WORLDWIDE FASHION ICON AND SUPERMODEL NAOMI CAMPBELL TO STAR IN OXYGEN'S NEW COMPETITION SERIES "THE FACE"

Supermodels Coach Aspiring Models in Competition that Will Make One 'The Face' of a National Brand

NEW YORK - May 1, 2012 - Oxygen today announces "The Face," a new reality competition series that features an array of up and coming female models, all vying to become the spokesperson for a nationally recognized brand. World-renowned supermodel and businesswoman Naomi Campbell joins the series as one of three supermodel coaches, responsible for molding, nurturing and transforming contestants.

Feeding the appetite of Oxygen's beauty-obsessed audience, "The Face" will feature three teams of models, each led by a supermodel coach. Along with Campbell, these well-known coaches will scout and choose their teams from aspiring young models all over the world before guiding them through assignments including photo shoots, runway shows and commercials for some of America's best known brands. Throughout the series, the supermodel coaches will mentor these young hopefuls through the tricks of the trade while exposing them to the very best photographers, stylists and designers in the fashion world. In the end, one girl will be chosen to become 'The Face' of a major national brand, earning a real contract as the brand ambassador. As the image of this major brand, the winner will become a spokesperson for that company, representing it from all angles - in print, on-air and at major brand-hosted events. The remaining coaches, also supermodels in the industry, as well as the national brand, will be announced shortly.

"'The Face' is a fresh new series that delivers all the elements our audience craves: fashion, beauty and drama," said Rod Aissa, Senior Vice President, Original Programming and Development, Oxygen Media. He added: "Oxygen has been looking for the next ideation in the modeling genre and this project delivers it."

"We are pleased to bring 'The Face' to Oxygen, which we believe is the perfect fit for this new competition series that will take viewers behind the scenes of the glamorous and fast-paced world of modeling," says Eden Gaha, President, Shine America. "It's an incredible opportunity for these young models to work with and learn from an industry icon such as Naomi Campbell and the chance to become 'The Face' of a national brand will be an exciting and meaningful start to their career."

This series is part of a 50 percent increase in Oxygen's original programming, offering the young, modern Generation O woman relatable and authentic television choices that are focused on the things she is obsessed with - fashion and beauty among them. The modeling genre is a familiar one to Oxygen, home to cycles of "America's Next Top Model."

Naomi Campbell said, "I am looking forward to working in partnership with Oxygen and Shine America to discover the next beautiful face of the modeling world. With 'The Face' the audience will get a real insider's look at this exciting industry that has been so good to me. One lucky girl will become the face of a major brand."

Added Cori Abraham, SVP Development, Oxygen Media, "We're committed to developing buzz-worthy series combining great ideas with compelling and dynamic talent. 'The Face' with Naomi Campbell taps into all of those elements."

One of the five original supermodels, Campbell was born in London and caught her break when she was 15 years old. She has graced the covers of more than 500 magazines during her career, and has worked on various campaigns for the likes of Burberry, Prada, Versace, Azzedine Alaia, Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino. She was the first black model to be on the cover of Time and Vogue.

The runway was her domain as she showcased the collections of top designers, including Chanel, Christian Dior and Versace.

Additionally, Campbell has appeared in countless TV shows, music videos and films including: "The Cosby Show," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," Madonna's "Erotica," Bob Marley's "Is This Love" and Michael Jackson's "In The Closet" to name a few. She is responsible for an incredible amount of fundraising and campaigning in South Africa and across the world. Having started her involvement with charity work in 1993 with Nelson Mandela, in 1997 he named her "Honorary Granddaughter" for endless activism.

In 2005 she presented her first Fashion For Relief charity fashion show to raise vital funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, which has since had shows in London, Cannes, New York, Moscow and Mumbai to raise money for various charities, with other shows planned around the world including China.

"The Face" is produced by Shine America.

About Shine America

Shine America is a world leader in producing and distributing compelling scripted and unscripted television and digital content, building brands through the leveraging of its intellectual property and creating integrated marketing opportunities for advertisers. Shine America is known for popular and award-winning original hit series including "The Biggest Loser," "Tabatha Takes Over," "Shear Genius" and "The Buried Life;" adaptations of Shine Group formats "Master Chef," "One Born Every Minute" and "Parental Control;" long-running scripted hits "The Office," "Ugly Betty" and "The Tudors," and over 20 groundbreaking original online series on MSN, Yahoo!, YouTube premium channels and other platforms, many of these produced in partnership with global brands such as Toyota, Kraft Foods, Subway and Microsoft. Through its distribution arm, Shine International, Shine America distributes its extensive library of programming to more than 150 countries.

About Oxygen Media

Oxygen Media is a multiplatform lifestyle brand that delivers relevant and engaging content to young women who like to "live out loud." Oxygen is rewriting the rulebook for women's media by changing how the world sees entertainment from a young woman's point of view. Through a vast array of unconventional and original content, including "The Glee Project," "Best Ink," "Bad Girls Club" and "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood," the growing cable network is the premier destination to find unique and groundbreaking unscripted programming. "The Glee Project" is a winner of a 2012 Gracie Award which honors programming created for women, by women and about women for "Outstanding Reality Show." A social media trendsetter, Oxygen is a leading force in engaging modern young women, wherever they are, with popular, award winning features online including www.OxygenLive.com the real time social viewing party that is also available as an app for the iPhone and iPad. Oxygen is available in 80 million homes, and can be found online and on mobile devices at www.oxygen.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OxygenPR. Oxygen Media is a service of NBCUniversal.