CBC Revenue Group

Dragons' Den Fires Up a New Season With The Wealthy Barber

Sep 14, 2012

All-new seventh season begins on CBC Television Wednesday September 19 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT)

September 13, 2012 - Canada's favourite unscripted program DRAGONS' DEN returns to CBC Television with an exciting new addition. David Chilton, Canada's best-known personal finance author, joins the Den this season, bringing his unique perspective to the esteemed panel.

** VIDEO: Click to view /embed an exclusive interview with new Dragon, David Chilton**

This is the Year of the Dragon, and for the Den it signifies more deals, more heat and more drama as the country's fiercest investors dig deep into their wallets to support some of Canada's best entrepreneurs. Win or lose, the pitchers appearing on the show continue to reap the benefits of the "Dragons' Den Effect," experiencing dramatic jumps in sales and other incredible business growth opportunities.

For the first time ever, people at home will have the chance to have their say in the Den. By visiting cbc.ca/dragonsden, viewers at home will be able to play along with the show, and have their activity displayed back on TV - in real time. This kind of social TV integration is the first of its kind in the world to occur live, in each time zone.

The five well-loved - and feared - Dragons in the Den this season are:

David Chilton, Publishing Powerhouse - Chilton is a former stock broker and author of the personal finance book The Wealthy Barber, ranked as Canada's all-time best-selling book, having reached 10 per cent of Canadian households. He's also had incredible success as publisher and president of a series of low-fat cookbooks under the Looneyspoons brand. Chilton has been a devoted fan of DRAGONS' DEN since its debut and looks forward to backing strong entrepreneurs who brave the Den this season.

Bruce Croxon, Internet Mogul - Croxon is an active investor, advisor and start-up champ who co-founded one of the best-known online dating websites in the world, Lavalife.

Arlene Dickinson, Marketing Maven - One of Canada's most renowned independent communications entrepreneurs, Dickinson is CEO of marketing firm Venture Communications, a creative powerhouse with a blue-chip client list.

Kevin O'Leary, Investment Guru - The Bay Street Bigmouth and television pundit started his fortune selling educational software and now manages O'Leary Funds, his own mutual-fund company.

Jim Treliving, Franchise Baron - This former RCMP officer has 40 years of franchising experience with both Boston Pizza and Mr. Lube. He also manages a portfolio of multi-million dollar property, sports and real-estate investments.

**VIDEO: Click here to view/embed a sneak peek of the new Dragons' Den season opening**

DRAGONS' DEN is the highest rated Canadian unscripted program on television, with an average audience of over 1.3 million Canadians each week. In addition to its success on-air, DRAGONS' DEN is also a hit online, boasting an active and engaged online community averaging more than 650,000 page views per month. Full episodes and exclusive behind-the-scenes content can be viewed at cbc.ca/dragonsden.

DRAGONS' DEN is filmed at CBC Headquarters in Toronto, ON and airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and Sundays at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC Television. Tracie Tighe is Executive Producer and Lisa Gabriele is Senior Producer. Dianne Buckner hosts.

Find the show online at:
cbc.ca/dragonsden
facebook.com/dragonsden
@cbcdragon #cbcdragonsden

For media inquiries, please contact:
Erin Richards, Publicist, CBC
Erin.Richards@CBC.CA 416 205 7994 (office) / 416 627 5728 (mobile)