netflix canada jobs

Netflix is opening its first corporate office in Canada and bringing jobs

Netflix is officially planning to open its first-ever corporate office in Canada, according to the streaming juggernaut's Chief Content Officer, bringing with it dozens — if not hundreds, or even thousands — of new creative, marketing, publicity, executive and support jobs.

The American company's CCO and co-CEO Ted Sarandos announced the news Thursday morning in a blog post entitled "Making a New Home in Canada."

"Ten years ago Canadians invited Netflix into their homes for the first time," wrote Sarandos, pointing to the evolution of the company's relationship with Canada amid succesful homegrown productions such as Anne with an E and the hit glass-blowing reality TV program Blown Away.

"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," said the executive, revealing that Netflix has spent a whopping $2.5 billion on Canadian productions since 2017.

"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," wrote Sarandos.

"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."

To that effect, Neflix intends to finally place a corporate office on Canadian soil (the company currently has 21 around the world.)

A specific location has yet to be determined, but Sarandos told the Canadian Press they're thinking Toronto or Vancouver.

This new office is not to be confused with Netflix's Toronto production hub, announced in 2019, which will itself create plenty of jobs within the creative industries.

Rather, the corporate office would be used to "build relationships" with and "field pitches" from Canadian creators.

Calling the move "a big first step," Sarandos told CP that Netflix executives wish to better "keep their fingers on the pulse of what's happening in the creative community in Canada."

"We're not just going to put one person in a little office in one city, in one place in Canada. We're looking to grow our relationship with the creative community in Canada. So that'll be as open geographically as Canada is."

Some, however, suspect that Netflix may also have deeper, more financially-motivated reasons for setting up a base in the Great White North.

"Netflix entered the Canadian market in 2010, but for years had no Canadian corporate office or presence to avoid paying taxes and local content obligations," explained The Hollywood Reporter's Etan Vlessing in a post on Thursday.

"But as much as Netflix has sought for its investments in Canada to be guided by market opportunities, not local content obligations, that's likely to change after the feds in Ottawa introduced Bill C-10, or legislation to regulate U.S. streamers like Netflix and Disney+ and force them to pay for the production of Canadian film, TV and music product."

Until Bill C-10 passes into law, all foreign digital platforms remain unregulated in Canada, Vlessing notes.

"So Netflix, by setting up a corporate office in Canada, likely in Toronto, is looking to deepen its commitment to the country in the eyes of federal politicians and regulators set to slap U.S. digital players with unspecified local content obligations," he continues.

"The Canadian government estimates Bill C-10, if it becomes law, could result in online broadcasters being required to invest more than $800 million in local content creators by 2023."

Lead photo by

Mollie Sivaram


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