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Talk show ‘Pickler & Ben’ nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards in its first season

March 22, 2018 By Rebecca McCarter

CINCINNATI – The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced that daytime talk show newcomer “Pickler & Ben” has been nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards.

Hosts Kellie Pickler and Ben Aaron are nominated for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Hosts; set hairstylist Debbie Dover Hall is nominated for Outstanding Hairstyling; and show Director Joe Terry and Associate Director Wesley MacMillan are nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Talk Show/Entertainment News/Morning Program. The 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Sunday, April 29, 2018, and hosted by Mario Lopez and Sheryl Underwood.

“We are so honored to be amongst such incredible talent in this category. There’s no way we are beating Steve Harvey,” said Ben Aaron.

Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution is distributing the show in national syndication and has so far cleared 125 markets for the second season, adding more every day.

“I am so happy for all our nominees and couldn’t be more thrilled for Kellie, Ben, Joe, Wes and Debbie,” said Executive Producer and Happy Street Entertainment Co-Founder Lisa Erspamer. “To get a show off the ground is no easy feat, but getting these nominations in our freshman year is a testament to everyone involved with the show, both in front of and behind the cameras.”

Recorded in front of a live studio audience, “Pickler & Ben” features the best in lifestyle and entertainment. In its first season, which debuted in September 2017, “Pickler & Ben” has featured a roster of celebrity guests including Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Little Big Town, Molly Sims, Christian Siriano, Cat Cora, Reba McEntire, Duff Goldman, Ty Pennington and more. The show has been renewed for a second season.

To stay up to date on episodes and get a behind-the-scenes look at Kellie and Ben in action, follow “Pickler & Ben” on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Find out when and where the show airs and request tickets to a taping at picklerandben.com.

About “Pickler & Ben”: “Pickler & Ben” is produced by Grammy Award-winning superstar Faith Hill; Co-founder of Happy Street Entertainment Lisa Erspamer; and President and CEO of Sandbox Entertainment Jason Owen; in partnership with The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP). Award-winning director Joe Terry (“The Oprah Winfrey Show”) directs “Pickler & Ben.” Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution is distributing the show in national syndication.

About Kellie Pickler: Kellie Pickler grew up immersed in country music in the small town of Albemarle, North Carolina, with the words of Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton shaping her musical footing. At the age of 19, she first gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of “American Idol.” She has gone on to release four critically acclaimed albums, including her Gold-certified debut, “Small Town Girl,” as well as “100 Proof,” which Rolling Stone named the Best Country Album of 2011. Among her best-known hits are the Gold-certified “Red High Heels,” “I Wonder,” “Best Days of Your Life,” “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful,” “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind,” “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You” and “No Cure for Crazy.” In spring of 2013, Pickler partnered with dance coach Derek Hough and won the Mirror Ball Trophy on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” That same year, she also released her fourth album, “The Woman I Am,” with Black River Entertainment, which featured three songs co-written by Pickler including the title cut. In 2014, she voiced the lead character, a sweet potato named Mirabelle, in the Veggie Tales animated movie “Beauty and the Beet.” Pickler is an avid supporter of the U.S. military, having completed 11 USO Tours thus far. Her CMT docu-comedy series “I Love Kellie Pickler,” which co-stars her husband, songwriter/producer Kyle Jacobs, debuted in November 2015, propelling the network to its highest premiere with adults since 2012 and women since 2008. After three successful seasons, the series was retired so that Kellie could focus on her daytime show “Pickler & Ben,” which premiered in September 2017. Pickler and co-star Ben Aaron recently renewed their show for a second season in fall 2018. For more information, please visit www.kelliepickler.com.

About Ben Aaron: Ben has earned four Emmy Awards as a features reporter for “New York Live” on WNBC and has numerous TV credits as a contributor for “Extra,” “Meredith” and “Today.” His posted stories on YouTube have earned millions of views. He teamed up with his wife, Ginger Zee, chief meteorologist for “Good Morning America,” on a home renovation show on the DIY Network called “Renovation Realities: Ben and Ginger.”

About Porch Swing Productions / Happy Street Entertainment: Porch Swing Productions is the Nashville headquarters for Happy Street Entertainment, a multiplatform entertainment production company, creating innovative and emotionally connective original content for film, television and digital media. Porch Swing Productions is the producer of the “Pickler & Ben” show, which recently got picked up for a second season and received three Emmy nominations. Based in Nashville and Los Angeles, co-founders Lisa Erspamer, Sheila Stepanek and Allison Milgard lead a team of top-tier producers, directors and creatives to develop and produce compelling high-quality content with some of the biggest names in entertainment and the best-known brands in the world.

About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of local and national media brands. With 33 television stations, Scripps is one of the nation’s largest independent TV station owners. Scripps runs an expanding collection of national journalism and content businesses, including Newsy, the next-generation national news network; podcast industry leader Midroll Media; and fast-growing national broadcast networks Bounce, Grit, Escape and Laff. Scripps produces original programming including “Pickler & Ben,” runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and is the longtime steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, “Give light and the people will find their own way.”

Media contacts:
Kari Wethington, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3763, [email protected]
Marcel Pariseau, True Public Relations, 323-957-0730, [email protected]