New Season of Hit Reality-Competition Series to Include Highest Level of Fan Interaction in PROJECT RUNWAY History
16 New Designers, Including the Return of a Mystery Contestant from Seasons Past, to Face Judges HEIDI KLUM, NINA GARCIA, ZAC POSEN and Mentor TIM GUNN as they Vie for a Prize Package Surpassing Half a Million Dollars
Project Runway’s Legendary MICHAEL KORS Returns to Guest Judge, Additional Confirmed Guest Judges Include KATE BOSWORTH, KALEY CUOCO, KELLY OSBOURNE, ALLISON WILLIAMS, STACY KEIBLER, JESSE TYLER FERGUSON and SIGOURNEY WEAVER, Among Others
New York, NY (June 21, 2013) – For the 12th season of Lifetime’s Emmy®-nominated reality-competition series Project Runway (#ProjectRunway), die-hard “FAN-addicts” of the hit program will experience the show like never before when it premieres on Thursday, July 18, at 9pm ET/PT. Marking a series first, Project Runway’s legion of fans will be able to interact with viewers across the country in real-time during each episode through the new interactive on-screen feature, PlayRunway, empowering fans to use their smartphones, tablets and computers to share their reactions to episode storylines, design challenges and decisions by judges Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Zac Posen, and mentor Tim Gunn.
Additional new fan integration elements include:
Runway Redemption (#RunwayRedemption) – a mystery contestant from a past season, chosen by fans on mylifetime.com, will be unveiled as the 16th designer for season 12.
Project Runway Superfan Contest – via video submissions, seven super fans will be chosen to be featured in an upcoming episode this season for a fashion makeover.
More Tim Gunn – fans have asked and Project Runway has delivered. This season, Gunn will join Klum and the judges to watch the runway show, answer questions the judges have about what transpired in the workroom and give them an opportunity to physically examine the workmanship of each design. Also, for the first time in Project Runway history, Gunn will be able to “rescue” one designer during course of the season he feels deserves a second chance.
A number of high-profile guest judges are set to join Project Runway this cycle, including actress and model Kate Bosworth, fashionista Kelly Osbourne, actress and comedienne Allison Williams, multiple Academy Award®, Emmy and Golden Globe® nominee Sigourney Weaver, TV stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Kaley Cuoco, as well as original Project Runway judge Michael Kors and Stacy Keibler, host of Lifetime’s Supermarket Superstar.
In this season’s premiere, the sky is the limit as the designers are pushed and must fly on their own to create a look using parachute materials for their first runway challenge. The Project Runway Season 12 designers are:
Alexander Pope, 38 - Hometown: Los Angeles, CA; Resides in New York, NY
Alexandria von Bromssen, 38 - Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden; Resides in San Mateo, CA
Angela Bacskocky, 33 - Hometown: Richmond, VA; Resides in Richmond, VA
Bradon McDonald, 38 - Hometown: Lowville, NY; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Dom Streater, 24 - Hometown: Philadelphia, PA; Resides in Philadelphia, PA
Helen Castillo, 25 - Hometown: Weehawken, NJ; Resides in Union City, NJ
Jeremy Brandrick, 41 - Hometown: Birmingham, England; Resides in New York, NY
Justin LeBlanc, 27 - Hometown: Tampa, FL; Resides in Raleigh, NC
Kahindo Mateene, 34 - Hometown: Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Resides in Chicago, IL
Karen Batts, 29 - Hometown: Boca Raton, FL; Resides in Queens, NY
Ken Laurence, 24 - Hometown: Birmingham, AL; Resides in Birmingham, AL
Miranda Kay Levy, 29 - Hometown: Wilton, WI; Resides in Milwaukee, WI
Sandro Masmanidi, 28 - Hometown: Krasnodar, Russia; Resides in New York, NY
Sue Waller, 45 - Hometown: Boston, MA; Resides in Brooklyn, NY
Timothy Westbrook, 24- Hometown: Wanakena, NY; Resides in Milwaukee, WI
Runway Redemption Contestant
As part of the winner’s prize package, this season’s champion will receive $150,000 from GoBank, the award-winning new bank account made to be used on a mobile phone; $50,000 of next generation technology from HP and Intel to help enable their creativity and launch their new business; a year’s supply of Resource Natural Spring Water and an all-expense paid, luxurious spa retreat for two to the exotic Maldives, courtesy of Resource Water; a chance to design and sell an exclusive collection at Belk; a complete sewing and crafting studio from Brother Sewing and Embroidery; a fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine; a 2014 Lexus IS 350; a $100,000 fabric allowance from Tide Pods to inspire fashions that truly pop; and a $50,000 styling contract with L'Oréal Paris. It is a prize package worth more than half a million dollars. The model paired with the winner of Project Runway will receive a fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine and $25,000 from L'Oréal Paris.
