Association of True Crime ProducersJoin us to celebrate the first year of the Association of True Crime Producers
Central London: Studio 48 London
https://www.studio48london.co.uk/
Wednesday 19th June 2024
6pm – 9pm
This is an invite only event. Please RSVP to…
New Members to join ATCP include DARE Pictures, Good TV, and Turquoise TV
London, Wednesday 27th March 2024
As the ATCP (Association of True Crime Producers) continues to gather momentum, the non-profit syndicate (created to establish best practice guidelines for the TV crime genre), is pleased to announce a new broadcaster led webinar Compliance: A Broadcasters View, and welcomes further new members.
The Webinar which takes place on the 16th of April, is hosted by Ian Rumsey, ITN’s Managing Director of Content who will be chatting to guest speakers Sara Winter, Senior Content Legal Advisor, Channel 5, Sebrina Zeki, Director of Compliance, A+E Networks EMEA, Nicky Jinks, Content Compliance Executive, Sky, and Paul Herbert, Senior Legal Counsel, Sky.
Ian Rumsey said: “It’s vital for the industry to uphold legal and ethical standards, to ensure we have the trust of audiences and, most importantly, contributors. I’m really looking forward to our next webinar to hear more from the broadcaster perspective.”
Compliance: A Broadcaster’s View will look at how broadcasters’ approach compliance, and will delve into the key elements that need to be covered on each true crime production. The creation of this webinar follows on from a host of broadcasters expressing their support for the ethical approach of the Association of True Crime Producers.
Sebrina Zeki, Director of Compliance, A+E Networks EMEA, said: “A+E Networks EMEA is delighted to work with the ATCP, supporting them in our shared mission to prioritise best practices when producing high-quality True Crime programming. This is a niche and sometimes challenging area, so it is refreshing to share ideas on improving our duty of care and ethical standards in our filmmaking. This group is truly inspirational for spearheading the way to a more conscientious way of storytelling, which brings a newfound respect to this rapidly growing genre.”
In other news, the ATCP is also delighted to welcome DARE Pictures, Good TV, and Turquoise TV as new members, as the syndicate continues to grow.
The ATCP launched July 2023, and is committed to the continued development of the highest professional standards in true crime production, with members signing up to a set of clear guidelines, which put victims and their families at the centre of the production process and aims to enhance current best practice in duty of care. Members have committed to conforming to the highest ethical standards and supporting the continuing integrity and success of true crime production.
Members to date include DARE Pictures, Good TV, Turquoise TV, Back2Back Productions, Content Kings, Flicker Productions, North One, Zig Zag Productions, Avalon, First Look TV, ITN Productions, Monster Films, Peninsula Television, Phoenix Television, Rare TV, Revelation Films, Title Role, and Woodcut Media.
Membership is open to TV and film production companies, digital or podcast content producers, or individuals directly engaged in the production of true crime content for domestic (UK & Ireland) or international consumption.
For enquiries regarding ATCP please go to website www.atcp.tv
By Kate Beal, chair of the Association of True Crime Producers (ATCP) and founder/ceo of Woodcut Media
Source: https://www.televisual.com/news/how-true-crime-producers-are-addressing-the-ethics/
This time last year I set up a video call with a small group of like-minded producers, all who had a strong track record in producing true crime in the UK. It was around the time that sadly mum of two, Nicola Bulley, disappeared, and the internet had gone into overdrive following this ‘live’ true crime mystery. As we know the family faced heartbreak when her body was found… and we as an industry looked at ourselves wondering if the grim coverage of this woman’s death was in part made worse by our programming.
I’m grateful that the producers who initially came together were all thinking along the same lines. They all loved the true crime genre but, like me, were conscious of the need to communicate with each other as production continued to increase. There was a genuine worry that the popularity of the genre was having a negative impact on both victims of these terrible crimes and production teams telling their stories. The UK is home to some of the leading true crime production companies in the world. It was up to us to lead the way.
