Ten indies specialising in true crime have formed an alliance to take “collective responsibility” for upholding the ethics of the genre in terms of how it treats contributors and freelance and other staff.
Chaired by Woodcut Media founder Kate Beal, the Association of True Crime Producers (ATCP) has a mission to put “victims and their families at the centre of the production process” of shows in the increasingly popular factual genre, it said in a statement.
Woodcut, which makes true crime shows such as Murdered at First Sight and Killer in My Family, is a launch member alongside Avalon, First Look TV, ITN Productions, Monster Films, Peninsula Television, Phoenix Television, Rare TV, Revelation Films and Title Role.
Killer in my Family
Membership of the non-profit association is open to TV and film production companies, the producers of true crime podcasts, and individuals involved in the production of output in the genre for the domestic or international markets.
The ATCP will meet regularly and has published a 13-point set of guidelines to maintain professional standards in true crime production.
These ask producers to pledge to be honest with, respect the privacy of, and sensitive to the potential impact of the programme on, victims and their families throughout production, and to consider how it will affect the wider community and anyone else affected by the crime.
It also calls upon producers to provide freelancers and staff involved in the production with access to “appropriate wellbeing support” and ensure they are clear what resources are available to them.
See the full list of guidelines here
Beal said the creation of the ATCP is the “first step” in ensuring that the industry meets its “duty of care to look after all those involved, from the contributors through to the production teams.”
She said the association allowed its members to “join forces under the one umbrella to take collective responsibility, share ideas, assess protocol, and maintain the reputation of the genre”.
