DENVER - When Hallmark Channel’s second original primetime series When Calls the Heart begins filming this summer, it will mark the first time a TV series has been shot in Telluride.  “We are delighted with Hallmark Channel’s choice of Colorado for its latest series,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper.  “With Hallmark Channel’s brand behind it, the show will have a positive economic impact for our state and provide tremendous national exposure for Telluride and all of Colorado.”  

Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart will start filming in Telluride on July 22. According to Bill Abbott, President and CEO, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel, “Hallmark Channel is coming to the gorgeous state of Colorado.  

“The state provides the perfect backdrop for our Western inspired series, When Calls the Heart, and we are incredibly proud to infuse the state's economy with new jobs and resources as a result of filming our family targeted program here,” he said.     

The Colorado Office of Film and Television negotiated the deal with the Motion Picture Corporation of America and Believe Pictures, with executive producers of the Hallmark Channel Original Primetime Series. According to Brad Krevoy, CEO of MPCA, “We are excited to immerse When Calls the Heart against the rich backdrop of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, providing unrivaled production value to a story that takes place in the North American west one-hundred years ago. Governor Hickenlooper, Donald Zuckerman, John Cullen, Mayor [Stu] Fraser and Tim Territo have changed our expectations of shooting in Colorado, which will allow us to bring substantial economic vitality to the state in the first season alone.”

Gov. Hickenlooper, Colorado Film Commissioner Donald Zuckerman, Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser, Colorado Tourism Office Director Al White and Telluride Film Commission Co-Founder Territo played key roles in bringing the Hallmark Channel Original Primetime Series to Telluride, whose economy stands to accrue substantial revenue from the production.  

Three-time Emmy winner Jean Smart star in the Hallmark Channel Original Primetime Series, with the special extended pilot premieres scheduled for October 5 at 9p.m. ET/PT, 8C.  Erin Krakow and Daniel Lissing star in the Original Primetime Series set to premiere January 2014, with the chance to reprise their roles when the series returns in January.   

Based on Janette Oke’s bestselling Canadian West book series, When Calls the Heart tells the story of Elizabeth Thatcher (Krakow), a young teacher accustomed to her high society life, who receives her first classroom post in a small prairie town on the western frontier led by coalminer widows Abigail Stanton (Loughlin) and Frances Tunnecliffe (Smart).  Elizabeth must deal with her restless students, as well as the new constable in town, Jack Thornton (Lissing). When Calls the Heart is a Believe Pictures and Brad Krevoy Television production; Krevoy, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., Roman Viaris, Francisco Gonzalez, and Jimmy Townsend are executive producers.  Eric Jarboe is co-executive producer.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition and standard definition to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel, a destination for quality family programming with a slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television sitcoms and series including The Golden Girls, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and Frasier, is home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot. Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the Hallmark Hall of Fame library.

 

SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – Law enforcement officials in San Miguel County are searching for a 33-year-old Grand Junction man whose 1977 International Scout was found abandoned on Black Bear Pass road Tuesday.

Matthew Busker was reported missing to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office on Monday. His vehicle, a teal green 1977 Scout with a bikini top, was found abandoned by San Miguel County Road and Bridge crews Tuesday on Black Bear pass road, approximately 1.5 miles inside the San Miguel County line, at about 12,000 feet in elevation.

San Miguel County Sheriff's Office launched a search effort for Busker in the area, with personnel from the San Miguel County and San Juan County Sheriff's Offices, the Bureau of Land Management Law Enforcement and U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement (with a K9) searching the rugged remote area on foot, motorcycle, and ATV. An Olathe Spray Service helicopter, with no success.  Plans for further searches are pending.

It is believed Busker ate at The Pub  in Ouray on Saturday, June 15.  Anyone speaking with Busker in Ouray or encountering him on the Black Bear Pass area, which he would have accessed from Hwy. 550 at the summit of Red Mountain Pass, is encouraged to contact San Miguel County Sheriff's Investigator Norman Squier at 970/728-1911.   

DENVER — The City of Montrose was awarded the title of an All America City Sunday, at the National Civic League's All America City awards held in Denver. Montrose is the U.S. first city to receive the award this year, said delegate Dee Coram. The All America City award has been described as a "Nobel Prize for civic accomplishment.” The NCL has given the award to 600 communities nationwide since 1949. "All-America City awards recognize local action through community-based problem solving and civic engagement efforts involving the public, private and nonprofit sectors,” according to the organization’s website. “The designation give the winning communities ‘bragging rights’ than can help them recruit new businesses, increase jobs and obtain grants for community betterment projects in the future," the NCL states. Montrose was a finalist for the award in 1990, finishing 11th in a field of 20. ONLINE: See up-to-date pictures, comments and stories from Montrose delegates in Denver on Twitter by searching #MontroseCOAllAmericanCity For an expanded story see the Thursday edition of The Watch.