A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
The following is a press release from First Run Features:
Cat City chronicles Chicago’s love/hate relationship with feral cats. It tells the story of Chicago’s outdoor cats and the communities who look after them.
Opens in Los Angeles on May 9, 2024 Los Angeles Premiere – Thursday, May 9 at 7:30pm at Laemmle’s Glendale Followed by Saturday & Sunday matinee shows at Laemmle’s Royal Director Ben Kolak will be in attendance opening night at the Glendale and Saturday, May 11 at 1:00 pm at the Royal.
What is the right way to care for feral cats and who gets to decide? A ground-breaking 2007 ordinance protects feral cats in Chicago that have been trapped, neutered and returned (“TNR”) to their neighborhoods.
Dubbed community cats, they control rats and provide love and meaning to their caretakers. There are now thousands of cat colonies in Chicago, many with only a single cat, but some with more than 40.
These colonies are fed by volunteer caretakers who report on their well-being. Many ferals succumb to the elements, but the most hardy, tough and careful survive many seasons and become legends in their neighborhoods.
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
A scene from “Cat City” (Photo courtesy of First Run Features)
Culture Representation: The documentary film “Cat Daddies” features a group of predominantly white people (with one African American) discussing how men and cats can have special bonds with each other.
Culture Clash: The men in the documentary dispel stereotypes that the only people who are passionate about cats are “crazy cat ladies,” and they share stories about how their cats sometimes helped them get through rough times in their lives.
Culture Audience: “Cat Daddies” will appeal mainly to people who like cats and are interested in feel-good stories about living with domesticated cats.
David Giovanni and Lucky in “Cat Daddies” (Photo by Eric Yang/Gray Hat Productions)
Through entertaining and heartwarming stories, the documentary “Cat Daddies” is proof that it’s an outdated stereotype to think that people who love cats are mostly women. The movie is really about how humans and cats enrich each others’ lives. It’s a simple concept, but the movie does an excellent job of portraying all the complex and nuanced ways that cats can bring joy and companionship, even to people who thought that they weren’t very fond of cats.
Directed by Mye Huong, “Cat Daddies” focuses on nine different men in the United States who share their personal stories about how their cats changed their lives. Most of the men were in their 30s and 40s at the time of being filmed for “Cat Daddies,” while one of the men is over the age of 60. The nine “cat daddies” in the documentary are:
Nathan Kehn (also known as Nathan the Cat Lady) is an actor/social media influencer who lives in North Hollywood, California. He has made somewhat of a career out of documenting his antics with his four cats: Pickles, Ginger, Annie and Princess. Kehn says that once he reached 25,000 followers on social media with his cat videos, he knew that he could try to make a living from it, especially since the cat videos boosted his social media following to a minimum number that he says is needed to be considered for certain acting jobs. As a bachelor who admits he spends a lot of date nights alone, Kehn says he now knows, “I can’t be with someone who’s not an animal lover.” He mentions that he broke up with an ex-girlfriend because she didn’t like cats and wanted him to get rid of his cats.
Jeff Judkins is a software engineer, who moved from California to Minnesota, and back to California, during the course of the film production of “Cat Daddies,” which was filmed mostly in 2020. The movie has an epilogue of updates of what the “cat daddies” have been up to through 2022. Judkins has a black-and-white male cat named Zulu, while his roommate Erin LemMon has a female cat named Mrs. Fitzby. Together, these roommates like to frequently go hiking and camping with their cats. The documentary includes a particularly harrowing experience that Judkins and LemMon had with a wildfire that hit their neighborhood in Boulder Creek, California.
David Giovanni is an elderly former construction worker who has the most tearjearking story in the movie. Giovanni, an immigrant from the European country of Georgia, has lived in the U.S. since 2001, and has fallen on hard times in New York City. Homeless and broke since 2018, he has health issues, such as cerebral palsy and a cancerous tumor on his right arm. He says what gives him the will to live is a brown tabby male cat named Lucky, whom Giovanni treats like a son. Giovanni’s relationship with Lucky (who was raised by Giovanni since Lucky was a kitten) goes though some difficult transitions because most homeless shelters do not allow cats, and there’s a period of time when Giovanni’s extended stay in a hospital and surgery recovery force him to be separated from Lucky.
