Few in the global entertainment industry would disagree that FRAPA’s mission — to protect, promote, educate and connect the formats community — is not valuable, indeed vital. However, an organisation of the scale and ambition of FRAPA runs on more than good will: it also needs to pay its way.
This reality is the motivation behind FRAPA’s latest sponsorship initiative, which is aimed at larger format players — the multinational production groups that are big enough and powerful enough to make do without FRAPA’s services, but that nonetheless support its ideals and principles.
The first major format company to step up to the plate is ITV Studios, whose managing director of Global Creative Network, Mike Beale, joined the FRAPA management board early last year. Explaining the UK production giant’s decision to throw its weight behind FRAPA, Beale said: “As one of the world’s larger production groups, with 35-plus non-scripted creative labels around the globe, we felt it would be useful for all our creatives to understand, be informed and be across the work done by FRAPA to safeguard the flow of original formats. With scale also comes a responsibility to ensure the ongoing protection of creativity, innovation and respect for the work of all producers of all sizes from all territories.”
FRAPA co-chair Phil Gurin, president and CEO of The Gurin Company, said the sponsorship programme offered the format industry’s leading companies an opportunity to “stand up for what is right”. “Becoming a FRAPA sponsor sends out a powerful message,” he added. “It shows that you believe in the rights of creators and share the values espoused in our declaration of co-operation and code of conduct. It also demonstrates excellent global good citizenship, and support for the next wave of creators and producers.”
Does your organisation support the FRAPA mission and would like to learn more about FRAPA Sponsorship, please contact us at [email protected]