As Local Spending Command Looms, Netflix Is Ted Sarandos’ Star-Studded Toronto Bash – Hollywood Reporter

A parade of stars and VIPs will be released on April 4 at the headquarters of the Canadian Netflix, not without merit.

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos during a glitzy bash at his new home in Toronto, invited Hollywood talent — like by extraneous things star Noel Schnapp; suit actor Patrick Adams; I will never actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Robbie Amell, star of UploadThe sci-fi comedy The Dead shot in Vancouver — rubbing shoulders with local Netflix execs like Danielle Woodrow and Tara Woodbury, who direct the local content streamer north of the border.

“We are excited to have a new home here in Toronto and we look forward to all the hard work that comes with the talented people in this country,” Sarandos said while toasting guests at his party, which included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, US Ambassador to Canada David L. Cohen, US Consul General to Toronto Susan R. Crystal and Canadian Ambassador to the US Kristen Hillman.

A casual passerby on Spadina Avenue got a little idea of ​​a buzzworthy Netflix party on the 32nd floor of The Well office tower, just as Canada’s parliament was about to introduce Bill C-11. The long-overdue revamp of the government’s media policy will for the first time impose rules and obligations on US digital giants operating in the Canadian market.

And that includes American streamers and social media platforms being forced to make payments for local Canadian film, TV and music content at the behest of the country’s TV and telecom czar.

Joining Sarandos on the Netflix Canada guest list to celebrate local initiatives and relationships was Just Nam Laughter’s President Bruce Hills, who revealed this week three years of comedy content, are planning to kick off the season with three stand-up comedy specials in the French language, and to feel good The comedy stars Mae Martin, who just received a Netflix order of the mystery thriller High pitchwhich they founded and will consider.

It was on the payroll of Toronto’s flagship office The Last of Us star Lamar Johnson, who also appeared in the locally cast Clementine Virgin brothers drama, and fellow Canadians Jay Baruchel, Elisha Cuthbert, Nina Dobrev, Stephen James, Shamier Anderson and Connor Jessup.

Netflix offering and toasting Canada’s media and political elite has given a rare peek behind the curtain to the power dynamic of Canada’s rapidly evolving entertainment industry, including culturally-important film and TV producers, as they compete against Hollywood juggernaut in an increasingly global business.

Set to receive royal assent, Bill C-11, or the Online Streaming Act, will change Canada’s federal broadcasting act to create a new category of “online companies” and for the first time foreign media players like Netflix, Amazon and Spotify will be active in the Canadian market.

Shortly after the legislation passes into law, another round of lobbying will take place in Ottawa’s corridors of power as the CRTC, the country’s media regulator, will be hammered to forge a new framework for Netflix and other streaming giants to supply local film and TV. production and how deep the Americans sink into their pockets and define.

Before these discussions, Netflix execs were eager to show off their Canadian bona fide local industry. This week, Big Monsters announced that it has jumped on board for a comedy about Indigenous people to be broadcast in Canada’s Arctic Circle for local radio stations CBC and APTN.

That green light follows the likes of Netflix bringing local comedies Schitt’s Creek, Kim’s Convenience and Workin’ Moms to a universal audience and declamation. The new Canadian law requiring tech giants and other foreign players to submit to CRTC regulation and local content obligations is a marked change from their rapid and uncontrolled rise in the Canadian market after going north to do business.

In earlier lobbying in Ottawa before the passage of the Online Streaming Act, foreign streamers led by US tech giants have persuaded politicians to create a double-tier Canadian industry where Americans will be allowed to employ fewer local creators such as directors and screenwriters than traditional broadcasters already do. have part of the regulatory obligations.

In return, US media outlets will be expected to continue to drive their original movies, TV series and audio products for production in Canada. In 2017, Netflix surprised the Canadian industry by unveiling a deal with the Canadian federal heritage department, which refers to domestic film and TV production, which the video streamer promised $ 500 million over five years to move film and TV content in Canada.

After two years, Netflix said it has spent the amount in the production of the northern border, with the first investment in original Canadian-created and produced content, and now it says that it has $3 billion in movies and TV series shot on soundstages mostly in Toronto and in Vancouver since 2017. and wants to double down on the Canadian market with its new headquarters.

That generosity was not lost on Canadian celebrities and creatives, as Netflix Canada incorporated high-design workspaces, meeting rooms and an extension that includes an entrance lobby with a lounge, barista and floor, offering an impressive view to the glass walls and ceiling. Toronto’s iconic CN Tower.

The Canadian government led by Justin Trudeau has in recent years looked to foreign digital players to finance domestic content, as they continue to dominate local sounds to produce their own originals, while also enjoying an increase in the share of eyes watching TV in the Canadian market.

Since the CRTC has decided to hold another round of hearings, briefings and consultations on the agreement that will regulate the US digital giants – and definitely define the counts and not as Canadian, especially when it comes to user-generated content on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook or as part of the streamer’s local spending obligations – the players Americans will compete to invest in local indie production.

However, in a market driven by boundaries, they will want to continue to appeal to the widest possible audience and with few regulatory hurdles, they will be able to retain the interests of local brands and supported sites.

American media players are particularly keen to avoid forcing the CRTC to tailor their algorithms to find locally produced Canadian content at the expense of popular fare from the US and the rest of the world.

In appearances before parliamentary committees, Canadian Heritage department officials and the CRTC, American players will argue that they invest in film and TV content, while also producing their own original film and TV content in production hubs in Toronto and Vancouver.

US digital players and directing production money to local Canadian creators will also aim to bring more of their homegrown product to the world market, as with Canadian music superstars like Drake and The Weeknd flying on Spotify and Apple Music.