Kenyan Netflix exec on producing during a pandemic and amplifying Africa’s creative potential

As coronavirus began to spread around the world earlier this year and countries started locking down one by one, sheltering in place for some meant finding new forms of home entertainment. For international streaming giant Netflix, that equated to nearly 16 million new paid subscribers in the first quarter of 2020 alone, followed by another 10 million during the second quarter.

With roughly 193 million total subscribers in over 190 countries, it is one of the world’s largest entertainment empires.

But while subscriber numbers are up, filming of new content has halted due to the pandemic, a big blow to the entertainment industry from Hollywood to Bollywood. One bright side, according to Netflix’s chief content officer and newly appointed co-CEO Ted Sarandos during an April earnings call, is that the company’s 2020 lineup is already “largely shot and in post-production remotely.”

Netflix also has its eye on untapped market potential – especially in Africa, where the streaming service has a presence in all 54 countries. In December 2019, the company brought on Kenyan entertainment veteran and film producer Dorothy Ghettuba as the head of African Original Programming.

Entertainment giant Netflix has turned its focus to the African continent. Its "Made in Africa" collection features more than 100 titles from African creatives. The company tapped Kenyan entertainment veteran and film producer Dorothy Ghettuba (third row, second from the left) as its head of African Original Programming. "We want our African stories to be watched across the globe," she told CNN.

Two new scripted series from Africa have premiered on the global streaming service. "Queen Sono" launched in February and was the first Netflix original African series. South African actress Abigail Kubheka is pictured here on the set of the show.

"Queen Sono," is a drama series about a South African spy, and features South African actress Pearl Thusi.

Behind the scenes on the set of "Queen Sono," which was created by Kagiso Lediga.

"Blood & Water" is the second Netflix original series to come out of South Africa. Actress Ama Qamata is pictured here on the set of during the first season, which premiered in May.

A look behind the scenes during filming for the first season of "Blood & Water," before the coronavirus pandemic forced much of the entertainment industry to halt production.

Ghettuba says the streaming service plans to create more African stories told by African storytellers. Pictured: filming an episode of "Blood & Water," season 1.

Behind the scenes with Netflix in Africa

Prev Next

CNN’s Eleni Giokos recently spoke with Ghettuba to to break down how Netflix has adapted its production during the pandemic, and find out what its expectations are for more Africa programming.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Eleni Giokos: The pandemic has thrown a lot of your plans off-kilter. What are you doing right now, as we are kind of still sitting in a hibernation phase?

Dorothy Ghettuba: I am finding stories. This is the best time to find stories. What we are doing is we are betting forward. We haven’t slowed down. It’s been about me speaking to writers, looking at scripts, looking at stories and finding the best stories to tell out there.

EG: Give me a sense of the appetite that you’ve seen for Netflix from the [African] continent. Would you say the turning point was when you came up with something that Africans could really relate to through “Blood & Water” and “Queen Sono”?

DG: The appetite is there. Africans are truly excited about the local content – and not just local content, but best in class. There’s a sense of pride and excitement in Africa. And when I say Africa, I truly mean it across the continent.

EG: Globally, you’ve seen demand for streaming services generally increasing. Have you seen a rise specifically now that we’ve experienced a lockdown, and is it a similar trend playing out in Africa?

DG: It’s always going to be a reflection of the global pattern. We have seen an uptick of it and we are happy and we’re excited that people are turning to us to entertain them when they’re at home.