Yesterday brought the official launch of Netflix to Canada, but the launch was marred by an incident in which actors hired by Netflix gave interviews to the media, while still in character. Characters including stereotypes like mother, film buffs, tech geeks and couch potatoes. The embarrassment for Netflix, of course is that the press found out that these people were discovered to be phony.
But, this is where Netflix gains some points. In a post on their blog, Netflix owned up to the fact that they "blew it." They came clean, which is commendable. It turns out that Netflix had to file for a "documentary" permit in order to get the streets closed off in Canada where they were hosting their launch event. As a result, they opted to shoot a corporate video which included a mock documentary using the hired extras. Somewhere along the way however, the extras were given improper instructions to talk to the media and gush about their love for Netflix.
Who knows, perhaps the actors actually believed that the media was part of the overall documentary. Seriously, look at Joaquin Phoenix's latest stunt. He duped the entire world (media included) for the purpose of a mock documentary. It took him over a year to come clean. At least Netflix came clean the very next day.
But, this is where Netflix gains some points. In a post on their blog, Netflix owned up to the fact that they "blew it." They came clean, which is commendable. It turns out that Netflix had to file for a "documentary" permit in order to get the streets closed off in Canada where they were hosting their launch event. As a result, they opted to shoot a corporate video which included a mock documentary using the hired extras. Somewhere along the way however, the extras were given improper instructions to talk to the media and gush about their love for Netflix.
Who knows, perhaps the actors actually believed that the media was part of the overall documentary. Seriously, look at Joaquin Phoenix's latest stunt. He duped the entire world (media included) for the purpose of a mock documentary. It took him over a year to come clean. At least Netflix came clean the very next day.
Comments