VH1's New Series 'Transform Me' Premieres Monday, March 15 at 10:30PM ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- VH1 and Left/Right Inc. have teamed up to create a new edition of fashion makeover shows with "Transform Me." Each half-hour episode follows the makeover of one woman badly in need of a transformation -- on the outside and inside. The subjects quickly find out this won't be your typical makeover. They'll be transformed by three transgender women. The ultra-glamorous makeover team, led by Laverne Cox (VH1's "I Want To Work For Diddy") with Jamie Clayton and Nina Poon, travel across the country answering "style 911 calls" in their deluxe fashion ambulance, helping subjects find the right style -- and the confidence that comes with it. The new eight-episode 30-minute series will premiere Monday, March 15, 2010 at 10:30PM ET/PT.

"'Transform Me' is a show about everyone who's ever felt that the person they are on the inside isn't quite reflected in who is seen on the outside.  Transgender folks are in many ways the ultimate example of this.  We've taken extraordinary steps to bring who we are on the inside…out, and we're committed to helping other women do the same thing.  If we can do it, anyone can!" said Laverne Cox.

Meet the cast:

LAVERNE COX made television history when she became the first African American transgender woman to appear on an American reality show with her appearance as a finalist on VH1's "I Want To Work For Diddy." She accepted the GLAAD media award for Outstanding Reality Program for "I Want To Work For Diddy."

As an actress Laverne has guest starred on "Law and Order," "Law and Order: SVU," and HBO's "Bored to Death." She recently starred in the forthcoming independent film "Uncle Stephanie." Her other film credits include "Bronx Paradise," "The Kings of Brooklyn" and "Daughter of Arabia."

Laverne has appeared at performance venues all over New York City as an actor, dancer and Emcee including Radio City Music Hall, P.S. 122, La Mama Etc, The Duplex and The Producer's Club.

JAMIE CLAYTON was born and raised in San Diego, California. Jamie Clayton moved to New York when she was 19-years-old to pursue a career as a makeup artist. Working in the fashion & beauty industries for over a decade now, she has assisted some of the industry's top makeup artists. She has worked on campaigns and editorials for major publications such as V magazine, W, Teen Vogue and Interview magazine.

In August of 2008 she was interviewed by Spencer Morgan for The New York Observer in an article titled "The Second Most Beautiful Girl In New York."  Soon after, she appeared on The Tyra Banks Show and was a feature story on CBS's 365 News airing on the LOGO channel. Jamie's "out" status led to her becoming a positive role model for the Transgender community.

NINA POON was born in 1975 in Saigon, Vietnam, the oldest child of traditional Chinese parents.  Multi-faceted media artist Nina Poon immigrated with her family in 1978 to Orlando, Florida at age four.  Nina took an early interest in fashion and illustration and gained entry into Miami's International Fine Arts College.  At seventeen, Nina left home to fulfill her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

Nina currently lives in New York with her boyfriend, Robert Jason, an Emmy award winning producer and filmmaker.  Nina appears in Jason's forthcoming docu-series on the lives of transsexual women in New York entitled BEING T. In addition to making appearances on the Fuse Network's PANTS OFF DANCE OFF and Style Network's SPLIT ENDS, Nina was cast in her first motion picture speaking role in director Dito Montiel's FIGHTING starring Terrence Howard and Channing Tatum.

Kenneth Cole chose Nina to star in his Fall 2008 international advertising campaign.  She was the first transgender female to model in full page ads featured in Vanity Fair, Vogue, New York Times, Marie Claire, WWD and the list goes on. The campaign was nominated for two 2009 GLAAD Awards.  Nina also continues to enjoy her work as a makeup artist, fashion illustrator and has recently added photo retouching to her list of talents.

For more information and education about what it means to be transgender, please visit transform.vh1.com. Viewers can catch a sneak peek of the season's first episode on VH1.com on Friday, March 12 – three days before the on-air premiere. Subsequent episodes will be available on VH1.com the morning after they air. Additional video content from Transform Me including extras, fashion tips and bonus footage from each episode will be available on VH1.com and on VH1 Mobile throughout the season.

Based on an original concept and pitched by Laverne Cox and her production company Complete World Domination, Transform Me is executive produced by Banks Tarver and Ken Druckerman for Left/Right Inc. with Jeff Olde, Shelly Tatro, Danielle Gelfand and Kari McFarland serving as executive producers as well as Bernie Kaminski serving as supervising producer.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 95 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

SOURCE VH1