Chris Alese is a New York City police officer who became a friend of Giovanni’s when he would see Giovanni and Lucky while on patrol duty. “Cat Daddies” shows how these two men from different backgrounds formed a friendship that was deeply affected by what was going to happen to Lucky when Giovanni had to be separated from the cat. These experiences moved Alese so much, he eventually became a cat daddy, to a female tabby named Pez.
Jordan Lide is a firefighter at Belmont Fire Department in Greenville, South Carolina. Lide and his co-workers help take care of an orange-and-white cat named Flame the Arson Cat, who wandered into the fire station one day as a stray, malnourished cat, and charmed the employees there into keeping him. In the documentary, Lide describes himself as the main person who convinced his boss to let the cat live at the fire station, even though having a cat in this workplace was against the rules at the time. Flame has made himself at home and has fit right in with the unpredictability of working at a fire station. Lide says Flame has never gotten in the way when the fire trucks have to suddenly leave and enter the building for emergencies.
David Durst is a truck driver who lives in Florida but travels all over the United States with his beloved feline Flora the Trucker Cat, who is a tan tabby who appears to be a Persian mix. Durst says that dogs are the most popular pets that truckers bring on the road, but he states that cat pets are more common on truck-driving excursions than most people think they are. (He also mentions that birds and reptiles are occasional pet companions for truckers too.) Flora is an unusual domesticated cat who likes activities on all sorts of rugged terrain outdoors, such as climbing on cliffs and trekking through snow-covered land. Durst is shown in the documentary on adventure trips with Flora and his girlfriend Destiny Rolfe, including some gorgeous scenes in the Arizona wilderness of Flagstaff and Sedona.
Will Zweigart is the founder of the Brooklyn, New York-based non-profit group Flatbush Cats, whose specialty is spaying and neutering stray cats to help reduce the homeless cat epidemic in Brooklyn. Feral cats that are too wild or too “unsocialized” to be adopted go through a humane “trap, neuter, return” (TNR) process, while the stray cats that are adoptable are placed in foster care or permanent homes. Zweigart (who’s a cat daddy to two cats named Teddy and Franny) says the biggest challenge for Flatbush Cats is fundraising, and this is the most important lesson he’s learned about getting money for a non-profit: “You have to document your work … We committed to social media early on.”
Ryan Robertson is a stunt performer in Atlanta who thought he would never live with a cat because he never had pets as a child, since his mother was afraid of animals. “I shared her fear,” he confesses. That all changed when he met a male cat named Toodles, a brown Maine Coon who weighs a whopping 25 pounds. Robertson got Toodles at a PetSmart adoption event. He also credits Toodles with helping him court the woman who would become Robertson’s girlfriend: fitness trainer Megan Dovell, who adores cats and is also featured in the documentary.
Peter Mares (a schoolteacher in Dana Point, California) has a black-and-white female cat named Keys, who has become a minor social media celebrity nicknamed GoalKitty. It all started when Mares noticed that Keys likes to stand on her hind legs and raise her front legs, thereby looking like a human soccer goalie holding her hands straight up in the air. He took some photos of her in this standing position, some of the photos went viral, and the rest is history. He sells GoalKitty merchandise and makes personal appearances with her, with some people traveling hundreds of miles just to meet her. Just like many of the men featured in the documentary, Mares says his love life improved because he found a partner who loves cats too.
Of course, any documentary called “Cat Daddies” has plenty of adorable cat footage, which is aided by engaging cinematography by Rob E. Bennett and very good editing by Hoang and Dave Boyle. Hoang and Boyle are also the producers of “Cat Daddies,” which is clearly a project that is a labor of love that can be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates how pet animals are often ideal companions through good times and bad times.
