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‘THE CHRISTMAS SECRET’

PRODUCTION BIOS

SHAWN WILLIAMSON (Executive Producer) – With over 25 years of entertainment experience, has risen to the forefront of the Canadian film and television industry as a leading and television producer. A native of , Williamson began his career as a stage manager in live theatre in 1983 and has since produced live events, live television, television series, television movies and feature films.

Williamson has filmed in many international destinations including Croatia, Romania, Ireland, Singapore, France, England, South Africa and Australia. "Fifty Dead Man Walking," starring and Jim Sturgess, a Canada/UK co-production with Future Films and Handmade Films was shot in Belfast and had a Gala Premiere spot at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. The TV series “Stormworld,” a Canadian/Australian co-production filmed in Australia, Singapore and Canada is currently airing on CTV’s Space Channel and The Network in Australia. Williamson was the executive producer for the Original Movies “Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story” and, more recently, “Let It Snow,” starring and Alan Thicke, as well as the Hallmark Movie Channel “The Color of Rain.”

Williamson executive produced “Frankie and Alice” starring and Stellan Skarsgaard, “Apollo 18” for The Weinstein , along with “The Possession” for /Lions Gate, “ Keep” with , directed by and starring Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Anna Kendrick, and , and the miniseries “Delete” with Keir Gilchrist, Erin Karpluk and Ryan Robbins. Williamson also produced “Horns” with and , directed by Alexandre Aja and starring Daniel Radcliffe and Max Minghella.

Williamson’s producing credits include ’ most successful co-production to date, “White Noise,” starring , which was a Canada/UK co-production and has grossed more than $100 million since its in 2005.

Williamson has line produced “Wicker Man,” starring Nicholas Cage, released by Warner Bros., “88 Minutes” with for Millennium Films, “Whisper,” starring , Joel Edgerton and Dule Hill and “Slither” with , Elizabeth Banks and Michael Rooker, released by Universal for Gold Circle Films. He has also line produced the independent features “Possession” with and for , and Spitfire Pictures, along with “Passengers” starring and “50/50” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and , both for Mandate Pictures.

Most recently, Williamson has produced the TV movies “Hats Off to Christmas!” for Hallmark Channel, “The Good Mistress,” “Vow of Violence” and “Rush.” In addition, he’s served as producer for the TV series “Witches of East End” for Lifetime, starring Julia Ormond and Jenna Dewan-Tatum and for the feature film “The Interview,” starring Seth Rogen and . He also executive produced the Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Recipe For Love.”

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Williamson chairs the City of Vancouver Industry Film Task Force and the Whistler Film Festival, and sits on boards of each The Leo Awards, Capilano University Film Advisory, Film Commission Advisory Committee, Vancouver Theatresports League and Add Squad (Vancouver Police Production). He has received several awards including the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2006 for Brightlight Pictures Inc. and Business Vancouver’s 40 under 40 Award in 2004.

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CRAIG ANDERSON (Executive Producer) – Craig Anderson is the founder of Craig Anderson Productions (CAP). Since its inception in 1990, CAP has earned a reputation for its commitment to excellence in providing distinctive, high-quality entertainment. Under Anderson, a four-time Tony Award®-winning producer, the company has become one of the television industry's foremost suppliers, presenting intelligent, insightful motion pictures and miniseries with some of the most respected talent in the entertainment industry.

Over the past few years, Anderson and CAP have presented over a dozen movies and miniseries for television, including the Lifetime film “The Amanda Knox Story,” starring Hayden Panattiere and Marcia Harden, “Chris Bohjalian’s Secrets of Eden,” starring and , also on Lifetime, CBS's "The Christmas Blessing" with and Rebecca Gayheart, "Meltdown," starring Bruce Greenwood and Arnold Vosloo, for FX and the Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation "Wilder Days," starring , and for TNT. Recently, the success of Lifetime Television's "For the Love of a Child" with Peri Gilpin and Teri Polo led to the film being honored at the White House in Washington D.C. “Moonlight & Mistletoe” premiered on Hallmark Channel and was the third highest-rated film ever on the network. The two-hour backdoor “A Walk In My Shoes” aired in 2010 on NBC and the two-hour backdoor pilot “Truth Be Told” aired in 2011 on FOX. The feature film “Missing ,” starring and , premiered in 2011.

CBS productions include the critically-acclaimed "Songs in Ordinary Time," starring Sissy Spacek and , "The Ballad of Lucy Whipple," starring and Jena Malone, the blockbuster miniseries "Sally Hemings: An American Scandal” with Sam Neil, and Mare Winningham and 2002's "The Christmas Shoes," starring and Kimberly Williams, which was the top-rated movie on any network that season. In April 2001, Anderson put his theatrical expertise to work with one of his most ambitious undertakings: a live production of the award-winning play "On Golden Pond" starring and . Originally produced and directed by Anderson on Broadway, the television presentation was broadcast live as the First Annual State Farm Showcase.

