Henderson resident to be featured on ABC’s ‘Secret Millionaire’ tonight

By Dylan Scott

Sunday, March 20, 2011 | 1:55 a.m.

Self-made millionaire James Malinchak, a motivational speaker, garners fees of up to $100,000 per appearance. But on ABC's "Secret Millionaire" this evening, the Henderson resident will experience what it's like to live on less than $50 a week.

The episode featuring Malinchak airs at 8 p.m. on ABC. During the episode, a camera crew will pick him up at his home, place him on an airplane with no money, credit card, cell phone, or laptop and take him to one of the nation's most impoverished neighborhoods.

By the end of the show, Malinchak will give $100,000 to the people and organizations he encounters throughout the episode.

A native of a small steel mill town near Pittsburgh, Malinchak was named one of the "Top 40 Business People Under the Age of 40" by In Business Las Vegas, a sister publication of the Las Vegas Sun, in 2009. He has given more than 2,200 motivational presentations in his career, according to his website.

"Secret Millionaire" first aired on ABC in 2008 and features business people as they travel to some of the poorest areas in the U.S. to help and to learn from those in need.

"When I understood the essence of what this show is about, that's when I said 'OK, this is something I can get behind,'" Malinchak told the ABC crew in a behind-the-scenes interview. "That's what my life's work has been about: empowering people."

For more information, visit the show's website.