Sprout Launches Nationwide Search For Live Children's Morning Show Host

PHILADELPHIA, July 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Do you have what it takes to prepare millions of preschoolers for their day? Sprout^®, the 24-hour preschool network, is giving aspiring actors and fans the opportunity to audition for the role of live morning show host with its launch of Sprout's Host Hunt - a national competition to find the next great preschool TV host.

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From July 30 through August 31, hosting hopefuls are invited to record a 60 second audition video including their rendition of Sprout's "Happy Birthday Song" and to upload it at SproutOnline.com. Each day in August, Sprout will select the most notable videos to highlight on its YouTube channel, giving fans everywhere the opportunity to watch and participate via social media in the Sprout Host Hunt. A live event will also be held in Los Angeles on August 23 at Universal CityWalk where Carly, one of The Sunny Side Up Show co-hosts, will join Chica – the world's most famous chicken - to entertain fans and help prepare contestants for their audition.

Three Sprout Host Hunt finalists will be flown to the set of The Sunny Side Up Show in Philadelphia in September, where they will have the chance to audition with Chica live in front of the show's producers. The Sprout Host Hunt winner will be announced in December. 

"Sprout's Host Hunt is a great way for us to expand our casting process across the nation to find bright new talent to join Chica on The Sunny Side Up Show, the only daily live morning show for preschoolers," said Sandy Wax, President of Sprout.  "Broadening our search and sharing these videos on our YouTube network is an incredibly fun way to discover new talent and engage our audience. After all, who wouldn't want to walk in the footsteps of TV icons like Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers?"

The Sunny Side Up Show is a live, three-hour television block, dedicated to helping preschoolers prepare for their day. Children, their parents and caregivers can interact with the hosts through SproutOnline.com, by sharing birthday wishes, crafts, games, show-and-tell and more. The show incorporates hosted segments and also links to Sprout's gold-standard shows, such as The Chica Show, Barney & Friends™ and Super Why™.

The contest is open to all legal U.S residents, 21 and older, and entrants can visit the new microsite on SproutOnline.com for helpful hosting tips from their favorite Sprout characters. Each day, select audition videos will be offered to fans on Sprout's YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/sprout), and Sprout will also promote links to those featured videos so that contestants can share their submission with friends.  Full details, entry instructions, rules and regulations can also be found at SproutOnline.com. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 31.

About Sprout^®
Sprout is the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for children ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers.  Available in over 50 million homes, the 24-hour digital channel is the only network that follows the day of a preschooler from breakfast to bedtime with its distinctive, interactive programming and original hosted daypart blocks that parents and kids share together.  Viewers are encouraged to submit artwork, birthday wishes, videos and more through SproutOnline.com, which has received over five million viewer interactions to-date.  Sprout's VOD offering is the #1 on demand service for younger children with over one billion views. 

The network's program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based preschool series includes originals  like The Chica Show, Noodle and Doodle, and Pajanimals (co-produced with The Jim Henson Company), as well as Sesame Street®, Barney & Friends™, The Wiggles®, Caillou®, Thomas & Friends™,  LazyTown™, and more.  Sprout is a partnership among NBCUniversal, PBS and Apax Funds.

About Universal CityWalk
Universal CityWalk is Southern California's dynamic entertainment, dining and shopping destination that reflects the area's rich cultural diversity. The iconic open-air leisure and nightlife complex provides "Always Unexpected" entertainment options and has served as a prototype for similar destinations.  Universal CityWalk includes the dynamic high-tech concert venue, "5 Towers," provides L.A.'s best movie-going experience at the AMC Universal CityWalk cinemas and offers such unique venues as the "Jon Lovitz Comedy Club," the "Infusion Lounge," iFly indoor skydiving and mechanical bull-riding at "Saddle Ranch Chop House."

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SOURCE Sprout