Radio / Television News

Prime Time in Ottawa: Netflix exec lauds the golden age of the storyteller

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OTTAWA – Today’s TV content market may one day be referred to as the golden age of the storyteller where creators, no longer limited by the linear requirements of the traditional broadcast industry, turned in great numbers to online distributors unencumbered by the constraints of eight minutes of advertising for every 30 minutes of programming.

Now, that may be looking a little too far into the future but the rise of online platforms has undoubtedly given content creators the ability to tell their stories in their way, and some say more effectively target their audiences – and all this without having to ask a broadcast network anything.

During a fireside chat at the Canadian Media Producers’ Association annual Prime Time event in Ottawa last week, Netflix VP of content Elizabeth Bradley explained that telling great stories is paramount. She added that Netflix wants to be able to see the vision the writer and producer have – which normally comes through the script.

“What’s the journey you’re going to go on when you watch that show? Why am I going to fall in love with it and die to watch three episodes in a row and forget to leave my house for two days,” she said. “That’s what we’re looking for. We’re a subscription service. We’re only as good as the stories that you can’t stop watching.”

This approach does differ from what the U.S. networks are looking for. Noreen Halpern, chief executive at Halfire Entertainment, noted that she had a disastrous pitch with Netflix a while back. The writer, who had accompanied Halpern, straight out asked Netflix what it wanted to see in the show.

"I knew we were dead in the water." – Noreen Halpern, Halfire Entertainment

“I knew we were dead in the water,” said Halpern. The lesson learned is to go into the pitch meeting with a great script and a clear vision of how the show is going to play out. She added this is similar to how Canadian broadcasters operate and is different from the U.S. networks.

Seeing “your vision and how do you get that across to me” is crucial, said Bradley, adding that it’s not necessary to come with a package that includes a director and cast.

“If your scripts are there and honestly when you have a Netflix that says we’re going to take it around the world, we can solve the cast, we can solve the director. What I can’t solve is incredible writing, incredible storytelling. There’s no replacement for that. So we really do look for that script,” she said.

Since breaking into the original content arena, Netflix has done a wide variety of programming and will continue to do so.

“Certainly, the Holy Grail for us is an incredible returning series that makes you want to stay a Netflix subscriber. The Stranger Things of the world that keep you coming back,” said Bradley.

The Netflix session at Prime Time (of which the U.S. streamer was a major sponsor) wouldn’t have been complete without discussion of its $500 million, five year investment in Canadian content. The money will allow the company to “spend on production that happens in Canada, shows that we can find in Canada, that Netflix can greenlight, content that we can acquire that has been produced by Canadian producers and we hope to do all of that in lots of different formats,” she explained.

Two of the more recent Canadian hits to air on Netflix have been Alias Grace and Anne (the remake of Anne of Green Gables). But as Bradley noted, the company will also pursue productions that may not be Canadian content per se, but are produced in Canada. She highlighted the recently released and entirely Canadian produced Altered Carbon, a sci-fi thriller, which debuted on February 2.