“Everyone secretly wants the chance to fulfill a lifelong wish that seems beyond their grasp -- and this show will help transform those dreams into a life-changing reality,” said Jeff Gaspin, President, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment & Cross-Platform Strategy, who made the announcement.
The range of wishes goes from paying tribute to an unsung hero to helping a hopeless family in the grip of a member’s life-threatening medical crisis. Also included: living out a mind-blowing sports fantasy, helping to save a dedicated teacher’s job, keeping a factory that provides jobs open as it teeters on the brink of closing down – and even saving a desperate local economy on the verge of slipping into debt.
Said Grant: “When I heard about this show, I was extremely moved by NBC and the production company’s concept to provide incredibly positive changes in the lives of different people. Seeing the initial prep work the producers had done for the pilot episode gave me reason to look at my own life -- and remind myself, once again, to never underestimate the impact that one life can have on another.
“I knew that whoever wound up hosting this show was going to have a front-row seat to some pretty amazing interaction with some very deserving people. I’m so glad my name was thrown into the pot and I look forward to working with NBC Universal Television Studio and executive producer Andrew Glassman -- and I hope that together, we are able to make a lot of dreams come true.”
Each wish will involve a deeply personal story and viewers will follow the deserving families as Grant and her team of experts help revive their wishes and bring them to life.
Andrew Glassman (NBC’s “Average Joe” seasons 1-4) and Jason Raff (NBC’s “Average Joe” seasons 1-4) are executive producers.
“There’s an incredible diversity to the people we are going to meet and the heartwarming stories we are going to tell along the way,” said Glassman. “We have already started to feel the magic, as people started sharing their wishes with us. While our team is there to help, ultimately, this show will be about people helping people make their wishes and dreams come true.”
Production on the pilot has already begun.
If you would like to share your wishes, log onto www.nbc.com and click on contestants.
Preparing to launch her 20th project, Rock Of Ages…Hymns & Faith (Word/Curb/Warner Bros.) on May 3, Grant has sold well over 25 million records worldwide and has been honored with five Grammy Awards. Inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2003, Grant has further been noted for her humanitarian contributions, receiving among other honors the Pax Christi Award from St. John’s University in 1994.
