MTV's THE BREAK to Spotlight Youth Homelessness, 3/2

MTV today announced that it will give viewers a first-hand look into the harsh reality endured by young homeless men and women in THE BREAK, a 90-minute special airing on Friday, March 2 at 8PM ET/PT. The Edge, U2's guitarist, serves as Executive Producer and created the original theme song No Home Like Place and other music.

Today, over 1.5 million youth in America have found themselves living in various states of homelessness based on all sorts of circumstances. THE BREAK introduces viewers to three young people who refuse to give into the despair and overwhelming weight that landing on the outskirts of society has placed upon them. The documentary dives deep into the journeys of these three young individuals as they take steps to rebuild their lives once they are provided with the tools and guidance necessary to begin to emerge out of homelessness and rejoin society.

"For thousands of young people, homelessness is a daily reality," said The Edge. "It's important to bring this issue into the spotlight and help support the organizations dedicated to helping these growing numbers."

In the inspirational documentary "The Break," viewers are introduced to three diverse young people eager to rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient members of society. First, viewers will meet Nancy, a 20-year-old woman who was involved with abusive relationships and has been homeless for two years. Nancy will need to regain her independence and change the behavior that has held her back throughout her life. Then viewers will be introduced to Rob, a talented drummer who came to New York with dreams of becoming a star. After a downward spiral, Rob will have to clean up his act in order to get a fresh start and rebuild his life. Lastly, Ava ran away from her conservative home after clashing with her family over her lesbian lifestyle. With the opportunity to receive training and experience, the academically gifted young woman will be inspired to pursue her dream of becoming a police detective. Our host, Anne Mahlum, Founder and CEO of Back on My Feet - a national nonprofit that uses running as a vehicle to promote the self-sufficiency of the homeless population - provides them with support and resources to help them get closer to their goals. From essential education and counseling sessions, to job interviewing and training, Ava, Nancy and Rob will finally have access to the opportunities to create functional, healthy lifestyles.

To join the fight to end youth homelessness, viewers can head to www.act.mtv.com/thebreak. The site will give viewers a look at the show trailer, find out which celebrities are taking action on the issue and connect with agencies and tools to use to combat homelessness. Resources are also available for those in need of help with reclaiming their lives.

The Edge and Cheryl Horner Sirulnick of Gigantic! Productions serve as Executive Producers for "The Break." Bill Flanagan and Tamar Zohar serve as Production Executives for MTV.

About Gigantic! Productions

Gigantic! Productions was founded in 2001 by Cheryl Horner Sirulnick and is based in TriBeCa, New York City. Recently celebrating its 10th year, Gigantic! has produced several award-winning documentaries and unscripted series. Gigantic!'s honest and uncompromising storytelling has garnered the production house numerous awards including a 2007 Prism Award for MTV's "True Life: I'm Addicted to Crystal Meth" and a 2008 Prism Award for the special "I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom", and a 2009 Daytime Emmy Award for their work on MTV's "True Life" series. Gigantic! has produced a range of successful unscripted programming for MTV including "Fat Camp," "Gone Too Far" and 25 episodes of the long-running "True Life" series.

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

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