Documentary Channel Turns Up the Heat on Global Warming

Business Wire, April 16, 2007

DOC Launches New Initiative with "EarthView" on Earth Day, April 22, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Documentary Channel (DOC), the first and only 24-hour television network devoted exclusively to independent documentary films, continues its development of highly customized relationships and ground-breaking programming initiatives in its work with several partner organizations to encourage environmental awareness in April, it was announced today by Documentary Channel founder and CEO Tom Neff and Bill McGowan, president and CEO of Documentary Channel Media Partners.

The new "EarthView" programming block is dedicated to all things "green," and will be telecast every Sunday night on DOC in primetime at 7 p.m. ET. The "EarthView" block is a showcase for "eco-friendly" documentaries and will continue as the destination of environmental doc titles through the end of 2008.

"EarthView" debuts on Earth Day, Sunday, April 22, with a thought-provoking 25-minute EPA documentary, "emPOWERed," produced by DOC in partnership with EPA's ENERGY STAR([R]) Program, the Alliance to Save Energy and The Art Center in Los Angeles. The "emPOWERed" documentary will be followed by the DOC premieres of highly acclaimed documentaries "Kilowatt Ours" and "Monumental."

The "emPOWERed" documentary is directed by award-winning independent documentary filmmaker and human-rights activist J. Coll Metcalfe and features EPA's ENERGY STAR, along with several visionary individuals leading the charge for a mass movement to conserve energy; it will immediately be released for screenings on the film festival circuit.

Following "emPOWERed," the "EarthView" programming block powers up with "Kilowatt Ours," the documentary produced by independent filmmaker Jeff Barrie and the Southern Energy Conservation Initiative. "Kilowatt Ours" demonstrates how easy it is to conserve energy that is produced from traditional sources, as well as the many ways the average consumer can easily become part of the renewable energy revolution.

Also featured on the schedule is "Monumental," directed by independent documentarian Kelly Duane, which explores the dramatic and lyrical story of David Brower and his colleagues' unrelenting campaigns to protect our natural heritage and preserve some of our most treasured National Parks - fought through lobbying, art and hard-hitting advertising.

"We congratulate the Documentary Channel on what is amounting to the launching pad of dedicated and ongoing environmentally conscious programming," says Jill Abelson, Communications Manager in EPA's ENERGY STAR Program. "DOC's programming will help share the tremendous value of ENERGY STAR, and the vast benefits of energy efficiency, with the public."

"The 'EarthView' documentary block is representative of the quality and depth of DOC's programming asset menu," says McGowan. "By nature, documentaries cover the entire range of human experience. What this means for our media partners is that DOC can creatively package a series of documentaries to integrate perfectly with a partner's brand strategy. Simultaneously, DOC maintains the highest standards of programming excellence and credibility by insisting on truly independent points of view, thus maximizing audience engagement. This is unique to DOC."

This programming initiative, which will be supported with online, viral and guerrilla marketing initiatives, was developed and spearheaded by Jay Kelley, senior vice president of marketing for Documentary Channel.

About ENERGY STAR: ENERGY STAR, sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, helps us all save money and protects the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. To learn more go to energystar.gov.

About Documentary Channel: Documentary Channel (DOC) is the USA's first 24-hour television network exclusively devoted to documentary films. DOC seeks out and showcases independent, cutting-edge and international non-fiction programming usually only seen in film festivals. DOC is the television viewer's round-the-clock opportunity to see fascinating, eclectic and award-winning documentary films of all lengths and genres, from classics to cutting-edge.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., with offices in New York and Los Angeles, Documentary Channel was founded by CEO and documentary filmmaker Tom Neff. DOC launched in January 2006 and is now distributed to 13 million households on Echostar's DISH Network (Channel 197). DOC is carried by several broadcast stations in major television markets including WNYC throughout the greater New York metropolitan area. DOC's Web site is located at www.documentarychannel.com.