“Cat Daddies” has some commentary about the myth that only women are supposed to like cats the most. Carson Couch, a firefighter at Belmont Fire Department in Greenville, describes how Flame affected the men who work in the fire department: “A lot of the guys here have only had dogs. Flame changed their perception of cats. He’s personable and lovable.” All of the men interviewed in the documentary say some version of the truth that a lot of men have always liked cats. But over time, it’s become more socially acceptable for men to publicly admit it, because liking cats isn’t supposed to be limited to one particular human gender.
Zweigart, who is the only one in the group of interviewees who has a job completely devoted to cats, started Flatbush Cats when he worked in advertising. He has since left his advertising job to focus on Flatbush Cats full-time. Zweigart says Flatbush Cats’ next big goal is to open a low-cost clinic in Brooklyn that will offer a variety of medical services for cats but will primarily be focused on spaying and neutering.
At a Q&A after a “Cat Daddies” screening during the movie’s opening weekend in New York City, Hoang was in attendance with several of the documentary’s filmmaking team and interview subjects, including Bennett, Giovanni, Alese, Zweigart, Judkins and Lede. Zweigart gave an update on the planned Flatbush Cats clinic, by saying that he signed a 10-year-lease on a space for the clinic, and the group has a goal to raise $1.5 million in start-up funds for the clinic, which will also be involved in adoptions and foster care for pets. (Dogs will also be treated at the clinic.)
Lucky’s bittersweet journey with Giovanni is chronicled in the documentary. Full details won’t be revealed in this review. However, it’s enough to say that, as of this writing, Lucky is still in Giovanni’s life, but in a different way than when the “Cat Daddies” documentary began filming them.
“Cat Daddies” isn’t just a movie about men gushing over their cats. The documentary shows, through actions and the men’s own words, how living with cats taught them how to become more patient and more open-minded. Cats by nature are known for being more independent than most other domesticated pets, but this independence also means that someone who lives with a cat has to earn the cat’s trust. Once that trust is earned, as “Cat Daddies” shows so terrifically, it can turn into a beautiful and loving friendship where the cat becomes a member of the family.
Gray Hat Productions released “Cat Daddies” in New York City on October 14, 2022, with an expansion to cinemas in more U.S. cities, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand in subsequent weeks.
Dogs may get credit for being humanity’s best friend, but to many people, cats are just as much our loyal partners — even though if you asked cats they might not admit it! “Cat People” explores our fascinating relationship with cats through the lens of some of the most remarkable and surprising “cat people” in the world, defying the negative stereotypes of what it means to be a cat person while revealing the fundamental truths of what it means to have deep bonds with these fiercely independent, mysterious creatures.
“Cat People” premieres on Netflix on July 7, 2021.
Pet Valu, Inc. (“Pet Valu U.S.”), a specialty retailer of pet food and supplies in the United States, today announced plans to commence a wind down of its operations due to severe impact from COVID-19. The Company expects that all of its 358 stores and warehouses in the Northeastern and Midwestern U.S., as well as its corporate office in Wayne, PA, will close by the end of the wind-down process.
Pet Valu U.S. licenses its name and contracts for certain services from Pet Valu Canada, which is a separate company based in Markham, Ontario that is not impacted by this wind down. Pet Valu Canada is a market leading, highly profitable and growing business with a tremendous history and a very bright future. Pet Valu Canada will continue to serve customers across Canada through its approximately 600 stores, franchise locations and e-commerce site at www.petvalu.com/ca/, offering its usual assortment of thousands of pet products and supplies and in-store services such as dog washes and grooming.
All Pet Valu stores in the U.S. are currently open and ready to serve their devoted pet lover customers through the wind-down process. Customers in the U.S. can continue to use Pet Valu gift cards and loyalty rewards for purchases. Effective immediately, U.S. customers will no longer be able to place orders on the Pet Valu U.S. e-commerce site at www.petvalu.com/us/.
