Passion Distribution sets out factual stall

Passion Distribution is taking more than 10-strong catalogue of fresh factual titles spanning history, royals, current affairs and true crime, a foundation for its aspirations in the ever-popular genre.

Strong demand

International buyers are on the hunt for premium factual programming – and distributors are responding.

Despite the myriad changes in the TV landscape over recent years, demand for premium factual remains strong, and in many ways unchanged. Traditional genre favourites like history, science and engineering work for a wide variety of audiences, traversing language and cultural differences.

The main need to make a programme work is for a new angle or new discovery relating to a familiar subject or unearthing a lesser-known topic.

Buyers are also more open than ever to current affairs programming, as long as the subject isn’t too local - audiences are more engaged with what is happening outside of their home territory. Therefore, documentaries on anything from the effects of climate change, the refugee crisis in Europe or events in American politics can work in multiple markets.

Current Affairs

London-based Passion is launching a number of high-profile factual titles at this year’s MIPTV, including the BAFTA nominated film The Crossing. Produced by DM Documentary Productions and part of ITV’s Exposure strand, the film pieces together the events that led to the death of 70 refugees in the English Channel when a dinghy capsized. It’s the second film the distributor has taken in the past year from the Exposure strand, the other being BAFTA-nominated Afghanistan: No Country for Women from Quicksilver Media.

“Some distributors overlook single documentaries, but we’ve found that there’s always demand from public broadcasters and some of the big commercial players,” says Passion’s head of acquisitions Sean Wheatley, “The UK also has a reputation for excellence in current affairs programming, so there’s an element of trust there.”

History – Royals are in…

Passion’s Mip TV 2023 slate also includes More 4’s recent ratings hit, The Royals: A History of Scandals. The 4-part series is produced by Hello Mary and presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. “It’s a wonderful new take on the subject,” says Wheatley. “It feels both highly topical and timeless. And international audiences love diving into our turbulent royal history.”

Demand for royal content remains strong, with the distributor recently launching Elizabeth: A Life Through the Lens, a single doc on the late Queen Elizabeth II’s life as a monarch in the age of mass media. The documentary from Unity House was pre-sold by Passion Distribution to Channel 4.

Creative ways of working

Another recent royal hit is Secrets of Royal Gardens, which premiered on More 4. Produced by Pioneer Productions, the series was developed in partnership following the success of several ‘Passion Originals’ also produced by Pioneer including Engineering Reborn and a second series of Secrets of the Superfactories. “Factual lends itself to these sorts of distribution led models,” says Wheatley, “because it works in so many territories. And we work closely with Pioneer to develop content for our needs.”

Mip TV will see the launch of JFK: The Home Movie That Changed the World, produced by Steve Anderson from Shearwater and funded by Passion, in association with as-yet unannounced UK broadcaster. The doc focuses on the Zapruder film – the footage shot on a home movie camera that captured the assassination of John F. Kennedy. “Our clients appreciate that we can offer them something for the 60^th anniversary,” says Wheatley. “Greenlighting this ourselves allows us to do that. And Steve Anderson’s creative angle on the story offers audiences something new.”

“Good TV programmes work across borders, that’s the whole basis of our industry, so we’re incredibly keen to work with producers from abroad”
Sean Wheatley

Working with the best producers

Production companies are the key, when it comes to finding the best factual programming for the international market. Unlike entertainment, the genre isn’t dominated by bigger players, and smaller players can land big hits.

Passion Distribution’s current slate includes a high percentage of productions from the nations and regions and a mix of well-established producers with newer names. “There are so many good independent producers in the UK, we’re always keen to hear about new projects and build new relationships”, says Wheatley.

The distributor is also working with an increasing number of producers from Australia and New Zealand, and launching a new factual series from CJZ (Gold Coast: Ocean Rescue) and an exciting new format from Northern Pictures (Better Date Than Never).

“Good TV programmes work across borders, that’s the whole basis of our industry, so we’re incredibly keen to work with producers from abroad – and the return of events post-pandemic has helped us find some great projects from Down Under. We have even more from Australia coming soon, including from long-standing partner WildBear Entertainment,” explains Wheatley.

And the team at Passion Distribution are confident factual will remain in demand: “Trends within factual may change from year to year, but the need for it remains. We’ve seen a huge demand from VOD platforms for quality factual, as well as continuing demand from our traditional channel buyers.”