Format Factory traces missing people

London-based unscripted prodco The Format Factory has secured exclusive access to the work of cold case charity Locate International, which aims to solve ‘unsolvable’ missing person cases.

Benjamin Field

The partnership allows The Format Factory, part of indie Free@Last TV, to adapt and deliver in volume a range of factual programming spanning areas including human interest, crime, cyber and science.

As Locate International works with universities and their students on its cases, The Format Factory’s content will be aimed at a young demographic.

Currently in development are true crime series Run:Locate, about the disappearance and potential murder of a missing person, and cyber series The Cyber Agents, which follows a team of students working across a number of cases.

The deal comes soon after The Format Factory landed its first commission, for a one-hour show called Agathaland for streamer Acorn TV UK and pay channel Sky1.

Benjamin Field, head of development at The Format Factory, said: “What the team at Locate are doing is nothing short of incredible. To sign an exclusive partnership with them, especially having fought off some very big players in the industry to get it, gives us great confidence in the future of The Format Factory.”

MD Barry Ryan added: “It will allow us to tell fascinating true-life stories and to bring the pioneering work of Locate International to the widest audience and for this to be widely recognised and appreciated. The Format Factory as a platform and genre-neutral company will be looking for content partnerships that offer the best return for Locate International.”