Making a New Home in Canada

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Making a New Home in CanadaTed Sarandos

Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer

Business

11 February 2021

GlobalCanada

Ten years ago Canadians invited Netflix into their homes for the first time. And whether it's been bringing new life to the story of a famous red-head from PEI (Anne with an E), following a rag-tag group of survivalists into the forests of Quebec (Jusqu'au d clin), or having a little fun with fire (Blown Away), Canada has provided our members there and all over the world with plenty of stories to love.

We want to build on that momentum and make a new home for Netflix in Canada - opening an office and hiring a dedicated content executive to work directly with the Canadian creative community.

We could only have dreamed in 2012 when our first original production began filming in Ontario (Hemlock Grove) what an important part of our business Canada would become. Since 2017 alone we have spent more than $2.5B CAD on productions in the country. But more than that, we have built relationships with so many talented directors, screenwriters, actors, producers, animators and more. It's still a thrill every time I hear a story about how a series or film we've developed has supported (or kicked off!) the career of local talent - like Mississauga's very own Maitreyi Ramikrishnan in Never Have I Ever.

Ramikrishnan with director Tristram Shapeero on the set of Never Have I Ever.

Over the last three years we have also focused on working with organizations across Canada to support the development of creators from underrepresented communities. If we want more people to see their lives reflected on screen, then we need to make sure that people of all backgrounds are getting access to opportunities for training, mentorship and on-set experiences. Through over 20 local partnerships, we have helped support the career development of more than 600 Canadian creators to-date.

Pictured from left to right: Jason Ryle, former ImagineNATIVE Executive Director; Kerry Swanson, Indigenous Screen Office Associate Director; performer Ariel Waskewitch-Crawler; performer Daryl Kootenay; performer Marie-C line Charron, Odile Joannette, Wapikoni Executive Director; Stephane Cardin, Director, Public Policy, Netflix Canada; and Jenn Kuzmyk, Banff World Media Festival Executive Director at the 2019 Banff World Media Festival.

Canada is an amazingly diverse country and growing our presence locally will help us share more authentically Canadian stories with the world, whether through the development of original content or through co-production and licensing opportunities. As always, the goal is to give our members great choice and control over what they watch.

We're excited about what's to come - in the weeks ahead we'll be announcing even more exciting news around local projects and relationships, and we can't wait to open our new Canadian home to our creative partners.

LINK:	https://about.netflix.com/en/news/making-a-new-home-in-canada...
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