ABC FAMILY'S HIT SERIES "SWITCHED AT BIRTH" HONORED WITH TWO GRACIE AWARDS

Creator and Executive Producer Lizzy Weiss and Constance Marie are honored by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation

Burbank, CA (February 27, 2012) - ABC Family's hit series "Switched at Birth" was honored with two Gracie Awards, it was announced by The Alliance for Women. Creator and Executive Producer Lizzy Weiss was named "Outstanding Producer-Entertainment" while Constance Marie was named "Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series or Special" for her role as single mother Regina Vasquez. Both women will be awarded for their impressive work on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

In "Switched at Birth," two families are forever altered when two teenage girls discover they were switched at birth. Bay Kennish grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and a brother, while Daphne Vasquez, who lost her hearing at an early age due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a working class neighborhood. Things come to a dramatic head as two families must blend into one for the sake of their daughters, despite overwhelming socio-economic, ethnic and cultural differences. The series uses American Sign Language and explores deaf culture with an array of deaf and hard of hearing actors.

The Gracies are presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AWM which supports educational programs, charitable activities, public service campaigns and scholarships to benefit the public and women in the media. The Gracie Awards honor programming and individuals of the highest caliber in all facets of radio, television, cable and web-based media, including news, drama, comedy, public service, documentary and sports.

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today's relationships - told with a mix of diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a combination of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. Emmy(R) Award-winning ABCFamily.com provides a variety of interactive entertainment and community features, from rich, fan-centric programming - including blogs, viewing parties, webisodes, full episodes of the network's hit programming, along with sneak peek exclusive previews and behind-the-scenes clips. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.