Folks mocked the Byron Bay locals who paddled out to sea in protest of the new influencer reality series, Byron Baes, but it looks like they’re having the last laugh because their efforts are reportedly making Netflix high-key nervous.
Apparently several Netflix executives, including its director of public policy, Nick O’Donnell, recently flew to Byron to hold “crisis talks with stakeholders” amid the heavy backlash over the docu-soap.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the executives met up with Byron Shire’s mayor, Simon Richardson, who recently told the ABC that he found the proposed idea to be “quite offensive.”
He also reportedly had a meeting with David Wright, the mayor of the nearby area, Ballina Shire, to suss out the possibility of filming within that area if they end up getting banned from Byron.
The “crisis” trip, I’m sure, is in response to the mass backlash that has been ensued following the unveiling of the show on Instagram.
Byron Bay locals have made it abundantly clear that they are furious about the concept of the show, with a petition aiming at stopping the series scoring thousands of signatures as well as local residents staging a “paddle-out” in protest of the show.
In the petition, locals wrote that they are “experiencing significant challenges driven by influencer culture and rapidly shifting demographics of residents.”
They added, “We do not want to be cast as the perfect backdrop and magnet for social media influencers,” she added. “We do not want to appear in Byron Baes.”
And as for the paddle-out, here’s what was written on socials: “We are paddling to formally request that Netflix cancels the show immediately!”
https://twitter.com/edengillespie/status/1384112539164823558?
And it’s not just the locals who are deadset against it as several influencers who were rumoured to be taking part in the show have also ripped it shreds.
Byron Bay influencer Ruby Tuesday Matthews recently told her followers that she would not be joining Byron Baes, despite the heavy rumours.
“For everyone asking if I’ll be on this show, I declined the offer. Goodbye Byron, you are officially cooked. How embarrassing,” she said.
Meanwhile I’ve heard whispers that Netflix is keeping their cast list tight-lipped as they’re afraid that the influencers they’ve cast so far will back out if they’re hit with backlash.
Yikes, what a shitshow (literally).
