AMC Starts Production of Original Pilot 'Mad Men' In New York City and Announces Casting

Created By Matthew Weiner ('The Sopranos'), Starring Jon Hamm ('We Were Soldiers'), Elisabeth Moss ('West Wing')

Vincent Kartheiser ('Angel'), John Slattery ('K Street'), January Jones ('American Wedding'), and Christina Hendricks ('Kevin Hill')

NEW YORK, NY, April 20, 2006 - AMC begins filming today an original one-hour pilot episode of MAD MEN, created and written by Matthew Weiner (co-executive producer/writer, 'The Sopranos') on locations in New York City. In addition, AMC announces the casting of Jon Hamm ('We Were Soldiers'), Elisabeth Moss ('West Wing'), Vincent Kartheiser ('Angel'), John Slattery ('K Street'), January Jones ('American Wedding'), and Christina Hendricks ('Kevin Hill') in major roles.

MAD MEN is a smart and cinematic drama about the professional lives, social mores and sexual exploits of advertising executives on Madison Avenue circa 1960, when the industry was at its height of glamour, power, and prestige. The setting is the Sterling Cooper agency, which sells everything from cigarettes to political candidates. The protagonist, Don Draper (Hamm), is a fast-rising creative director whose smooth exterior conceals any number of secrets. In the pilot episode, Don fights to keep a major tobacco account from leaving the agency, while juggling his increasingly complicated romantic life.

MAD MEN is produced by @radical.media based in New York.

The drama is set to debut in 2007.

Matthew Weiner earned a 2004 Emmy nomination for his Soprano's episode "Unidentified Black Males" and also wrote the noted episode "The Test Dream." Weiner's other writing credits include "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," "Becker" and "The Naked Truth."

About AMC
AMC, a division of Rainbow Media's Entertainment Services, which also includes WE: Women's Entertainment and IFC Companies, is a 24-hour, movie-based network, dedicated to the American movie fan. The network, which reaches over 87,000,000 homes, offers a comprehensive library of popular movies and a critically-acclaimed slate of original programming that is a diverse, movie-based mix of original series, documentaries and specials. AMC has garnered many of the industry's highest honors, including 14 Emmy awards. AMC is "TV for movie people."

About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
A leader in the entertainment industry, Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation. Rainbow creates and manages some of the country's most compelling and dynamic programming with linear networks including national networks - AMC, fuse, IFC (The Independent Film Channel) and WE: Women's Entertainment; its regional programming service - Rainbow Sports Networks; on-demand networks including Mag Rack and sportskool; and the largest suite of high definition channels available anywhere - the VOOM HD Networks. Rainbow's other businesses include its film distribution, production and exhibition division - IFC Entertainment; in addition to its advertising sales division - Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation - and its full service network programming origination and distribution company - Rainbow Network Communications.