Jamie Gould, Pet Valu, Inc.’s recently appointed Chief Restructuring Officer, said, “The Pet Valu U.S. team is proud to have met the needs of our devoted pet lover customers in the U.S. for more than 25 years. However, the Company’s stores have been significantly impacted by the protracted COVID-19-related restrictions. After a thorough review of all available alternatives, we made the difficult but necessary decision to commence this orderly wind down.”
He continued, “During the store closing process, we will continue to provide our customers with the same great in-store experience, offering them even better deals and value. We will work to assist our dedicated associates through the transition. We thank all of them for their commitment to our company and our customers, and especially for going above and beyond so we could help customers as an essential service during the pandemic.”
Pet Valu U.S. expects to commence store closing sales at all locations in the U.S. in the coming days. The Company will continue to take necessary precautions to keep its stores safe for customers and employees.
The Company has retained Malfitano Partners as its restructuring advisor, SB360 Capital Partners, LLC to assist with store closing sales and A&G Realty Partners, LLC to assist on U.S. real estate-related matters. Mr. Gould joins Pet Valu, Inc. from a successful career of retail restructuring in global assignments in the apparel, eyewear and office products industries. William Transier, Chief Executive Officer of Transier Advisors, has been appointed as independent director to the Board of Directors of Pet Valu, Inc.
The following is a press release from AMC Networks:
AMC Networks today announced it has teamed up with Adopt-a-Pet.com, North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption website, for AMC’s annual horror marathon FearFest, to raise awareness for pet adoption with ‘FurFest.’ All month long, AMC, AMC+, and Shudder are encouraging viewers to support Adopt-a-Pet.com’s mission to end the overpopulation of companion animals in shelters and help pets find loving forever homes through custom, PET-tacular spots airing across linear, digital, and social channels.
The custom spots, featuring a few four-legged horror fans, encourage viewers to find their perfect watch buddies through adoptions and especially raise awareness for black cat and black dog adoptions this spooky season. Halloween may be the season for magical black cats, but in reality, they are most often left behind in shelters because of the color of their fur. Many animal welfare organizations call this “black cat syndrome,” with the phenomenon happening with black dogs as well. Through the collaboration, audiences are encouraged and inspired to help fight “black cat syndrome” by adopting these furry friends or by donating to Adopt-a-Pet.com. See the custom spot:
“We all know that spooky season is best enjoyed with a buddy by your side, which is why we’re thrilled to join forces with Adopt-a-Pet.com to help viewers find their perfect four-legged watch companions,” said Linda Schupack, President of Marketing, AMC Networks Entertainment Group. “The movies on AMC’s FearFest and Shudder are already scary enough. How great to cuddle up with a lovely black cat or black dog for Halloween and beyond.”
“Teaming up with AMC Networks is an exciting and unique way to spread the word about pet adoption,” said Dana Puglisi, Chief Marketing Officer of Adopt-a-Pet.com. “We appreciate AMC and Shudder’s efforts to help get more pets into loving homes. And we love all the extra snuggles those newly adopted pets will receive while their people binge through the FearFest thrills!”
Now in its 24th consecutive year, AMC’s annual horror marathon FearFest brings the frights with an entire month of genre programming from iconic franchises like Halloween and Insidious, and the return of award-winning docuseries Eli Roth’s History of Horror. Shudder, dubbed “the ultimate in streaming horror” by Newsweek, offers the best selection of original and classic horror, thriller and supernatural films and series, uncut and commercial free. Both are also now available as part of the new AMC+, a premium streaming bundle featuring only the good stuff, which also includes IFC Midnight’s best genre cinema from independent, foreign and documentary films. In addition to the largest slate of classic horror movies such as Friday the 13th and Halloween, AMC+ also includes all series within The Walking Dead Universe, as well as AMC’s Eli Roth’s History of Horror, and new Shudder programming, such as Joe Bob’s Halloween Hideaway Special and A Creepshow Animated Special, and much more.
