BGM Inc, the Canadian content-creation company that was acquired by rebranded media group Sphere Media in March, has announced that Could you Survive? with Creek Stewart has been commissioned by The Weather Channel. The new eight-part series, which marks Toronto-based BGM’s first foray into the increasingly popular survivalist genre, goes into production in August and is slated to air at the end of 2020.

Ordered by Howard Sappington, VP, original content and Tim Cowlbeck, program director scheduling and operations at US-based cablenet The Weather Channel, Could you Survive? with Creek Stewart tells the true stories of people who have unexpectedly found themselves in a life-or-death battle with the elements. The series is executive produced by Marlo Miazga, Sean Connolly and Corinna Lehr for BGM and series producer is Tom Chenoweth.

Abacus Media Rights holds the international distribution rights.

Each episode of Could you Survive? with Creek Stewart focuses on two stories of survival against the odds in some of the most extreme environments on the planet, from disease-infested jungles to arid deserts; from snow-clad mountains to impenetrable forests. The survivors tell their own stories with the help of personal archive footage shot during their ordeal. Author and survival expert Creek Stewart and his team then visit each location to demonstrate the crucial skills and techniques needed to overcome such life-threatening conditions as dehydration, starvation, bleeding out, freezing and near fatal injuries.

Creek Stewart’s survival skills are based on real life experience. Since joining the Eagle Scouts at the age of 14, he has spent thousands of hours in the wild, accumulating the skills, techniques and knowledge needed to survive outdoors. Today, he owns and operates a survival lodge and training facility in central Indiana and makes regular guest appearances in both the print and broadcast media. He is a regular contributor to the hugely popular blog ArtofManliness.com, as well as HuffPost, Lifehacker and The Daily Beast. Creek is also the star of SOS: Fight to Survive, a previous series on The Weather Channel which ran for three seasons.

“We’re excited to add Could you Survive? with Creek Stewart to the network’s growing slate of original programming later this year,” said Howard Sappington, VP, Original Programming at The Weather Channel television network. "We love having Creek as part of The Weather Channel family and are excited to work with BGM on this series. This show combines the drama of extreme weather in real life-or-death situations with Creek's incredible survival skills - something that our viewers can learn from, while also being entertained." 

Marlo Miazga, CEO of BGM, added: “We are particularly proud of Could you Survive? with Creek Stewart, not only because it’s a great and timely show, but also because it’s our springboard into a new and increasingly popular genre. Added to that, we’re teaming up with a prestigious new broadcast partner and a rising star in the survivalist world. Creek is remarkable on every level. He’s one of top survival experts on the planet, but he’s also approachable, charismatic and a natural in front of the camera. What’s more, we’ll also be able to deliver the show this year — a feat that almost merits a survival show of its own!”