For Lifetime Television, Anderson has executive produced "Range of Motion," starring and "Midwives," starring Sissy Spacek and Peter Coyote. The latter became the highest-rated movie in the network's history and earned a 2002 ® nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor for Sissy Spacek's role as Sybil

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Danforth. The third film in the “Christmas Shoes” trilogy, “The Christmas Hope” aired on Lifetime during the 2011 holiday season to some of the highest ratings in the network’s history. Anderson first found success upon the boards of Broadway presenting plays that sensitively explored the complexities of the human condition, producing and/or directing over 30 productions in . He returned to his native and formed Craig Anderson Productions. The first film under the CAP banner, "Bump in the Night," starring Meredith Baxter and , was broadcast on CBS in 1991 and became one of the highest-rated movies of the season.

Anderson's theatrical roots are evident in both the material he chooses and the talent populating his productions, both in front of and behind the camera. Twenty years after producing Thomas Hardy's “Return of the Native” on the stage, Anderson brought the classic to television as a presentation starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Clive Owen and Joan Plowright for CBS. Also originating on the stage was his production of Michael Weller's "Spoils of War," presented as an ABC Television Movie starring , , John Heard and Rhea Perlman.

CAP’s association with Hallmark Hall of Fame began in 1992 with the popular and critically- acclaimed production of Willa Cather's classic novel "O Pioneers" on CBS starring , Heather Graham and . "" (CBS), which was based on August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize®-winning play, starred Charles Dutton and and was a commercial and critical triumph, earning the George Foster Peabody Award, the Christopher Award, nine Emmy® nominations and, from Anderson's peers, a nomination for a Producers Guild of America Golden Laurel Award. In 2008, CAP presented “Moonlight and Mistletoe,” a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, starring Tom Arnold and Candace Cameron Bure. Most recently, Anderson executive produced “Let It Snow” for the Hallmark Channel, working again with Bure, who starred opposite Alan Thicke and Jesse Hutch. Anderson also executive produced “Recipe For Love,” a Hallmark Channel Original Movie.

In 1996, CAP produced the critically-acclaimed "A Step Toward Tomorrow" for CBS, starring Judith Light. The television film, which marked Christopher Reeve's first television appearance following his paralyzing equestrian accident, was also a commercial success, ranking #11 for the week. In May 1997, Anderson produced the sweeping miniseries "True Women" (CBS), an epic saga about three generations of women who change the face of the American West.

Based on the best-selling historical novel by Janice Woods Windle, the miniseries featured an all-star cast including , , Annabeth Gish, Michael York, Rachael Leigh Cook, Terrance Mann, and Charles Dutton. "True Women" became one of the highest-rated miniseries of the 1996-97 season and was honored by the League of Women Voters for recognizing the significant contributions women made in settling the frontier and the nation.

"The Staircase," based on the legend of Santa Fe's "Miraculous Staircase" of the Sisters of Loretto Chapel, starred Barbara Hershey, Diane Ladd and William Petersen. Presented as a (more) HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES /’THE CHRISTMAS SECRET’ – Production Bios – Page 4

Kraft Premier Movie on Easter Sunday 1998, "The Staircase" was the highest-rated movie of the week, receiving the Award of Excellence from the Film Advisory Board and was honored as a Finalist.

Other notable CAP productions include "The Secret," starring Kirk Douglas, "There Was A Little Boy," starring Shepherd and John Heard for CBS, the NBC blockbuster miniseries "Dead By Sunset," starring and Annette O'Toole and USA Network's "Passion and Prejudice," starring Francis Fisher. Currently, the company is expanding its slate to encompass series, limited series and independent features. Projects in development include limited series "The Prince Of Tides," “Assignment To Hell” and “The Eye That Never Sleeps: The Pinkertons,” "The Biggest Bear" a family adventure feature film, a futuristic detective series “The Grid” and a sci-fi epic "Leviathan." Upcoming television movie projects include “Rage,” the story of Amy Bishop.

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BETH GROSSBARD (Executive Producer) - Beth Grossbard has built a reputation as a producer of thought provoking films since making her producing debut in 1996 with ABC’s “No One Could Protect Her.” Since then, she has produced a number of successful films, including FX’s “Meltdown,” starring Bruce Greenwood, CBS’s “The Christmas Shoes,” starring Rob Lowe, and the sequels, “The Christmas Blessing,” starring Neil Patrick Harris, and “The Christmas Hope,” starring Madeleine Stowe. Additionally, she produced “Black Widower,” starring Kelly McGillis, “Range of Motion,” starring Rebecca De Mornay, “Mind Over Murder,” starring Tori Spelling and “Passion & Predudice,” starring Frances Fisher.

