Jason Priestley Leads Celebrity Line-Up at International Digital Emmy(R) Awards at MIPTV

PARIS and NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Jason Priestley, best known for his role as Brandon Walsh on the hit series Beverly Hills 90210, will host The International Digital Emmy® Awards on Monday, April 12, at MIPTV in Cannes, it was announced today by The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

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Priestley will be joined on-stage by a cast of international celebrity presenters including British film & television actor, Charles Dance, The Dog Whisperer's Cesar Millan, and Canadian actors Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith.

Heroes Creator and Executive Producer Tim Kring will receive The International Academy's Pioneer Prize for his contribution to the fields of digital television and cross-platform entertainment with Heroes Evolutions.

The International Digital Emmy® Awards 2010 are sponsored by Nokia and Ooyala.

Host - Jason Priestley

Now in his third decade as a professional performer, Jason Priestley, a Vancouver BC native, continues to be one of the most versatile talents in the entertainment business both in front of and behind the camera. In Call Me Fitz, he not only stars in the lead role of Fitz, but he also produces and directs.  Recently, Priestley finished filming the feature film The Last Rites of Ransom Pride on location in Alberta with Kris Kristofferson, Dwight Yoakam, Scott Speedman and Lizzy Caplan, and appeared in the BBC's modern-day remake of the Sci-Fi thriller The Day of the Triffids along side Dougray Scott, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox and Eddie Izzard. While Priestley is best known for his role as 'Brandon Walsh' on the hit FOX series Beverly Hills 90210, he has created many memorable television characters on shows including A Side Order of Life, Love Monkey, Tru Calling, Masters of Horror, Medium and My Name is Earl.

Presenter - Charles Dance

In some 35 years as an actor, Charles Dance has amassed an impressive body of work in all media from title roles with The Royal Shakespeare Company, and major work in London's commercial theatre including, Good, and Long Day's Journey Into Night with Jessica Lange, and Shadowlands for which he received the London Critic's Circle Award for Best Actor, through award-winning television series - The Jewel In The Crown (BAFTA nomination for best actor)  Rebecca, Nicholas Nickleby, Fingersmith, Bleak House for which he received an International Emmy nomination and won the Press Guild Award for Best Actor,  Consenting Adults  about the ground-breaking Wolfenden Report of 1957 which resulted in the de-criminalisation of homosexuality, and more recently Dickens' Secret Lover - a documentary about Charles Dickens' turbulent personal life.

Presenter - Cesar Millan

Cesar Millan is a best-selling author, a much-in-demand public speaker, a branded pet care product designer/entrepreneur and, not least of all, an internationally popular and iconic series star of the hit TV show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, the National Geographic Channel's flagship series, currently filming its sixth season. The show is distributed in over 100 countries through Rive Gauche Television. Simply put, Millan, is the $40 billion pet care industry's most recognized and sought-after authority working in the field of dog welfare  and rehabilitation. Notably, in addition to co-creating and starring in Dog Whisperer, Millan has co-authored four books: the New York Times #1 Bestseller Cesar's Way, the New York Times Bestseller Be The Pack Leader, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan: The Ultimate Episode Guide, A Member of the Family, and his latest How to Raise the Perfect Dog, which was released on October 2009. He has also generated numerous instructional DVDs and CDs, and continues to host a popular series of seminars where attendees learn how to apply his training and rehabilitation techniques.  In addition, Millan recently launched a U.K. pet product line, produced by Ultimate Products, that include dog beds, bowls, and gift sets specifically  designed for a dog's needs.  

Presenter - Missy Peregrym

Familiar to television audiences as the illusive Candace Wilmer from Heroes, Missy Peregrym stands out in the industry as one of Hollywood's most promising young actors. She began her career as a model at the age of 18, booking print and commercial jobs for Mercedes-Benz, Sprint Canada and the Olympics.  Peregrym caught the eye of casting directors and naturally transitioned into acting, landing her first television role on James Cameron's action-drama series, Dark Angel. She has gone on to star in a variety of television projects including the martial arts series Black Sash and the drama Life as We Know It, in addition to guest appearances on The Chris Isaak Show, Smallville and Andromeda.  Peregrym was also nominated for two Leo Awards (2008, 2009) for Best Female Lead Performance for her role as "Andi" in the series, Reaper. Peregrym's feature film debut came in 2006 starring opposite Jeff Bridges in the movie Stick It, playing a rebellious girl who is ordered to participate in a regimented sports world.

Presenter - Gregory Smith

Gregory Smith is an accomplished actor who has starred in 25 feature films including The Patriot with Mel Gibson, Small Soldiers with Kirsten Dunst, produced by Steven Spielberg; Nearing Grace, which opened the 2005 L.A. Film Festival to critical acclaim; and more recently, he can be seen in Reginald Harkema's Leslie, My Name is Evil, which made its world premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. In addition to having worked in over 100 television episodes, most notably as the protagonist Ephram Brown in The WB's hit series, Everwood, Smith is also an accomplished producer.  In 2008, he developed and produced a comedy for Sony Screen Gems that starred Kenan Thompson, Zach Levi and Fran Kranz, and is currently in development on several film and television projects including the independent film On The Ice, a story about an Inuit hunter in the Arctic who becomes a witness to a murder. As an Internet entrepreneur, Smith co-founded TheU.net – an immersive student network that releases high production video tours of the most popular colleges in the U.S. He and his partner raised $1 million to develop and execute the concept and structured a co-branding deal with AOL Time Warner subsidiary, The WB.  

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Note to the editors:

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a membership based organization comprised of leading media and entertainment figures from over 50 countries and 500 companies from all sectors of television including internet, mobile and technology. The Academy's yearly schedule of events includes the prestigious International Emmy® Awards Ceremony held in New York, The International Digital Emmy® Awards at MIPTV and a series of industry events such as Academy Day, The International Emmy® World Television Festival and Panels on substantive industry topics. The Academy was chartered with a mission to recognize excellence in television produced outside of the United States and it presents The International Emmy® Awards in the following fifteen categories: Arts Programming; Best Performance by an Actress; Best Performance by an Actor; Current Affairs; Children & Young People; Comedy; Digital Program: Children & Young People; Digital Program: Fiction; Digital Program: Non-Fiction; Documentary; Drama Series; News; Non-Scripted Entertainment; Telenovela; TV Movie/Mini-Series.

For more information go to www.iemmys.tv.

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