Known for its groundbreaking and celebrated original content, AMC Networks is the company behind the award-winning brands AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, and IFC Films. Its diverse line-up of popular and critically-acclaimed series and independent films include Killing Eve, Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead, which has been the #1 show on ad-supported cable television for ten consecutive years, as well as Portlandia, Brockmire, Love After Lockup, and the films Boyhood, Death of Stalin, and many more. Its original series Mad Men and Breaking Bad are widely recognized as being among the most influential and acclaimed shows in the history of TV. The Company also operates AMC Studios, its production business; AMC Networks International, its international programming business; the subscription streaming services Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, and UMC; and Levity Entertainment Group, the Company’s production services and comedy venues business. For more information, visit http://www.amcnetworks.com.
About Shudder
AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. For a 7-day, risk-free trial, visit www.shudder.com.
About Adopt-a-Pet.com
Adopt-a-Pet.com is North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption website, helping over 19,000 animal shelters, humane societies, SPCAs, pet rescue groups, and pet adoption agencies advertise their purebred and mixed breed pets for free to millions of adopters each month. Sponsored by companies including Purina, Chewy, and Elanco Animal Health LLC, Adopt-a-Pet.com helps homeless dogs, cats, and even rabbits and other animals go from alone to adopted.
“That Animal Rescue Show” (Photo by Danny Matson/CBS Interactive, Inc.)
The following is a press release from CBS All Access:
CBS All Access, ViacomCBS’ digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, today revealed the official trailer and key art for its upcoming original docuseries “That Animal Rescue Show.” Executive produced by five-time Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater and two-time Academy Award winner Bill Guttentag, all 10 episodes will be available to binge exclusively for CBS All Access subscribers on Thursday, October 29, 2020.
“That Animal Rescue Show” follows the animal rescue community in and around Austin, Texas, where Linklater lives. The 10-episode docuseries provides a window into this captivating world through moving, humorous and powerful stories of animals, the humans who love them and the inspiring, life-changing bond that occurs between people who have dedicated their lives to rescue and the animals who rescue them right back.
“That Animal Rescue Show” is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Dr. Phil’s Stage 29, Linklater’s Detour Filmproduction, and Guttentag and Nayeema Raza’s 1891 Productions. The series is distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. An episode of the series was accepted as part of the official selection for the 2020 Telluride Film Festival. In addition to Linklater, Guttentag and Raza, the series is also executive produced by Phil McGraw, Jay McGraw and Julia Eisenman.
“That Animal Rescue Show” joins CBS All Access’ growing slate of original series that currently includes “The Good Fight,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Tooning Out the News,” “No Activity,” “Why Women Kill,” “Interrogation,” “The Thomas John Experience” and “Tell Me a Story,” as well as the upcoming limited event series “The Stand,” “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” “The Harper House” and “Guilty Party.” CBS All Access is also the exclusive domestic home to “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Star Trek: Picard,” the animated series “Star Trek: Lower Decks” and the U.S.S Enterprise set series “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.”
About CBS All Access:
CBS All Accessis ViacomCBS’ direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service. CBS All Access gives subscribers the ability to watch more than 20,000 episodes and movies on demand – including exclusive original series, current and past seasons of hit shows from the CBS Television Network and growing libraries from brands across the ViacomCBS portfolio including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Smithsonian and more, as well as a wealth of films from Paramount Pictures. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world’s biggest and most popular soccer leagues. CBS All Accessalso enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream ViacomCBS Digital’s other live channels: CBSN for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis, and ET Live for entertainment coverage.
The service is currently available across all major device platforms including online, mobile and connected TV and OTT platforms and services. Versions of CBS All Accesshave launched internationally in Canada and Australia (10 All Access), with unique but similar content and pricing plans. For more details on CBS All Access, please visit https://www.cbs.com/all-access.
About CBS Television Studios:
CBS Television Studios is one of the industry’s leading suppliers of programming with more than 70 series currently in production across broadcast and cable networks, streaming services and other emerging platforms. The Studio’s expansive portfolio spans a diverse slate of commercially successful and critically acclaimed scripted programming, genre-defining franchises including the ever-growing “Star Trek” universe, award-winning late night and daytime talk shows, and an extensive library of iconic intellectual property.
