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GET THE HOOKUP
BIG CHIEF’S “GET THE HOOKUP” DEBUTS ON NEW ADULT AFRICAN AMERICAN NETWORK TV ONE
-- Premiere dating game show to be hosted by stars of Radio One’s top-rated, nationally syndicated Russ Parr Morning Show --
New York, NY (December 31, 2003) – An entertaining twist on the dating game show format is on display in the all-new, daily strip for TV One, Get the HookUp, from Big Chief Entertainment.
Half dating game, half talent show and 100% off the hook fun, Get the HookUp is hosted by popular Washington, D.C. radio personality Russ Parr, star of Radio One’s top-rated, nationally syndicated Russ Parr Morning Show, and co-hosted by actress and WKYS-FM radio personality Alfredas. Each daily half-hour episode features three African American bachelors competing to win a dream date with an eligible bachelorette – or three bachelorettes competing to win a date with an eligible bachelor. Competing in three specific category rounds (an amusing twist on the age-old beauty pageant formula). Get the HookUp’s contestants have an equal opportunity to impress their prospective dates, hoping to win them over with their charm, their talent and even their dance moves.
“We’re thrilled to be involved in a game show that is essentially the first of its kind—the first adult African American dating game—a hybrid, if you will, that borrows from a variety of proven formulas and then tops them all by adding some unique twists of its own,” said Big Chief vice president of production and development Steven Jon Whritner. “We’re also extremely fortunate to have Russ Parr and Alfredas as our co-hosts. Honored, too, to be a part of TV One’s historic launch.”
With a coast-to-coast radio, voiceover, television, comedic, and recording career spanning 20 years, Russ Parr is a man of many talents. He started out behind the television camera in production with ABC Television in Los Angeles, but soon used his comedic talents in a move to radio. Russ left Hollywood in '89 where he was the morning man on the legendary 1580 KDAY, the first 24 hour hip hop station in the world and landed in Dallas at KJMZ 100.3 JAMZ, where he eventually became a staple in the community. Parr scraped up what little money he could from old Bobby Jimmy royalties and created FLAVA TV starring Russ and his radio sidekick Alfredas. FLAVA TV gave Russ the ability to write, direct, produce and act - another passion of his. In the mid 90's Russ moved to Radio One's 93.9 WKYS-FM, where he was eventually syndicated. Today, The Russ Parr Morning Show is heard weekdays by more than three million listeners in more than 50 cities and has garnered numerous national awards.
A native of Dallas, Alfredas also began her broadcasting career in television, as an intern for FOX TV in Dallas. She has had an extensive modeling and acting career, including roles in the film “Miss Congeniality,” but considers broadcasting her profession. She first met Russ Parr when she worked as an intern for the Parr morning show in Dallas but soon became the program’s entertainment reporter. She has served as an entertainment and/or news reporter, as well as news director, for a variety of television and radio programs and stations before rejoining The Russ Parr Morning Show at WKYS in Washington.
Scheduled to launch January 19, 2004, TV One (www.tv-one.com) will offer a broad range of entertainment-oriented original programming, classic series, movies, fashion and music that focus on African American themes, issues culture and politics. TV One’s investors include Radio One, the nation' s seventh largest radio broadcasting company and the largest company that primarily targets African-American and urban listeners; Comcast Corporation, the leading cable television company in the country; Constellation Ventures; Syndicated Communications; Pacesetter Capital Group; and Opportunity Capital Partners.
Get the HookUp is executive produced by Big Chief principals Tim Miller and Steven Jon Whritner, with Whritner also serving as the show’s creator. Larry Holland is producing and directing and Jaci Clark is supervising producer. Richard Vida is the show’s talent director. David Baron of Edison Music is composing the show’s original theme song, which is being co-written and performed by popular UK recording artist Lisa Roxanne. The series will be taped in Washington, DC.
Big Chief Entertainment is an Emmy Award® winning production and development company that actively develops and produces original and commissioned network specials, series television, documentary films and theatrical motion pictures.
In addition to Get the HookUp, past projects for Big Chief include the feature-length documentary Sideshow: Alive on the Inside, a co-production with TLC, which ranks as one of the network’s all time, top-rated programs. Also from Big Chief is TLC’s newest hit series Repo Men: Stealing for a Living, hosted by The Sopranos’ Vincent Pastore.
Big Chief Entertainment is located at 45 East 20th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10003. For more information about Big Chief and Get the HookUp, contact Steven Jon Whritner at swhritner@bigchiefent.com.