National Geographic to Premiere New Series MOUNTAIN MOVERS

Related: MOUNTAIN MOVERS, National Geographic

Chevrolet hits the slope with "Mountain Movers" TV Series Set to Premiere on National Geographic, going behind the scenes of perilous work building action sports venues.

When ESPN Winter X Games course designer Chris "Gunny" Gunnarson and award-winning television producer Jason Carbone set out to create a behind-the-scenes series of action sports competitions, they knew they needed to team up with Chevrolet.

The brand has been part of Gunnarson's action-packed life since he bought his great-grandmother's 1964 Bel Air at the age of 16.

These days, Gunnarson, owner and president of Snow Park Technologies, personally relies on a 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD dually to handle heavy duty work in harsh conditions - the kind that will provide real-life drama on the new National Geographic Channel series, Mountain Movers, set to premiere this spring.

"When athletes like Shaun White, Louie Vito and Danny Davis perform freestyle tricks in the halfpipe, it is one of the most exciting things you'll see in sports," said Chris Perry, U.S. vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. "Mountain Movers is a great fit for Chevrolet, because it's authentic. The show's hardworking, dedicated crew overcomes the odds each week using skill and creativity to design and build world-class winter action sports venues."

Jason Carbone's Good Clean Fun (Tia & Tamera, Run's House, Life of Ryan), is developing and producing the series for NGC. From the first time he met Gunnarson and was introduced to his world, Carbone knew that he had to capture for television the real-life drama of these men defying the fiercest that Mother Nature can dish out to create the pulse-pounding competition courses for the world's most popular extreme sports events.

"Snow Park Technologies works in the most remote locations under extreme conditions, exactly the type of programming NatGeo is famous for," Carbone said. "From avalanche control to building a half-pipe in blizzard conditions, Mountain Movers is going to take the viewer to locations and place them in experiences that are truly one of a kind."

Gunnarson and his Snow Park Technologies crew have designed and Built more than 250 competition courses, including all of the Winter X Games in the United States and Europe, World Snowboard Championships and the Winter Dew Tour, among others.

Mountain Movers will show Gunnarson and his crew creating innovative snow sport venues in Epic settings, where the hazards of winter weather, avalanches and working with heavy machinery present constant challenges.

"Building snow parks is tricky business under the best of conditions. Mountain Movers is about taking on the big challenges and having the right tools to get the job done," Gunnarson said. "I know Chevy trucks can handle the heavy duty work we do, and in the nastiest environments a mountain can offer because I use them every day."

Added Michael Cascio, executive vice president of programming for National Geographic Channel: "Mountain Movers will have all the elements that National Geographic Channel loves in developing great TV: insane feats, high-intensity projects, hazards around every corner and engrossing personalities. Chevrolet is a perfect match for this adrenaline-packed project and we are looking forward to rolling out each action snow sport episode for our television audience."

General Motors is a co-producing partner for Mountain Movers and key advertiser across the National Geographic Channel program schedule. Chevrolet is the lead media partner of Mountain Movers, which includes integration.

Mountain Movers is expected to appeal to young male fans of adrenaline-fueled winter sports competitions that typically feature high-flying snowboarding, skiing and snowmobiling. TV viewership for these events is on the rise. The 2012 Winter X Games saw a 32-percent increase in viewership from the previous year, including a 17-percent increase among males ages 18 to 34.

For more information, visit natgeotv.com.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4.5 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

About Snow Park Technologies

Snow Park Technologies (SPT) is the world's leading consulting team for special projects on snow. SPT's wide range of expertise includes designing and building some of the most renowned resort terrain parks and halfpipes, high profile ski and snowboard competition courses and countless on-snow productions. SPT also provides event production services, sport organizing and marketing services aimed at youth categories. The SPT team is a collection of the most experienced and talented freestyle park and pipe innovators in the world, whose dedication and passion for snowsports has redefined the winter landscape and what is possible on snow. For more information, visit SPT's web site at http://www.snowparktech.com.

About Good Clean Fun

Good Clean Fun is one of industry's top producers of celebrity driven reality series, capturing the compelling drama of real life with a proven track record of keeping America tuned in. The LA-based company has cultivated relationships with talent that make it a powerhouse offering viewers insider access to the lives of their favorite celebrities. Breaking onto the scene with Run's House, Good Clean Fun helmed six seasons of this NAACP award-winning hit for MTV, depicting the lives of hip hop royalty, led by patriarch Rev. Run (Joseph Simmons) of Run DMC struggling to wrangle his wife and children into one happy hip hop family. Dubbed "a reality television milestone" by the New York Times, The Life of Ryan introduced America to then 17 year old teen skateboarding phenomenon Ryan Sheckler which broke fresh ground for the genre and brought extreme sports to mass audiences. Good Clean Fun currently produces the Style Network's hit Reality Show Tia & Tamera, which premiered in 2011 to record breaking numbers, becoming the most-watched show in the network's 12 year history. http://www.goodcleanfunllc.com/

About National Geographic Channels

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and FOX Cable Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in 84 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in 440 million homes in 171 countries and 38 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.