Former Hallmark Channel head Bill Abbott has signed a deal with Candace Cameron Bure, who starred in numerous Hallmark projects, to produce and star in programming for his new family-friendly cable channels, GAC Family and GAC Living.
She will also have an executive role at the company, helping to oversee and curate its content, GAC said.
Abbott has been following his old Hallmark playbook since starting GAC Media last year. He loaded his networks with holiday programming starring many faces familiar to viewers of his old channel.
Before signing Bure, Abbott reached an exclusive four-picture deal with Danica McKellar to appear and executive-produce original films for cable network GAC Family, and its sister channel GAC Living.
Others faces familiar to Hallmark viewers who have appeared in GAC programming include Trevor Donovan, Nick Bateman, Rukiya Bernard, Sara Canning, Dillon Casey, Torrance Coombs, Trevor Donovan, Brendan Fehr, Jennie Garth, Maggie Lawson, Jen Lilley, Sarah Lind, Daniel Lissing, Jessica Lowndes, Matthew MacCaull, Chad Michael Murray, Sam Page, Merritt Patterson, Becca Tobin, Jill Wagner and Dewshane Williams.
Several former Hallmark executives also followed Abbott to GAC.
Bure’s new agreement with GAC calls for her to develop produce and star in movies and television projects for GAC Family and GAC Living. She will also take on an executive role at the company to oversee and curate programming for the networks as a whole.
She has also agreed to develop and produce through her Candy Rock Entertainment production company to oversee and curate programming from GAC and create year-round seasonal celebration content.
“Candace is adored by generations of fans as one of family entertainment’s most cherished and relatable stars,” said Abbott, president & CEO of GAC Media. “She has helped build this genre into the mainstream success it is today, and I look forward to working together at GAC Media as we further establish our brands as leaders in quality family programming. I am truly honored that she has chosen to be a part of and help curate her special brand of family entertainment here at Great American Channels.”
Bure was one of the kids in the long-running ABC sitcom Full House and appeared in the follow-up, Fuller House, on Netflix. Working with Abbott, she appeared in dozens of movies for Hallmark and starred in the Aurora Teagarden mystery movie series for Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.
“I’m very excited to develop heartwarming family and faith-filled programming and make the kind of stories my family and I love to watch,” Bure said. “I am constantly looking for ways that I can inspire people to live life with purpose. GAC fits my brand perfectly; we share a vision of creating compelling wholesome content for an audience who wants to watch programming for and with the whole family. Great, quality entertainment with a positive message is what my partnership with GAC is all about!” ■