EDITOR’S NOTE: CBS All Access will rebrand as Paramount+, which goes into effect in early 2021.
The following is a press release from Hallmark Channel:
Hallmark Channel hosts the nation’s most beloved rescue pet event of the year when “Kitten Bowl VII” premieres exclusively, Sunday, February 2, 2020 (2 p.m. ET/PT). “Kitten Bowl VII” will feature over 100 kittens rescued from across the country, as four teams will be competing for the Feline Football Championship. The 2020 game also marks a milestone of more than 40,000 shelter pet adoptions since “Kitten Bowl” premiered in 2014.
The shelter pet adoption effort around “Kitten Bowl” began with five shelter partners six years ago. Through the partnership with North Shore Animal League America, “Kitten Bowl” neighborhood shelter partners grew to 500. In 2020, more shelter partners than ever will join the effort to raise awareness around the plight of homeless animals and the joys that shelter pet adoption brings. During “Kitten Bowl” weekend, shelter partners of North Shore Animal League America show clips from the show while showcasing beautiful animals in need of loving, forever homes. Hallmark Channel, as part of the network’s overall pet initiative ADOPTION EVER AFTER, will provide cash grants to the top participating shelters. To find a “Kitten Bowl” party near you go to Hallmarkchannel.com or AnimalLeagure.org for further details.
TV personality, author and animal advocate Beth Stern returns as host for this year’s event from Hallmark Channel’s Kitten Bowl Stadium. Stern embodies the spirit of adoption in her everyday life, having fostered countless animals in need. Stern’s tireless year-round efforts to find homes for animals endears her to Hallmark Channel viewers and pet enthusiasts nationwide.
On the day of the big game, Stern is joined by Hallmark Channel commentators Jill Wagner and Brennan Elliott for all the play-by-play action along with field correspondent, former NFL running back Rashad Jennings, and four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Boomer Esiason, who returns as the Commissioner of the Football Feline League. “Kitten Bowl VII” will be the MUST SEE event on the day of the big game.
North Shore Animal League America and Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation drafted the 2020 teams.
“Kitten Bowl VII” is produced by 3 Ball Entertainment with Ross Weintraub, Jeff Altrock and Kathy Sutula serving as executive producers.
Dan Schachner (pictured at left) and Kit Hoover (pictured at right) (Photos courtesy of Animal Planet)
The following is a press release from Animal Planet:
Animal Planet’s live weekly animal adoption series “Give a Dog a Home Live!,” is gearing up for the holiday season with a special two-hour primetime edition of “Give a Dog a Home Live!” Animal advocate and host of “Access Hollywood” and “Access Daily” Kit Hoover will join Puppy Bowl referee and host Dan Schachner on a live adventure across the US to meet animals up for adoption, and those dedicated to finding them their forever home. Rescue dogs and cats from Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, as well as animals from numerous Best Friends Animal Society locations (New York, Atlanta and Salt Lake City), will be featured as audiences will be able to interact on social media and find out more information on how to adopt them. The two-hour special will air live from the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, a state-of-the-art pet adoption center, in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, December 7 at 5PM PT/8PM ET.
“Give a Dog a Home Live!” will share the inspirational stories of three families that are in search of a furry friend to complete their family. They will have the chance of a lifetime to meet and bond with pups live on air, but which pooch will be the perfect fit? Viewers will have the opportunity to help one family choose between three special needs pups to take home by voting on social media for which dog they think they should adopt. One lucky rescue dog will receive a complete mutt makeover by a professional groomer and have a full photoshoot fit for Instagram in preparation of finding a fur-ever home. With dozens of potential adopters on site at Wallis Annenberg PetSpace and an audience full of millions more, anything can happen!
Pet owners are often told they are a spitting image of their four-legged companions. Fans are encouraged to post a photo with their mini-me using #dogpelganger on Instagram, Twitter and Animal Planet’s Facebook page as well as post and share their viewing parties with the #GiveADogAHome hashtag for a chance to see it on TV!