As a collective we spoke about ethics and how practically we could help each other and advise those new to the genre. It was at that point we decided to form an association – a group of producers with the same ethical goals. Now, admittedly it took a little courage for us all to join forces. Natural frenemies suddenly put aside our rivalries to collaborate. We all had led production companies and had the TV egos to match! However, this project was clearly so important to our genre and industry that it became quite easy to put our egos aside to work for the common good. Like all good associations we formed a committee, meetings were set and an agenda produced.
The first step for the founding producers of the ATCP was to create a set of workable guidelines for us and others to follow. These are 13 clear principles to follow where practically possible, covering everything from dealing with victim’s families, to compliance while filming, to the mental health of the production team. On the surface these 13 points look simple, but in reality each one takes time, research and commitment on behalf of the production team. They were carefully crafted and debated before finally locking them in stone.
We took a deep breath when we launched in the summer of 2023. Would the industry react in a positive way to us suggesting yet more guidelines, paperwork and ultimately more money spent? Did people share our concerns? Thankfully they did and the positive feedback was instantaneous. In fact, we were quite overwhelmed by the offers of support. New membership applications came in from the UK and internationally. The press overall was enormously positive.
It was an odd moment… a little like giving birth. You spend your time preparing for the big launch. Then it happens and you realise that this isn’t just about one day… this is simply the beginning. As a group, we realised that what we had created was tapping into the industry zeitgeist. There was a need for our guidelines but perhaps more importantly there was a need for a safe space for producers to talk about tough subjects. The true crime genre was ever evolving and as production companies we needed to keep talking, learning and sharing best practice. The ATCP is an ideal way to achieve this.
We were thrilled that other respected production companies from the UK and across the world asked to become members. Wanting to sign up to our guidelines and proudly display our logo as experienced producers in the genre. Others came to us simply for advice to help steer them in the right direction as they embarked on their true crime journey. This felt great – the guidelines were there for the world to access and it was happening.
As an organisation we realised that we needed to keep sharing best practice and growing. It wasn’t simply about signposting on our website, so the committee started planning events. It’s incredible that we’re only eight months in and we’ve had three members events already. All with the purpose to give a place for true crime production teams to learn and chat. We kicked off with a webinar from the Film and TV Charity who took us through The Whole Picture Toolkit and our most recent event was a session on vicarious trauma with Camilla Wells. We have a whole programme of online and in person events lined up for the rest of the year and I know that they will be well attended. The need is there.
Crucially, we got a very positive response from the broadcasters and platforms we work with. They’ve openly supported our work by adding their logo to our website which shows they stand by our ethical approach to the genre. In addition, they’ve been very keen to get actively involved and our next webinar will be a roundtable involving the networks in the discussions. TV is a team business and the broadcasters are our partners in this endeavour. It’s been great to hear that the commissioners are pointing producers to our guidelines and one has even taken the step to put it into their contracts. An incredible endorsement after just eight months.
Most importantly, and the reason for the coming together of like-minded producers, is the fact that the ATCP is making a difference in our day-to-day activities. A significant amount of true crime programming is now being produced under ATCP guidelines.
Recent examples include: Title Role’s Truth or Dare, a feature doc for Channel 5 about the devastating house fire that killed step grandmother, Mary Gregory; First Look’s eight part series for UKTV, Red Flag featuring the stories of women whose lives have been torn apart by their lover; and Phoenix Television’s Cut to the Crime for Crime & Investigation, a mid–form series in which hairdresser James Busby’s salon is transformed into a true crime confessional, from which survivors, reformed perpetrators, and professionals confide their deepest, darkest secrets to the master hairdresser. All this content was delivered using the best practice laid out by the guidelines in contributor care, factual accuracy and production team wellbeing.
In the UK we produce hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of true crime each year. We’re market leaders and our true crime travels to every territory across the globe. It is reassuring to know that we are leading the way in introducing an ethical standard into this ever-popular genre. Sometimes it’s difficult to achieve on a tight schedule and it does add layers onto an already busy production… but it’s worth it. We are telling the stories of the worst day of people’s lives and we owe it to them to show the respect the guidelines gives them. It is vital to protect the victims, families, and production teams. The genre of true crime is here to stay… and so is the ATCP.
