By Bill Roberts
THE LAST TIME I REALLY thought hard about Netflix was back in 2017, when then-Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly drew back the curtain on a commitment by Netflix to spend $500 million over five years to make original Canadian screen content.
I think it was part of a Chateau Laurier “Creative Canada” roadmap reveal by Joly, and I don’t think the fawning has stopped since. But, since 2017 there sure has been some incredible programming on this streamer, and during our extended pandemic it remains a more pleasant alternative to divorce.
Ted Sarandos, co-CEO and chief content officer of Netflix opened the Banff World Media Festival “Summit Series”. And Kirstine Stewart, head of media for the World Economic Forum, did the flattering.
Sarandos got right to the point by announcing a Netflix expansion of the Career EXCELerator Program through a new partnership with Women Animation Vancouver and a focus on BIPOC involvement (only 5% of animators in the U.S. are women of colour); plus the streamer’s pick-up of its first English-language Canadian original film, the Code 8 sequel directed by Jeff Chan. After 10 years in Canada, he was genuine in seeking more local partners much as he had done with the successful Lupin series in France.
Sarandos and Stewart, both speaking from L.A., were excited about the potential for more investment in Canada… that on top of the $2.5 billion he said Netflix has already spent north of the 49th. And, he gave credence to that sentiment by emphasizing the importance of both the new Netflix office opening in Toronto, and the company’s painstaking search for a creative manager (“with a very high level of curiosity”) for Canadian original production.
The discussion also credited Netflix with enhanced inter-cultural awareness by promoting local histories, cuisine, tourism, and exposure to new languages, such as with the Mexican drama Roma (10 Oscar nominations in 2018) and South Korea’s comedy-thriller Parasite (which won four major awards at the 2019 Oscars). Indeed, Virgin River and its North California tale is actually shot in British Colombia, and apparently has gripped travelers with our Left Coast as a new holiday destination… including Ted’s wife!
Sarandos is an articulate booster for Netflix as a huge platform for international talent; and the numbers seem to back him up. He said during Covid-19, there’s been a 50% bump in demand for non-English language content in the U.S.
Of course, the pandemic and shutdown created challenges; but Netflix figured out production protocols and went swiftly and safely “back to work with testing infrastructure… and safe productions… (although) we had some issues with dubbing in Italy and Brazil due to understandably cautious unions and nobody having recording technologies at home… four episodes of Ozark had to be delayed in Italy because they weren’t ready to launch”.
“But we made Queen’s Gambit in a pandemic!” he added, to nail the point.
“Creativity is a collaborative process best executed in person.” – Ted Sarandos, Netflix
Interestingly, Netflix executives may have been ahead of the World Health Organization in grasping the Covid threat. Thanks to “local partners in Korea and Japan we were seized with the issue… the scope and scale… before the U.S., (once again proving that) you really need to listen to local partners and employees”.
But what about after we all get our second jabs? Well, Netflix is looking at some limited work-from-home options for “practical meetings”. However, “creativity is a collaborative process best executed in person… human beings are social creatures… and writers’ rooms, body language, laughter, and especially the real-timing of jokes… are all important.
“Consumer habits will come and go… there’s seasonality… but big blockbuster films on TV will be more normal… maybe with shorter windows… and it’s certain that studios and networks are going (increasingly) direct to the consumer… it’s future that Netflix led and anticipated before others.”
I appreciated that Sarandos then returned instinctively to the matter of the societal importance of the business. “There’s been a shift and a need for social equity and diversity… If you can dream it you can see it, and if you can see it, you can do it… with 20-plus partnerships in Canada with entities like imagineNATIVE… we can cast more authentically.”
He recalled a recent trip to Berlin, his first business outing since March 2020, and how much he missed the experiences and conversations attached to “new voices and new stories.” The co-CEO even touched on sustainability and our environment, re-committing the company to net zero emissions by the end of 2022, along with other reductions by 2030.
He acknowledged 50% of harmful emissions come from the physical production, not an easy nut to crack since “the problem is production is transient… but we’re looking at more efficient design and cleaner power sources.”
So, what’s the future for Netflix? “In 15-20 years from now, the narrative form is pretty consistent but more immersive due to technology and other advancements… there’s a whole new generation raised on video gaming which will lead that change… but historically we’re builders not buyers… M&A things like Amazon and MGM, not sure if the asset is at the strategic core of Netflix, if we find the right thing, maybe.
“Conventional theatres, we’re open to it if we don’t have long windows and it’s more flexible… windowing is the core of the TV business… streaming wars are just beginning… Disney and Warner just got in last year… it’s too new a business, but it’s chipping away at linear and re-shaping with on-demand and direct to consumer content.”
As the session wound down, Sarandos wound up. “You know with House of Cards we changed the biz… we released all at once… a symbol of advocacy for the viewer… why wait of a week for one hour of watching? It’s viewer empowerment… kind of like dropping everything at once on a Bruce Springsteen album!”
I bet this guy has a Wurlitzer!
File photo