The two-hour special is produced for Animal Planet by Discovery Studios. Sandy Varo Jarrell, Cindy Kain and Robert Lifton are Executive Producers. For Animal Planet, Dawn Sinsel is Executive Producer with Pat Dempsey as Supervising Producer.
Kelly Clarkson (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
The following is a press release from NBCUniversal:
NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal, today announced that Kelly Clarkson will host the special “Clear The Shelters” show that will air on NBC stations beginning August 23 (check local listings). The show will recap this year’s popular nationwide pet adoption campaign. Launching in July and culminating with Clear The Shelters day Saturday, August 17, more than 1,400 animal shelters/rescues in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, will reduce or waive pet adoption fees to help families and individuals adopt a pet. Visit cleartheshelters.com to access a list of participating shelters/rescues.
“Clear The Shelters is a summer tradition that communities everywhere look forward to. We’re excited for Kelly to host our special ‘Clear The Shelters’ show to help us celebrate all the fun and heartwarming adoption stories from our 2019 campaign. We’re proud to join with animal shelters and rescues, as well as our affiliate station partners and sponsors, to present this annual event that celebrates animals and helps shelters match families with their new furry best friend,” said Valari Staab, President, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations.
Kelly Clarkson is among the most popular artists of this era. At NBC, Clarkson serves as a coach for NBC’s “The Voice.” She will host her own daytime program, “The Kelly Clarkson Show” this fall, premiering in national syndication on September 9, 2019. The Texas-born, singer-songwriter and Grammy Award-winning artist first came to fame in 2002 as the winner of the inaugural season of “American Idol.” Clarkson’s debut single, “A Moment Like This,” followed and quickly went to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, ultimately ranking as the year’s best-selling single in the U.S. Since then, she’s released eight studio albums, which have resulted in worldwide sales of more than 25 million albums, and 36 million singles.
“I am a huge animal lover and can tell you from personal experience that when you open your heart and home to a rescue animal, your pet will thank you every single day of its life. It’s the most beautiful and purest form of unconditional love you can ever have. I’m so excited for people to discover this feeling when they find their perfect pet on August 17, and to tell all the amazing pet adoption stories from this year’s Clear The Shelter’s campaign,” added Clarkson.
Launched nationally in 2015, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations’ Clear The Shelters campaign has inspired thousands of families to adopt pets living in shelters and rescues. During Clear The Shelters 2018, pets of all types were adopted including ‘Bailey’ a long-haired Chihuahua-mix puppy from Orange County, CA, who was adopted by a veteran and his family. In New Hampshire, ‘Baby,’ a 15-year old senior cat was adopted after being a hospice resident at a Massachusetts shelter. One year later, Baby is off her medications and showers her new family with unconditional love. In Texas, ‘Pepperjack’ a yellow Labrador was adopted and renamed ‘Jake’ after his family read about him in PEOPLE magazine’s special Clear The Shelters issue. Today, ‘Jake’ is enjoying his new life.
About NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations
NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations is the division of NBCUniversal that includes 42 NBC and Telemundo local television stations serving 30 markets, a regional news network and their associated websites and digital platforms, as well as a group of out-of-home properties, a production company, an in-house marketing and promotions company and two national multicast networks, COZI TV and TeleXitos. The local stations, which can be viewed in 38 percent of U.S. homes and in Puerto Rico, produce and deliver their local communities compelling and unique local news, real-time weather forecasts, consumer and investigative reports and entertainment programming across all platforms to help keep their English and Spanish-speaking audiences informed anytime and anywhere.
