Renowned
Designer Todd Oldman to Host New Bravo Series "Top Design"
10/23/06
RENOWNED
DESIGNER TODD OLDHAM NAMED HOST OF BRAVO'S ALL-NEW INTERIOR DESIGN
COMPETITION SERIES 'TOP DESIGN'
CELEBRATED INTERIOR DESIGNER JONATHAN ADLER TAPPED AS LEAD JUDGE --
JOINED BY EDITOR IN CHIEF OF ELLE DECOR MAGAZINE MARGARET RUSSELL AND
FAMED INTERIOR DESIGNER KELLY WEARSTLER AS REGULAR SERIES JUDGES
'TOP DESIGN' BEGINS PRODUCTION IN LOS ANGELES
New York, NY - October 23, 2006 - Todd Oldham, world-renowned designer,
has been named the host of Bravo's all-new interior design competition
series "Top Design." Three judges have been chosen to critique
and celebrate each "Top Design," including lead judge Jonathan
Adler, who will be joined by Margaret Russell, Editor In Chief of ELLE
DECOR Magazine, and interior designer Kelly Wearstler. Production will
commence this month in Los Angeles on ten episodes of "Top
Design," which is scheduled to premiere in first quarter 2007. The
announcement was made today by Lauren Zalaznick, President, Bravo.
"The world-renowned and ultra-talented designer Todd Oldham is a
perfect fit as host for Bravo's newest show about creativity and
competition," said Zalaznick. "And to be able to call these
three industry-leading design professionals our series judges provides the
highest level of credibility to this new series."
Off the heels of the critically acclaimed "Top
Chef" and the Emmy-nominated hit "Project Runway,"
Bravo's newest reality competition series "Top Design" offers a
behind the scenes look at the creative, competitive and client-driven
interior design business at the highest level. The series features twelve
aspiring interior designers who are united in their quest to create the
"Top Design" in each episode in the series as they vie for cash
to start their own design firm and a spot in one of New York's finest
designer showcases. Production, which begins this month, will take place
in Los Angeles.
"This highly anticipated new series puts the spotlight on interior
design," said Frances Berwick, Executive Vice President, Programming
and Production, Bravo. "Los Angeles is an exciting and colorful
backdrop that will give our competing interior designers the chance to
utilize all the city has to offer, while giving viewers a peek inside
their creative and challenging world."
In "Top Design," high pressure, eccentric personalities and
creative egos combine to fuel the next big hit in competition reality.
Aspiring and professional interior design contestants will converge and
compete in a series of challenges to create the "Top Design"
while living in a decked-out studio loft as they are inspired and
critiqued by professionals who are leaders in their chosen field.
About Todd Oldham, Bravo's "Top Design" Host: Known as one of
the most beloved designers working today, Todd Oldham joins "Top
Design" as host, delivering challenges and inspiring and leading the
designers to be their most creative and original in their pursuit of
creating the "Top Design." Originally a New York fashion
designer, and the host of "Todd Time" on MTV's "House of
Style," Todd's career has evolved to include all areas of design,
from interior design, film and photography, to furniture and graphic art.
Todd is the author of Hand Made Modern by Regan Books, and has hosted
HGTV's "Hand Made Modern" series of specials. Todd designed his
own line of dorm room furnishings for Target and currently designs a line
of furniture and accessories, Todd Oldham By La-Z-Boy. Todd also designed
The Hotel in South Beach, as well as The Fairfax Hotel, South Beach, to
open in 2007.
About Jonathan Adler, Bravo's "Top Design" Lead Judge:
Jonathan Adler, the lead judge of "Top Design," has been
celebrated for the mod shapes, vibrant colors and organic eye-popping
patterns that are the signature of his work today. His business
encompasses seven retail outlets in Soho & the Upper East Side of
Manhattan, Los Angeles, East Hampton, Miami, San Francisco, and Chicago; a
thriving interior design business, responsible for the re-design of the
Parker Palm Springs hotel in modernist style with a comfy residential
feel; a burgeoning licensing business under the brand name Jonathan Adler
Happy Home that's expanding into bedding, bath accessories, stationary,
dinnerware and table linens at accessible prices; and he continues to sell
his wares to high-end boutiques around the world. Jonathan's "happy,
handcrafted, and luxe" designs for the home have become a part of
American pop-culture, appearing on the sets of the "Today Show,"
"Sex and the City," "Will & Grace," and "The
Apprentice." In November 2005, Jonathan launched his first book My
Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living, which combines his wittiness and
enthusiasm for creating happy homes everywhere with serious design.
About Margaret Russell, Bravo's "Top Design" Judge: As Editor
in Chief of ELLE DECOR Magazine, "Top Design" judge Margaret
Russell has infused the magazine with a singular sense of sophistication,
while helping to preserve its mission to inspire designers, architects,
and homeowners with the best in interior and product design. In July 2000,
Margaret was promoted to editor in chief of the magazine she helped found.
Since then she has spearheaded an award-winning redesign of the
publication-one of 23 ELLE DECO editions worldwide-and shifted coverage to
portray an increasingly diverse array of talents through images and
articles that blend striking graphics with incisive, personality-driven
text. In addition to overseeing ELLE DECOR, elledecor.com, and the ELLE
DECOR series of books, Margaret serves as a trustee of DIFFA (Design
Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS), and co-chairs the series of ELLE
DECOR Dining by Design events that take place in eight cities across the
country each year. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, published Margaret's book,
Designing Women: Interiors by Leading Style Makers, which profiles 16
trendsetters in the design world.
About Kelly Wearstler, Bravo's "Top Design" Judge: "Top
Design" series judge Kelly Wearstler is well-known in the industry as
an acclaimed interior designer. She is the author of Modern Glamour and
the founder of the Los Angeles architectural interior design firm kwid
(Kelly Wearstler Interior Design). Her designs for the trendsetting
Viceroy resorts from California to the Caribbean; such taste-making hotels
as Maison 140 and Avalon; unique office retail, and leisure spaces,
including BG restaurant and lounge in Manhattan's Bergdorf Goodman; and an
upscale residences such as the Trousdale Estate have been profiled in
House and Garden, House Beautiful, Interior Design, Elle Decor, Vogue, and
W. Kelly is also the designer of her own kwid line of furnishings and
accessories.
Bravo has partnered with Stone & Company Entertainment to bring
viewers this new competition series searching for America's next great
interior designer. Stone & Company Entertainment's Scott Stone and
Clay Newbill will serve as Executive Producers.
Bravo is the cable network that plugs people into arts, entertainment
and pop culture with original programming, acclaimed drama series, movies,
comedy and music specials, and by showing a whole different side of
celebrities. Currently available in more than 80 million homes, Bravo is
known for breaking exciting new personalities, shaking up the way we look
at style, media, fame and Hollywood, pulling back the curtain on the
creative process and making influential and inventive original
programming. Its critically acclaimed original programming includes the
Emmy nominated "Kathy
Griffin: My Life on the D-List," 13-time Emmy nominated
"Inside the Actors Studio," "The Real Housewives of Orange
County," "Top Chef," "Celebrity Poker Showdown,"
as well as the 2004 Emmy winner for Outstanding Reality Program "Queer
Eye," and the four time Emmy-nominated hit competition series
"Project Runway."
Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a
division of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and
entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of
entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been
a NBC Cable Network since December 2002 and was the first television
service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in
December 1980. For more information visit www.bravotv.com