FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contacts: Allison Bennett, Crown Media September 8, 2015 212-445-6692 | [email protected] Mark Stubis, American Humane Association 202-677-4227 | [email protected] DEREK HOUGH, BINDI IRWIN, DANICA MCKELLAR, PAULEY PERRETTE, ALISON SWEENEY AND LEA THOMPSON AMONG THE STARS SET TO PRESENT AT THE 5TH ANNUAL AMERICAN HUMANE ASSOCIATION HERO DOG AWARDS™ ON HALLMARK CHANNEL ERIC STONESTREET TO APPEAR IN PRE-TAPED PIECE ORIGINAL SPECIAL PREMIERES OCTOBER 30 Hallmark Channel announced today that the following talent have joined the roster of presenters for the world premiere of the 5th Annual American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards on Friday, October 30 (9pm ET/PT, 8C): Derek Hough (Dancing With The Stars) Bindi Irwin (Dancing With The Stars) Danica McKellar (Wonder years, Perfect Match) Pauley Perrette (NCIS) Alison Sweeney (Days of our Lives, Biggest Loser) Lea Thompson (Back to the Future, Dancing With the Stars) Mark Steines (Home & Family) Cristina Ferrare (Home & Family) Alicia Witt (Friday Night Lights, Justified) Kym Johnson (Dancing With The Stars) Fred Willard (Best In Show, Modern Family) Cameron Mathison (All My Children, Murder She Baked) Barbara Niven (Cedar Cove, One Life to Live) Bruce Boxleitner (Cedar Cove, TRON) Brandon McMillan (Lucky Dog) Michelle Beadle (ESPN-Sports Nation) Additionally, Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) has agreed to do a pre-taped piece for the show. As previously announced, TV personality, author, and animal advocate Beth Stern and television veteran James Denton (Good Witch, Desperate Housewives) will return as co-hosts of the program, which tapes before a live audience at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, September 19th. The Hero Dog Awards, presented for the past four years by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation, is a moving celebration of our four-legged friends and the innumerable ways they enrich, protect, and save lives every day. Each year, the program salutes eight special dogs – one in each of eight categories – chosen in a nationwide online vote. The eight finalists and their human handlers are flown to Los Angeles where they are honored at a red carpet, star-studded awards gala. The evening is capped off with the announcement of the top American Hero Dog of the year. The two-hour special airs October 30 in conjunction with Hallmark Channel’s Pet Project, the network’s on- and off-air campaign designed to celebrate the joy pets bring to our lives, while shining a spotlight on shelter animals and encouraging the public to adopt. For more information on the Hero Dog Awards, visit www.herodogawards.org. ABOUT HALLMARK CHANNEL Hallmark Channel is Crown Media Family Networks’ flagship 24-hour cable television network, distributed nationwide in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to 91 million homes. The country’s leading destination for quality family entertainment, Hallmark Channel delivers on the 100-year legacy of the Hallmark brand. In addition to its signature original movies, the network features an ambitious lineup of other original content, including scripted primetime series, such as Cedar Cove, Good Witch, and When Calls the Heart; annual specials like Kitten Bowl and Hero Dog Awards and; a daily 2-hour lifestyle show, Home & Family. Additionally, in November 2014, Hallmark Channel became the exclusive home to world premiere presentations of the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame franchise. Dedicated to helping viewers celebrate life’s special moments, Hallmark Channel also offers such annual holiday programming events as Countdown to Christmas a n d Countdown to Valentine’s Day. Rounding out the network’s diverse slate are television’s most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, The Middle, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier. Complementing Hallmark Channel’s light-hearted and comedic fare, sibling network Hallmark Movies & Mysteries presents a unique mix of content that is more dramatic in tone, including original movies and such acquired series Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and Hart to Hart. Crown Media Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWN), owns and operates Crown Media Family Networks. For more information, please visit www.crownmediapress.com Hallmark Channel on Social Media: Facebook, Twitter (Join the conversation at #HeartofTV), Pinterest, tvtag, YouTube ###.