About Clear The Shelters
Clear The Shelters™ / Desocupar Los Albergues® is an annual, nationwide pet adoption campaign that is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal. Every year, NBCUniversal’s TV stations, plus NBC and Telemundo affiliated stations partner with local animal shelters and rescues in their communities to host Clear The Shelters events. NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations’ Clear The Shelters campaign was inspired by a 2014 North Texas pet adoption event hosted by NBC 5 / KXAS and Telemundo 39 / KXTX and dozens of area shelters that resulted in the most adopted pets in one day for North Texas. Since 2015, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations’ Clear The Shelters pet adoption campaign has inspired thousands of families all across the country to open their homes and hearts to shelter pets, resulting in more than a quarter million pets finding new homes. Visit ClearTheShelters.com / DesocuparLosAlbergues.com for more information. Follow the effort on Twitter @ClearTheShelter, and on social media using the hashtags #ClearTheShelters and #DesocuparLosAlbergues.
The following is a press release from NBCUniversal:
NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations (NBC and Telemundo owned stations), a division of NBCUniversal, today announced that its pet adoption campaign – Clear The Shelters – returns to communities all around the country and in Puerto Rico this July and August. NBC and Telemundo stations in 160 markets are teaming up with more than 1,000 animal shelters and rescues to host Clear The Shelters events. On August 17, organizations will waive or reduce pet adoption fees to help families and individuals adopt a pet. Since 2015, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations’ Clear The Shelters campaign has helped more than a quarter million pets find new homes. Visit cleartheshelters.com to access a list of participating shelters/rescues.
“We are excited for Clear The Shelters to return to communities everywhere for a fifth year in a row. Thanks to our wonderful shelter and affiliate partners and our sponsors Cat’s Pride and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, the happiest day of the year is right around the corner. We are all looking forward to make this year’s campaign the best one yet,” said Valari Staab, President, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations.
Clear The Shelters was initiated in 2014 in the Dallas-Fort Worth market as a partnership between NBC and Telemundo stations, KXAS and KXTX, and dozens of North Texas animal shelters, including Irving Animal Services. The effort resulted in the adoption of more than 2,200 homeless animals, the most adopted in one day in North Texas.
“Clear The Shelters has become a significant annual event for WKYC Studios and our viewers,” said Adam Miller, Director of Content for WKYC Studios in Cleveland. “Together we raise awareness about the importance of pet adoption and the overcrowding issues that local animal shelters typically experience in the summer months.”
Shelters located in major DMAs like Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Dallas-Fort Worth as well as Puerto Rico, will waive or reduce pet adoption fees to help families find their perfect pet. This year’s campaign will includes the participation of 42 NBC and Telemundo owned stations, plus 140 NBC affiliated stations from the following station groups: Capitol Broadcasting Company, Dispatch Broadcast Group, Hubbard Broadcasting, Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Raycom Media and Tegna Media, among others.
About NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations
NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations is the division of NBCUniversal that includes 42 NBC and Telemundo local television stations serving 30 markets, a regional news network and their associated websites and digital platforms, as well as a group of out-of-home properties, a production company, an in-house marketing and promotions company and two national multicast networks, COZI TV and TeleXitos. The local stations, which can be viewed in 38 percent of U.S. homes and in Puerto Rico, produce and deliver their local communities compelling and unique local news, real-time weather forecasts, consumer and investigative reports and entertainment programming across all platforms to help keep their English and Spanish-speaking audiences informed anytime and anywhere.
About Clear The Shelters
Clear The Shelters™ / Desocupar Los Albergues® is an annual, nationwide pet adoption campaign that is spearheaded by NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, a division of NBCUniversal. Every year, NBCUniversal’s TV stations, plus affiliated stations partner with local animal shelters and rescues in their communities to host Clear The Shelters events. NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations’ Clear The Shelters campaign was inspired by a 2014 North Texas pet adoption event hosted by NBC 5 / KXAS and Telemundo 39 / KXTX and dozens of area shelters that resulted in the most adopted pets in one day for North Texas. Since 2015, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations’ Clear The Shelters pet adoption campaign has inspired thousands of families all across the country to open their homes and hearts to shelter pets, resulting in more than a quarter million pets finding new homes. Visit ClearTheShelters.com, DesocuparLosAlbergues.com for more information. Follow the effort on Twitter @ClearTheShelter, and on social media using the hashtags #ClearTheShelters and #DesocuparLosAlbergues.
