MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
April 22, 2005

NEW TV SHOW

The producers of TAKING IT OFF are developing a BRAND NEW TV SHOW about weight loss. We are searching for overweight participants with unique, affecting and inspiring stories. Please come to our casting call if you fit the following description:

• are willing to commit to a serious diet and exercise program for 6 months
• already live in Vancouver, Calgary or Halifax and have families, friends or colleagues there who are willing to support you and be part of our filming
• have circumstances that are touching, compelling or unusual
• are unafraid to publicly examine the root causes of your weight gain
• have an emotionally meaningful, filmable goal to work towards in six months that will motivate your weight loss (e.g. a special reunion)

Please bring a recent picture (full body shot if possible) to one these casting calls:

VANCOUVER
@ Executive Hotel, Portifino B, 9th Floor
1379 Howe Street
Vancouver

Friday, April 29th @ 1pm-9pm

Saturday, April 30th @ 9am-5pm

____________________________________________________

CALGARY
@ Radisson Hotel
19th Street & 16th Avenue, NE
Calgary

Saturday, April 30th @ 9am-5pm

Sunday, May 1st @ 9am-5pm

____________________________________________________

HALIFAX
@ Dalhousie University Arts Centre
6106 University Avenue
Halifax

Saturday, April 20th @ 9am-5pm

Sunday, May 1st @ 9am-5pm

____________________________________________________

For more information please email us at: newweightshow@anaid.com

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
December 14, 2004

TAKING IT OFF SEASON 4

Taking It Off takes on its own new look starting New Year’s Day 2005 when Life Network gives viewers a sneak preview (3 p.m. ET, repeats 10 p.m. ET) of Season Four, which gets into full swing with 13 all-new one-hour episodes on Saturday, January 15 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The portions are bigger and the drama wider as Taking It Off expands to two cities (Calgary and Halifax), 10 participants and one hour of quirky, poignant and galvanizing television. The new episodes will premiere Saturdays at 3 p.m. ET and then repeat Sundays at 7 and 11 p.m. ET and Wednesdays at 12 p.m. ET.

This year, the Gemini Award winning series produced by Edmonton’s Anaid Productions includes five participants from Halifax:

• Twenty-nine-year-old stock-car racer Alyson struggling to banish the weight she gained while fighting a chronic disease;
• Two wise-cracking brothers, Bruce and Byron, locked in a competitive battle to out-skinny each other;
• Big Reg, the busiest guy in town, a hard worker and a volunteer for every cause, but terrible at taking care of himself; and
• Wendy, a lesbian yearning to shed half her weight before she meets the child she gave up for adoption 19 years ago.

And five participants from Calgary:

• Four hundred pound-plus David grappling with his inability to descend stairs without gasping for breath;
• Lindsay, a time-crunched hotel sales manager on a mission to fit into the wedding dress of her dreams;
• Hair stylist entrepreneur and, mother of two in a troubled marriage, Trina, wants to be loved for who she is – not what she looks like, but admits to being motivated by vanity;
• Recent college graduate, Jaclyn, 21, who is “anti-diet” and has strong feelings about media images of skinny women and how they feed her sense of inadequacy; and
• Zoë, 36, who is tenaciously launching a new career as a singer, but fears her extra pounds are grounding her chances at success.

Each Taking It Off participant determines their own path to weight-loss and viewers ride the rollercoaster with them as they experiment with everything from Atkins dieting to belly-dancing -- with varying degrees of success. Each episode closes with a weigh-in where the participants discover their victories and setbacks. While there may be spontaneous rivalry, no cash prizes are offered and no one is voted off the Island.

“We’re fiercely proud of the inherent quality of Taking It Off,” says Executive Producer Margaret Mardirossian. “We have won awards for our approach which allows viewers to be part of an inspiring, entertaining ride while honoring the spirit and courage of our participants.”

“Taking It Off is very popular with our viewers and we’re thrilled to be offering a fourth season with new one-hour episodes,” says Erica Benson, Vice President of Programming, Life Network and Discovery Health Channel. “With the series premiering in the New Year, it’s the perfect way to get in shape while enjoying the fun and drama that’s part of the series.”

An extra-large New Year’s bonus for Taking It Off fans is the Canadian premiere of Keeping It Off? (2 p.m. ET, repeats 9 p.m.), a one-hour documentary special featuring six participants from past seasons of the series. They lay bare their bodies and their secrets once again to answer the question: Are they keeping it off? Keeping It Off? will feature:

• Cathy (Season 2), a speed-talking 165-pound (pre-show weight) mother of two teenagers who needed to make some time for herself after spending the last 20 years overseeing her husband’s business; Taking It Off weight loss: 36 lbs
• Malcolm (Season 2), a 463-pound (pre-show weight) union business agent whose marriage breakdown triggered a weight gain; raising three kids on his own with long, stressful days made diet and exercise a huge challenge; Taking It Off weight loss: 42 lbs
• Elise (Season 2), a230-pound (pre-show weight) Elise’s life took a hard turn when her fiancé broke off their engagement; then she discovered she was pregnant; Taking It Off weight gain: 16 lbs (28 weeks pregnant)
• Daryl (Season 3), a 388-pound (pre-show weight) correctional officer dreamed of reclaiming his dream of playing pro football; Taking It Off weight loss: 66 lbs
• Chris (Season 3), a 260-pound (pre-show weight) stand-up comedian who wanted to lose weight so he could meet the right girl; Taking It Off weight loss: 25 lbs
• Tamara (Season 3), a 207-pound (pre-show weight) plus-size model and fitness centre owner who pegged herself as having “Oprah syndrome” – having every possible resource at her disposal, but unable to take off the weight; Taking It Off weight loss: 17.5 lb

For information on the participants’ progress and weight-loss tips, viewers can visit www.takingitoffonline.com.

Life Network is an Alliance Atlantis Network. For more information on Life Network programs, please visit www.LifeNetwork.ca.

Anaid Productions is an award winning film and television production company dedicated to the development and production of quality dramatic and documentary programming. www.anaid.com.

For more information:

Fran Humphreys, Publicist, (403) 244-7774
Amy Waters, Publicist, Life Network (416) 934-7079

HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE ON-LINE:

www.allianceatlantis.com.