IHG’s Holiday Inn brand and HLN, a Turner Broadcasting network, announced the production of the six-episode original series, “Growing America: A Journey to Success,” premiering November 16 on HLN. Hosted by Ty Pennington, the documentary series follows teams of MBA students from the MBAs Across America (MBAxAmerica) program, who are given one week to transform businesses across the United States.
After each episode airs, viewers will be encouraged to visit HLN’s website to vote for the most inspirational small business of the television series, with the winner announced during the show finale December 21. Holiday Inn and HLN also co-created a companion digital series, which will explore the challenges of small businesses in Boise, Idaho, and Nashville, Tennessee.
“The entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on the communities in which our hotels do business is the foundation on which the Holiday Inn brand was built, so the relationship was a perfect fit,” said Maurice Cooper, vice president, Holiday Inn brand, the Americas, IHG. “We approached HLN to create a TV series that would further showcase on a national level the personal journeys of these MBA students and the entrepreneurs they are helping, and how the Holiday Inn brand has enabled them along the way.”