ABOUT PROJECT RUNWAY
Hosted by supermodel and fashion maven Heidi Klum, the hit Emmy®-nominated series Project Runway provides budding designers with an opportunity to launch their careers in fashion, under the watchful eyes of mentor and co-host Tim Gunn and judges Nina Garcia and Zac Posen.
Project Runway is produced by The Weinstein Company, Bunim/Murray Productions and Full Picture Entertainment. Executive producers include Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Co-Chairmen of The Weinstein Company), Meryl Poster and Barbara Schneeweiss of The Weinstein Company, Jonathan Murray and Sara Rea of Bunim/Murray Productions, Heidi Klum, and Jane Cha and Desiree Gruber of Full Picture Entertainment. Rob Sharenow, Gena McCarthy and David Hillman of Lifetime also executive produce.
ABOUT THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein. TWC boasts an active television production division led by former Miramax Films Co-President of Production Meryl Poster. TWC produces the reality powerhouse Project Runway, now in production for its 12th season on Lifetime, with its spin-off series Project Accessory and three seasons of the critically acclaimed Project Runway All Stars. Upcoming TWC series premieres on A&E Networks include Rodeo Girls (A&E) and the reality competition show Supermarket Superstar (Lifetime), hosted by Stacy Keibler.
TWC is currently in production on the fourth season of the popular reality series Mob Wives and the second season of its spin-off series Big Ang (VH1). TWC's docuseries Welcome to Myrtle Manor (TLC), which follows the daily adventures of residents in a South Carolina trailer park community, was recently renewed for a second season and going into production this summer. TWC has additional projects in development at Oxygen, Lifetime, and WE. TWC also produced the Peabody Award-winning scripted series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (HBO), directed by Anthony Minghella. Recently developed scripted projects include the historical action-adventure epic Marco Polo (Starz), The Nanny Diaries (ABC) written by Amy Sherman-Palladino, and an untitled New York private eye procedural (FX).
ABOUT BUNIM/MURRAY PRODUCTIONS
Bunim/Murray Productions is the leading producer of innovative entertainment content. The Emmy Award-winning company is widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World (28 seasons for MTV). BMP continued to innovate with the first reality game show, Road Rules (MTV), in 1995; the first reality sitcom, The Simple Life (E!), in 2003; and the first reality soap opera, Starting Over, in 2003. Bunim-Murray’s programming includes Bad Girls Club, Bad Girls All Star Battle, Love Games and Best Ink (Oxygen), Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kourtney and Kim Take Miami and Total Divas (E!), The Real World and The Challenge (MTV), The Ruckers: Southern Royals (WE tv) and Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars (Lifetime). Bunim/Murray Productions has also produced films, including Valentine Road (HBO), Pedro (MTV) and the Emmy Award-winning Autism: The Musical (HBO). Bunim/Murray Productions has launched additional entities including BMP Films, BMP Digital and BMP Latin. Based in Van Nuys, CA, Bunim/Murray Productions was founded in 1987 by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim, who were inducted into the Television Academy of Arts & Science’s Hall of Fame in 2012. The company joined Banijay Group in 2010.
ABOUT LIFETIME
Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. In 2012, as a result of its aggressive triple threat programming strategy doubling its amount of original programming spanning scripted dramas, reality series and movies, Lifetime posted its strongest year-on-year growth among the key demographics in 10+ years, while also reaching its youngest median age in 16 years. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital™ are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation. www.mylifetime.com.
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Network:
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Project Runway
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