There’s no bigger soapbox than the streaming giant. But have any other politicians got the charisma to pull it off?
Everyone wants a Netflix deal these days, even former presidents. When I heard that Barack and Michelle Obama had signed a deal to produce films and documentaries for the streaming service, I felt conflicted. As a fan of surprising, bold movies, I’m excited – but as an advocate of rewarding film-making expertise, I’m slightly saddened by it. Although as a Netflix subscriber I’m just happy to have something new to watch.
It’s not a hard decision to understand from the Obamas’ perspective. What would you rather? Live your life as an ex-something, on one big book tour of triangle sandwiches, starkly-lit conference breakout sessions and state funerals – or sign a megadeal with a streaming giant to make whatever you want? I know what I’d do.
High-level politicians have an intellectual desire to keep shaping the political debate and the Obamas have the opportunity to reach into the living rooms and mobile phones of millions of people across the world to influence them directly. Which has to be more effective than the alternatives. For all the great work that thinktanks have done in the past for leaders on this side of the pond, this takes it to the next level. I’ll be watching with interest to see what the Obamas achieve with documentaries, films and chatshows that have a Netflix-style focus on entertaining.
The move from politics to entertainment is not unique to the Obamas. Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, for example, are popular podcast hosts. Their trailblazing move is unlikely to have influenced the Obamas, but it does show that the way some leaders view the political afterlife is changing, and that they are willing to embrace modern media.
Not only that, but a sizeable chunk of us enjoy it when they do. There’s a politics binge going on out there, and the appetite to be armed with political information is growing. To capitalise on this new-found thirst, politics has to go where the people are – and I’d rather that meant creative endeavours like these instead of eating koala bollocks in the jungle.
This deal could transform the ambitions of future politicians. They’ll all want a Netflix deal, maybe even in office. Prime ministers will change their behaviour according to sophisticated algorithms, trying to appeal to boxset-bingers with weekly cliffhangers at the end of speeches.
Which doesn’t sound too bad. If it catches on, you could even see actors going into politics as a shortcut to a Netflix deal. Imagine that – politics populated by insecure narcissists parroting pre-written lines.
But the truth is that only the Obamas can make a deal like this work. They’re cool, they’re graceful, they’re charismatic, they’re clever – and I’d want to see what they make. They’re exciting people to listen to and this heralds a new era in the power of television to be political and relevant. It’s always been said that politics is showbiz for ugly people, but the Obamas could turn showbiz into politics for sexy people.
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