‘We advocate, we educate and we innovate’

FRAPA — the Format Recognition and Protection Association

— is heading to MIPTV with a programme of events aimed at promoting, educating and connecting the global formats community.

FRAPA will be hosting its bi-yearly Summit in Cannes, which is open to anybody, FRAPA member or not, who wants to tap into the shows, trends and players that are setting the format industry’s agenda. The programme kicks off at 09.00 on Tuesday, April 18, with two on-stage conversations be- tween a FRAPA board member and a prominent buyer, who will “articulate their vision of the marketplace and the needs of their platform”, head of BBC Studios Nordics and FRAPA co-chair Jan Salling, said.

First up is Joe Mace, ITV UK’s commissioning editor for entertainment, who will be interviewed by Nick Smith, All3Media International’s executive vice-president, formats — followed by Alex Adamo, TV4 Sweden’s senior developer and format manager, who will be interviewed by Salling.

The Q&As will be followed by one of the week’s centrepiece events for all those involved in formatted entertainment: K7 Media’s roundup of the shows and genres most likely to spawn the Next Big Thing in 2023, presented by David Ciaramella, head of communications at global media consultancy K7.

After Ciaramella, Michael von Würden of Danish production company Snowman will be interviewed by FRAPA board member Lisette van Diepen. The Summit also offers the chance to “mix, mingle and swap cards”, Salling added. “Networking is one of the highlights. FRAPA’s board members will be out in force and happy to share advice and insights.” Recently, FRAPA has been expanding its mission and its services, added FRAPA co-chair Phil Gurin, CEO of newly launched specialist distribution company TGC Global Entertainment. “We advocate, we educate and we innovate. The value and ownership of intellectual property underpins the global ecosystem of unscripted content. If people don’t understand and respect that, there is no formats business — no Voice, no Survivor, no Wheel Of Fortune. So we advocate for good business practice, we educate on how best to protect IP and we innovate new products and services to help small- to medium-sized producers break into the formats business.”

But while FRAPA is committed to encouraging and supporting “new creative blood”, Gurin is equally focused on attracting the industry’s power players. “We also need what I call the GEGs — the global entertainment giants — in the tent,” he said. “The GEGs need fresh ideas and energy, while the small creative outfits need the support of powerful partners, with their global networks and understanding of the complexity of our business. That way, everybody grows together.”

… Tuesday, April 18, in the Marguerite, Riviera 8, from 09.00 to 10.30

FRAPA board member Mike Beale, managing director of ITV Studios’ Global Creative Network, has an upbeat message for the format industry, despite the headwinds buffeting the world economy.

“I’m reminded from past experiences that every challenge is an opportunity to get creative, learn and grow,” he said. “Having been involved with a number of successful formats, I always hear the cry ‘We can’t possibly afford that…’. But again and again, I see ever smaller territories finding ways to make formats happen. Only recently, we saw the final of the Ukrainian version of The Voice transmit live from an underground station in Kyiv. So where there’s a will, there’s a way — we just need to learn from one another in the global production community as to how and where to find it.”