI, FL. VODKA 40 % ALC. BY VOL.; FLAVORED VODKAS EACH 40% ALC. BY VOL. -- DISTILLED FROM GRAIN.

Source: Sundance Channel

CONTACT: Sarah Eaton, +1-212-708-8043, sarah.eaton@sundancechannel.com,
or Katie Lanegran, +1-212-708-8044, katie.lanegran@sundancechannel.com, both
of Sundance Channel; or Marissa Vitagliano, mvitagliano@hs-pr.com, or Harrison
Shriftman, both of GREY GOOSE Vodka, +1-917-351-8615

Web site: http://www.sundancechannel.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment