Ben and Renee Mandell are the hosts of The New Home Show. Ben is also the producer and
creator of The New Home Show. Neither have hosted a television show prior to this show.

For the past seven years Ben has been involved in the motion picture and television business
behind the camera in various positions. For the past ten years Renee has been a flight attendant
for a major airline. 

Ben and Renee were married in May 1997 and this is their first television project. Ben
developed The New Home Show four years ago and wanted to produce the show at that time.
However, things couldn't be lined up at that time and the idea for the show sat in his computer
while he worked on other projects.

After Ben and Renee were married, they wanted to move into a new house as the townhouse
Renee had prior to being married simply wasn't large enough to function as a newly married
couple. Renee found the plan for the Wedge Plantation home in a magazine and fell in love with
the plan. After looking at the various new (and used) home alternatives, they decided they
wanted to build the Wedge Plantation.

Ben had the idea for The New Home Show in his computer and knew that this was the time to try
to get The New Home Show produced. Although the show was developed for a cable network,
Ben thought the show would fit better on PBS. The New Home Show was taken to PBS station
WTVI and a co-production deal was arranged. At the time, there wasn't any real money to
produce the show or pay a host. If the show was going to be made then Ben and Renee would
have to host The New Home Show. Renee quickly agreed not knowing what she was getting into.

Shortly thereafter, Vytec vinyl siding (which is now a division of Owens Corning) agreed to
become the first underwriter for The New Home Show. This was quite a major step for Vytec to
take since there weren't any shows produced yet nor were there any shows on the air. 

Then Bassett Furniture agreed to become the second underwriter for The New Home Show.
Again this was a major step for Bassett since the show was not yet on the air. 

We've learned a lot about Vytec Vinyl Siding and Bassett Furniture over the past year. They
are two terrific companies and we're proud to be underwritten by them. They are both leaders in
their field.

Ben and Renee are not homebuilders nor are they actors. As you watch The New Home Show
this season you'll see them ask the types of questions that you might ask if you were on the
home building set. The show is not rehearsed so you'll see it all as it actually happens.



Ben and Renee Mandell