Rize USA Announces Trio Of UK Commissions For BBC Two And Channel 4


Rize USA, the new London and LA based company led by Sheldon Lazarus, has won three series and one off documentaries for BBC Two and Channel 4:
Confessions of a Wedding Planner (3x60’), a new primetime three part factual series for BBC Two, will reveal the secrets of, and celebrates the beauty of marriage in six very different cultures, chronicling the journey that couples, from different religious backgrounds, embark on. Shown through the eyes of the wedding planner this insightful docu series will document the distinctive traditions of their ceremony, as well as the trials and triumphs that the wedding planner endures along the way through to marital bliss.
Expected to premiere on BBC Two early in 2013, the series will soon be launched in the US and around the world with localised versions, and Rize is in discussions with American broadcasters about a US version of the format. It will launched internationally at MIPCOM in October.
Series Producer is Heenan Bhatti (‘Make Bradford British’, Channel 4), and the programme was commissioned by Aaqil Ahmed, Commissioning Editor Religion and Head of Religion and Ethics at BBC Two.
The Girl Who Became Three Boys (1x60’) for Channel 4, tells the incredible story of 20-year old Gemma Barker, who disguised herself as a boy so she could date girls. The scandal made the headlines around the world earlier this year and Gemma was since sent to prison for fraud and sexual assault. She created three boys Aaron, Luke and Conner who dressed and spoke differently, had their own Facebook page, email and phone number. Then, in the guise of these three boys Gemma deceived two young girls into having sex.
Rize has gained exclusive access to the two victims who will tell their story. The film for Channel 4’s prestigious ‘True Stories’ strand will be a portrait of modern youth culture and communications as much as a tale of deception and abuse.
Producer/Director is Norman Hull (‘F***ing Fulfords’ for Channel 4 and ‘Canoe Man’ for BBC Four). The film was commissioned by Anna Miralis Commissioning Editor, True Stories, at Channel 4, and is expected to transmit later this summer.
Baby With Two Heads (1x60’), a world exclusive documentary for Channel 4, tells the story of a baby born with two heads in a remote part of Amazonian Brazil. The twins are so intimately linked that they appear to have just one body. The film will follow the first six months of these babies’ lives – about their battle to survive, about the kind of life they will have and whether the twins would ever need to be separated in order for one to live.
‘Baby With Two Heads’ was directed by Ashok Prasad and produced by Suemay Oram. It was commissioned by Liam Humphreys, Channel 4 Head of Factual Entertainment, and is expected to air later this year.
Sheldon Lazarus, Executive Producer and Creative Director of Rize USA, said: “We are thrilled with these new commissions as the company continues to gain momentum in the UK and abroad. Rize aims to build its reputation as a producer of choice for contemporary subjects and extraordinary stories with universal appeal that capture the feeling of our times, and our latest productions reflect exactly that”.
The news comes after it was announced a few weeks ago that Rize would be producing the summer one off special Gender Dysphoria (w/t 1x60’) for Channel 4’s Cutting Edge strand.
Rize USA