Auditions can be uploaded at Oprah.com beginning May 14 and in person in four major U.S. cities at select Kohl's Department Stores in June.
LOS ANGELES, CA—Oprah Winfrey, who has discovered some of the biggest stars in daytime television, kicks off auditions today for the original series Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search For The Next TV Star, presented by Kohl's and airing on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. OWN's new competition series, executive produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice), is a nationwide search to discover television's next big star. The winner of the competition will be awarded his or her own studio talk show for OWN. Online auditions to participate in the series begin May 14 at Oprah.com, as announced today on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

There are two ways to audition for OWN's new competition series, either online or in person. From May 14 to June 26, contestants (who must be 21 to participate) can make a three-minute audition video and upload it to Oprah.com. A user-friendly editing toolkit, as well as tips and techniques from celebrities will.i.amLisa Ling and Peter Walsh, will help contestants enhance their audition video. Online submissions will be voted on by the public, and the five individuals who get the most online votes will be flown to Los Angeles to audition for Mark Burnett Productions. Audience voting takes place at Oprah.com, where the public can watch contestants' videos and vote for their favorite.

To audition in person, open casting calls (not part of the online voting process) will be held at a select Kohl's Department Store in each of the following cities:
  • June 5: New York, NY
  • June 12: Dallas, TX
  • June 19: Los Angeles, CA
  • June 26: Atlanta, GA

There are five audition categories:
  • Traditional Talk Show Host, for those who want to showcase their interview skills.
  • Cooking, for those whose culinary skills impress their friends and family.
  • Design (interior or fashion), for creative visionaries who design homes, furniture, clothing and accessories.
  • Health and Well Being, for doctors, therapists, spiritual gurus and fitness experts.
  • Wild Card, which gives contestants a chance to showcase a skill or talent that may not be included in the four major categories.
Once the field of candidates is narrowed to 10, Your OWN Show goes into production. A "host boot camp" will take place as the contenders compete in various challenges that will be relevant to hosting and developing a television show. Challenges will range from booking interviews and researching story ideas, to successfully completing an actual screen test. The person selected to be the winner will receive a commitment for his or her own show, executive produced by Mark Burnett, and scheduled to premiere on OWN in 2011.

For all details about auditioning for "Your OWN Show," please visit www.Oprah.com/audition.

OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network
A joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications, LLC, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network is a multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform and inspire people to live their best lives. OWN will debut on January 1, 2011, in approximately 80 million homes, on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel. The venture also will include the award-winning digital platform, Oprah.com. For more information, please visit www.Oprah.com/OWN.

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