London, Monday 20th November 2023
Since the inaugural launch of the ATCP (Association of True Crime Producers) in the UK and Ireland just 4 months ago to establish best practice guidelines for the TV crime genre, the non-profit syndicate is delighted to welcome the following new members: Back2Back Productions, Content Kings, Flicker Productions, North One, and Zig Zag Productions.
These new members will join Avalon, FirstLook TV, ITN Productions, Monster Films, Peninsula Television, Phoenix Television, Rare TV, Revelation Films, Title Role and Woodcut Media, as the association continues to grow its membership and roll-out various initiatives over the coming year.
On the 21st of November, ATCP will also launch its first webinar. The session will be led by the Film and TV Charity https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/ who will talk about the “Whole Picture Tookit”, created to support people at all levels of production, and to support Managers and Senior Creative leaders to look after their team’s mental health and wellbeing.
Committee Member – Alexander Gardiner, CEO, Rare TV said: “We are delighted to see our membership growing. Duty of care and high ethical standards are vital in this most sensitive of programming areas. The fact that our membership is growing shows how many in our industry want to commit to this best practice approach.”
Committee Member – Gillian Carter, Founder & COO, FirstLook TV said: “Keeping up editorial and safeguarding standards is a process – vigilance is a constant need and our webinars are aimed at providing a framework for us all to understand what keeps us at the forefront of standards. Our first tackles mental well-being – that of our contributors and that of our colleagues.”
The ATCP launched July 2023, and is committed to the continued development of the highest professional standards in true crime production, with members signing up to a set of clear guidelines, which put victims and their families at the centre of the production process and aims to enhance current best practice in duty of care. Members have committed to conforming to the highest ethical standards and supporting the continuing integrity and success of true crime production.
Membership is open to TV and film production companies, digital or podcast content producers, or individuals directly engaged in the production of true crime content for domestic (UK & Ireland) or international consumption. For enquiries regarding ATCP please go to website www.atcp.tv
Join us for the first ATCP webinar with the Film and TV Charity about The Whole Picture Toolkit.
The Film and TV Charity’s Engagement Producers Jess Cudlipp and Matt Keyte will be joining to provide information about the Charity, share context around how the Toolkit came to be created and to show us some of the resources.
Is your production mentally healthy’ Could you take additional steps to support your team with mental health and wellbeing? If so, the Film and TV Charity’s Whole Picture Toolkit is here to help you and your team. It’s a free online resource covering pre-production, production and post-production, that’s been designed with the help of mental health and industry experts to give your production the tools, guidance, and know-how to help mitigate against some of the production pressures impacting mental health and wellbeing. The Film and TV Charity has a dedicated team of producers available to help you navigate the Toolkit and advise on the most relevant resources for your specific production.
Jess Cudlipp
Matt Keyte
1 pm – 2 pm
Please note that by signing up your details will now be on the ATCP events database. We will only use these details to inform you of future ATCP events. If you wish to be removed from the database then please contact us directly via the ATCP website
Source: https://worldscreen.com/tvreal/atcp-keeping-true-crime-in-top-form/
A band of indie true-crime specialists from the U.K. and Ireland have come together to form the Association of True Crime Producers (ATCP), with a mission to establish and enforce best practice guidelines for the genre. The founding partners—Avalon, FirstLookTV, ITN Productions, Monster Films, Peninsula Television, Phoenix Television, Rare TV, Revelation Films, Title Role and Woodcut Media—are committed to protecting parties associated with true-crime programming, including the families of those at the center of the stories and the teams working on the productions.
The ATCP formed organically over several months, according to Kate Beal, founder and CEO of Woodcut Media and chair of the recently launched ATCP. “Individual producers were discussing with each other different scenarios that were occurring on productions, and with the increasing popularity of the genre, it became clear that we needed to come together to take positive action,” she explains. “Through a series of meetings, it was decided to create an association that would promote high ethical standards within the true-crime genre and give producers a safe space to share best practices with each other. The first ten founding indies worked hard to create the guidelines and get the association moving. Now, we’re heading into the next stage of development with new producers joining every week. It’s an exciting time for the ATCP, as the future isn’t simply about a set of guidelines. It’s about ongoing education and discourse within the field of true-crime program-making.”
