AT&T’s upcoming streaming service HBO Max has signed correspondent Lisa Ling to an overall talent deal and greenlit a travel series that will focus on births, weddings and funerals.
Each episode of the series--Birth, Wedding, Funeral--will take viewers to a different country and look at how it culture deals with these key rituals.
“We are living in a deeply polarized world and I am elated for the opportunity to bring us closer to one another through stories about the most defining moments in people’s lives: their Births, Weddings and Funerals,” said Ling.
The concept for the show was created by former CBS News anchor Dan Rather, Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre.
“Over the course of my many travels, I have always welcomed the chance to learn about the world's varied cultures through how they experience life’s most intimate and transformative benchmarks,” said Rather. “I am thrilled that Lisa, a skilled and compassionate storyteller, will bring these moments into our homes and allow us to renew our faith in the common bonds of humanity.”
Ling is host of This is Life with Lisa Ling, currently in its sixth season on CNN, part of AT&T. As part of her new overall deal, HBO Max will have a first look at new projects she develops.
The series is being produced by Part2 Pictures, with Ling executives producing along with Rather and Philip Kim for News and Guts.
“As part of the CNN family, Lisa has carved out a unique space for herself using her style of gritty, investigative journalism to drive at the heart of every human story she tells,” said Jennifer O’Connell, executive VP, original content, HBO Max. “Birth, Wedding, Funeral takes audiences on a global journey through a range of societies, exploring the rituals around three critical life events and we are eager to bring this illuminating storytelling to our HBO Max audience.”