Through her production company, Beth Grossbard Productions, Grossbard has a diverse development slate which includes award-winning literary material, true stories and original ideas. On the feature side, she is producing the romantic comedy, “Sharing Sean,” with director Donald Petrie, Jr. attached to direct and the true story, “The King of Pot” by George Gallo. On the dramatic side, she is developing “Mind Field,” the true account of Super Bowl champion Lionel Aldridge’s battle with mental illness, “The Bottom Line,” a contemporary social satire and “Sandstorm,” the true story of an American woman journalist’s escape from Iraq. Literary properties in development include Eva Mekler’s critically praised novel, “The Polish Woman” and David Shepherd’s noir debut, “Resurrecting Randi.”

For television, Grossbard is developing three movies for the Hallmark Channel: “The Christmas Secret” and “The Christmas Note,” based on Donna VanLiere’s best-selling novels and a romantic comedy, “Love on the Sidelines.” Other television development includes an adaptation of Nancy Pickard’s novel, “The Virgin of Small Plains,” “Twisted Justice,” a true story about the impeachment of a federal justice and “The Street Savior,” based on Frank Barnaba’s crusade against teen exploitation. Series development includes “She-E-Oh!,” the true story of the mother-daughter team behind Romantica Publishing, “Deacon Blues,” a fish out of water dramedy about a wealthy businessman turned small town pastor and “Jet Age,” an epic period drama based on the book by Sam Howe Verhovek.

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Before she segued into producing, Grossbard had her own public relations company with clients including Turner Broadcasting, Fox Television Station Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. Some of the shows she handled were “,” “L.A. Law,” “,” “In Living Color,” “Doogie Howser,” “Captain Planet,” “Cops” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” On the feature side, Grossbard handled regional publicity for releases “Out of Africa,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Sweet Liberty,” “Legal Eagles,” “’night Mother” and “An American Tale.”

Born and raised in , Florida, Grossbard attended Tulane University and the University of Miami, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She began her professional career with WPLG-TV in Miami and became an entertainment writer for Miami Magazine and associate editor of Playbill. Grossbard oversaw publicity for the Miami Film Festival before leaving Florida for , where she currently resides.

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NORMA BAILEY (Director) - Norma Bailey grew up on Lake Winnipeg, a child’s paradise of sun and water and wide-open spaces. She graduated in Architecture but practiced for only a year before packing her bags and heading east to . There, she co-created the cult classic “The Rubber Gun” and worked as a crew member on ’s “Rabid” and “Shivers.” Bailey’s first film “The Performer” won a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Festival. She then created and directed the critically acclaimed historical drama series “Daughters of the Country” for the CBC and has since directed many other noted television series and movies including: “The Sheldon Kennedy Story” for CTV, “Cowboys and Indians” for CBC, “Stolen Miracle” for CTV and “Secret Cutting” and “Ladies Night” for the USA Network. In 2006 Bailey directed the CTV/Lifetime MOW “Eight Days To Live” that garnered the highest movie rating in CTV history. In 2008, Bailey directed the miniseries “The Capture of the Green River Killer,” which premiered as the highest rated program in Lifetime Movie Network history and garnered her a DGC best director award. Bailey’s other credits include “An Officer and a Murderer,” starring , “The Pastor’s Wife,” starring Rose McGowan and “Romeo Killer – The Chris Porco Story,” starring Eric McCormack. Most recently, she helmed episodes of “Beauty & The Beast” and “Reign” for the CW and “Cracked” for CBS.

Bailey has made award-winning adaptations of the works of David Adams Richards, Margaret Atwood and Alice Munroe. She has won numerous awards including Geminis, Genies, the New York American Film and Television Award, Award, best film from the Native American Film Festival and a Banff Rockie Award for best movie. She is a recipient of the YWCA Woman of the Year Award, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for significant contribution to Canadian Culture and Manitoba`s highest honour the Order of Manitoba. Bailey was the

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Director Mentor at the Banff Women In The Director’s Chair Workshop in 1999 and 2004 and has been Director Mentor for the National Screen Institute’s Drama Prize Winners. She won Best Director Awards in 2009 and 2010 from the Directors’ Guild of Canada.

