Endemol’s Face gets US makeover

ABC in the US has picked up Your Face Sounds Familiar, the Endemol talent format that has so far been sold into 20 countries.

ABC will air the series under the title Sing Your Face Off (6×60′), to be produced by Endemol USA and exec produced by Georgie Hurford-Jones (America’s Got Talent).

Endemol is currently in the process of casting its five celebrities, who will perform as a different musical icon each week.

The series, which has not yet been given a premiere date in the US, sees contestants undergo a complete makeover and receive training from choreographers and vocal coaches to try to pass off as a star in front of judges.

The format originated in Spain and is also being produced in the UK for ITV, in China for Hunan Broadcasting System, as well as broadcasters in Russia, Central and Eastern Europe and a string of other territories.

In related news, Endemol USA has added three new execs to its digital team as it aims to bolster original productions in this arena.

Kris Ordaz, Tina Elmo and Nicole Snell all join the company’s original digital content department as VP, director of development and director of production respectively.

Ordaz was VP of digital strategy and marketing at Katalyst, where both Elmo, a consultant and producer at Sundance Productions, and Snell, most recently production manager on NBC’s Fashion Star, also served stints.

The latter pair reports to Ordaz, who in turn reports to Endemol USA senior VP of digital media and commercial affairs John P Roberts. He took over last summer following the exit of three execs for Alphabird.

Endemol USA is gearing up for the launch of a Fear Factor YouTube channel later this year.