As mostly U.K. indies, the group will be adhering to the Ofcom codes of conduct, “and this is the fundamental basis of our program-making,” Beal says. “However, our guidelines go further in terms of best practice and duty of care. We have written 13 simple principles, which cover all aspects of a project—from preproduction to once it’s been on air. A lot of it is common sense, and much of it has been developed by the founding producers over the years. The guidelines focus on everyone connected to the featured crime. This could include the family of the victims, the family of the perpetrator, the investigators and other members of the public involved with the case. The guidelines also discuss the duty of care toward production teams, which, as we know, is crucial when dealing with distressing content. We ask members to adhere where practicably possible to the guidelines and work with broadcasters to ensure the ethical principles are maintained.”
The importance of a group with an aim such as this is increasingly important to have in place at this current juncture of the genre’s popularity, notes Beal. “Over the past 15 years, the true-crime genre has been maturing, and along with it, the producers have developed individual best practices. In recent times, there has been a real boom in the genre. It’s enabled us to tell stories in alternative shapes and forms—from feature docs to formatted shows to ongoing adjudicated series. All networks and platforms are, in their own way, featuring true-crime content. As new-to-the-genre indies start producing these shows, it’s vital that we maintain a high level of duty of care within each project, in particular with the families of the victims and the care of the production teams. Education around this area in terms of approach and sensitivity is more important than ever with the high number of true-crime hours currently being commissioned.”
Beal says there are a number of reasons why the true-crime genre is in a particularly popular period. Paramount to them all, though, is that “these stories matter.” She adds: “For thousands of years, we’ve told each other stories of good and evil. This is simply an extension of that. In today’s context, the viewer is reassured to see that although bad things do happen in the world, the police are there, doing their job, and more often than not in the case of murder, the perpetrator is punished. In one sense, seeing that justice has been served gives the viewer a sense of well-being.”
The big-picture role of the ATCP is to continue to promote high ethical standards within true-crime program-making. “This will ensure that the genre continues to be respected by those taking part and by the viewers,” says Beal. “The contributors trust us to tell their stories, and we need to continue to earn that trust. The viewers need to know that we are representing these stories in the most truthful, sensitive and ethical way possible.”
London, Thursday 13th July 2023 – Leading True Crime specialist indies Avalon, First Look TV, ITN Productions, Monster Films, Peninsula Television, Phoenix Television, Rare TV, Revelation Films, Title Role and Woodcut Media, have joined forces to launch the Association of True Crime Producers (ATCP)in the UK and Ireland and establish best practice guidelines for the genre.
The founding members have committed to the continued development of the highest professional standards in true crime production. They have all signed up to a set of clear guidelines, which put victims and their families at the centre of the production process and aim to enhance current best practice in duty of care.
The member production companies will meet on a regular basis and have committed to ensuring that all members conform to the highest ethical standards and support the continuing integrity and success of true crime production.
The aims of the initiative are being communicated to the broadcast industry, victims’ groups, and other representative bodies to ensure that all parties involved in true crime content are aware of the association’s pledges. Its mission extends to the teams who work in one of television’s fastest growing genres.
In recent years the exponential rise in the demand for true crime programming has led to the production of a wide range of compelling documentaries and series. The founding members of the ATCP recognise that as the genre continues to grow it is important to meet regularly to share expertise and best practice in duty of care.
Membership of this non-profit association is open to TV and film production companies, digital or podcast content producers, or individuals directly engaged in the production of true crime content for domestic (UK & Ireland) or international consumption.
Kate Beal, Chair, Association of True Crime Producers (and Founder, Woodcut Media) said: “As true crime producers, we care deeply for those impacted by the stories we tell and have a duty of care to look after all those involved – from the contributors through to the production teams. The creation of the ATCP is the first step, allowing us to join forces under the one umbrella to take collective responsibility, share ideas, assess protocol, and maintain the reputation of the genre. I’m very grateful to my peers for collaborating on this meaningful and timely project.”
For enquiries regarding ATCP please go to website www.atcp.tv