Bailey is currently writing the feature film “Red Dead Skin” and is working on an adaptation of David Bergen’s “The Case of Lena S. ###

JUDD PARKIN (Writer) - Judd Parkin is an award-winning producer/writer with extensive credits in film, television and theatre. He was Executive Producer of the CBS miniseries “Jesus,” shot in Morocco and Malta, which starred , Jeremy Sisto, Debra Messing, and . “Jesus” was the highest-rated miniseries of its season and received an Emmy nomination for Best Miniseries and a Humanitas nomination for Best Longform. In addition, Parkin served as Executive Producer on “Nicholas Gift,” the Christopher Award-winning CBS movie, shot in , starring and . Earlier, Parkin produced, in Kenya and England, the Hallmark/National Geographic film “Forbidden Territory: Stanley’s Search For Livingstone” with Aidan Quinn and in the title roles. Also a writer, Parkin wrote and executive produced the popular Lifetime movie “Comfort and Joy,” featuring Nancy McKeon, Dixie Carter and Paul Dooley and he served in the same dual capacity on the acclaimed ABC film “Have No Fear: The Life of John Paul II,” starring Thomas Kretschmann and Bruno Ganz and the highly-rated Lifetime movie “The Road to Christmas,” featuring real-life couple Jennifer Grey and Clark Gregg. Parkin wrote the original screenplay for the recent Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Cupid,” starring Joely Fisher and Jamie Kennedy. He is the author of the novel The Carpenter’s Miracle, which he adapted and executive produced as a movie for UP TV. Most recently, Parkin adapted Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle, for which he received a Broadway World Awards nomination for Best New Adaptation.

Prior to his producing and writing career, Parkin worked as an executive in television, including a ten-year stint at ABC and an additional five years at NBC. During his time as an executive, he worked with eminent entertainment industry figures such as Brandon Tartikoff, Robert Iger, Leslie Moonves, Jeff Sagansky and George Stevens, Jr. At ABC, he was Senior Vice President of Motion Pictures for Television and Miniseries and he oversaw the development, production, and scheduling of more than 200 movies and miniseries, including Stephen King’s “The Stand,” “There Are No Children Here,” starring , “The Final Days” and the Emmy Award- winning “Separate But Equal,” starring and Burt Lancaster.

Parkin began his career as an actor and director in the theatre, spending five years with the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he was a staff director. He directed many productions, including Taming of the Shrew and Mandrake. At the Festival and many other regional theatres, he appeared in and directed a wide variety of plays by Shakespeare,

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Shaw, Ibsen, Pinter, Beckett, Machiavelli, and others. A native of , Parkin received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Illinois. He is the father of three children and lives in Los Angeles with his wife Marilyn.

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WESLEY BISHOP (Writer) - Wesley Bishop has written for CBS, ABC, NBC and Lifetime Television. His work has ranged from the true crime mini-series for NBC “Dead By Sunset” (based on Ann Rule’s best-selling book) and “On Thin Ice” (starring ), for Lifetime Television, to the number one movie of the year, “The Christmas Shoes,” starring Rob Lowe, for CBS .

He is married to Elizabeth Bishop and has three children. He lives in Ashland, Oregon.

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DONNA VANLIERE (Author) - Donna VanLiere is a mom, a wife, an animal lover and a closet comedian at home. She's passionate about cooking (...and eating), reading, movies and teaching, inspiring, challenging and encouraging others to dream. She doesn’t like watching sports on TV, but is a huge fan of athletes under five feet tall who call her Mom. VanLiere also loves to write books. As a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author, her 13 titles include “The Christmas Shoes” and “The Christmas Blessing” - both of which were adapted into movies starring Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Neil Patrick Harris. Both movies garnered stellar ratings for CBS. “The Christmas Hope,” starring Madeline Stowe, was adapted by Lifetime Television. VanLiere's non-seasonal novel's, The Good Dream, and Angels of Morgan Hill and non-fiction works like Finding Grace and High Calling - the of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband - capture the same warmth and poignancy as her Christmas books.

VanLiere has won a Retailer's Choice Award for Fiction, a Dove Award, a Silver Award, two Audie Awards for best inspirational fiction, has been a nominee for a Gold Medallion Book of the Year and is an inductee in the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges Hall of Excellence, joining such luminaries as Coretta Scott King, Hugh Downs, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and Senator John Glenn. She also serves on the board of directors for National House of Hope, a residency program that is offered in several states for abused and at-risk teens (www.NationalHouseofHope.org).

One of VanLiere’s great loves is teaching and speaking. She has appeared at countless events around the country, including keynote addresses at the prestigious Patricia Adams Lecture Series at Heidelberg University.

VanLiere’s latest book The Christmas Light will be in stores October 2014.

--HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES --