Last yr, Hannah Brauer was anxious she had made a giant mistake. After residing in Byron Bay for over a decade, the model supervisor had signed on to affix the forged of a brand new Netflix actuality present referred to as Byron Baes. However as quickly because the present was introduced, locals rapidly pushed again. There was a protest and a petition calling on the streaming service to desert its plans. A number of Byron companies introduced they'd not permit the present to movie on their property. The Byron shire mayor requested the council to oppose the manufacturing.
“It was scary … I began second-guessing my determination to go on the present,” Brauer says now. “I used to be actually like, oh my god, what have I performed? I’ve solely ever felt comfy residing on this city. I’ve solely ever felt cherished inside this city. Have I destroyed my Byron life by occurring this present?”
This week, after months of controversy concerning the actuality present and the alleged conduct of a few of the forged throughout New South Wales’s Covid restrictions, Byron Baes is about to start out on Netflix – with each forged and crew hoping the ultimate product will ease doubts about its intentions.
Byron Baes follows the lives of a bunch of the city’s loosely related social media influencers. A few of them – like Brauer – have been approached over Instagram about being a part of the collection. In traditional actuality TV model, the forged is younger, scorching and largely single. There are feuds. There are love triangles. And there's drama over how genuine their social media presences actually are.
It’s that last level that sparked the protests: with Byron at the moment experiencing a very actual housing and homelessness disaster, distinguished locals and Indigenous leaders expressed considerations that the present would glorify Byron’s wealthier residents on the expense of its most weak.
Brauer understands the considerations that a glitzy actuality present may encourage extra to flock to the city and exacerbate its gentrification drawback. “I completely get that. Even I used to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t need extra individuals shifting right here when there’s already been ridiculous quantities of those that have moved right here,’” she says.
However she believes the protests started due to “the best way [the show] was promoted” – sentiments echoed by one other forged member, Jade Kevin Foster.
“I really feel like as quickly as they heard the phrases ‘influencer’ and ‘baes’, they have been off it,” Foster says. “I believe they thought it was gonna take the piss out of Byron. And it’s not like that in any respect.”
Que Minh Luu, the director of native content material for Netflix Australia/New Zealand, says Netflix by no means thought of canning Byron Baes, however that the neighborhood response did pressure them to “react, modify and pivot in sure methods”, together with the place they'd shoot.
“I believe we have been all very, very shocked by it, by way of the depth of [the reaction],” she says. “However we additionally actually understood that there's a actual curiosity and scepticism of what it's that we’re attempting to do. And I believe – what I hope, what I really feel and actually have numerous religion in – is that when individuals see the present, they are going to perceive what it was that we have been getting in to do.”
Netflix needs the present to discover the stress between how we current ourselves on-line and who we actually are beneath. Luu believes the present has a forged who, regardless of their enviable social media presence, many Australians will relate to and join with. Byron Baes is “in on the joke”, she says; having seen the primary two episodes, that description feels correct. In addition to being delightfully humorous, the present is self-aware and never afraid to snigger gently at Byron-isms like crystal collections and sound healings.
It’s additionally stuffed with quintessentially Australian moments, strains like “you may’t pay Large W costs and anticipate David Jones expertise”, digs on the close by Gold Coast for being “all about faux boobs and pretend lips”. These hyperlocal references have been one thing Netflix inspired, even if Byron Baes shall be obtainable on the streaming service globally (and, given the UK’s urge for food for Australian actuality tv, certain to be devoured by worldwide viewers).
“At Netflix, the concept is make native content material that's freakin’ native,” Luu says. “They don’t go, ‘Truly, nobody [overseas] is gonna perceive that Large W reference.’ They’re like, ‘Extra, do it extra!’”
These international audiences could solely see a sure aspect of Byron Bay after they tune in. However Luu says it’s unfair to anticipate the present to be every part to everybody, or to make a actuality TV present the centre of debate over who will get entry to “model Byron”.
“This present is a few explicit group and a selected side of Byron,” she says. “I don’t suppose that individuals hear Actual Housewives of Melbourne and assume that [represents] all of Melbourne.”
After a tumultuous 11 months, the Netflix boss is happy for audiences to get to guage the present for themselves. Brauer hopes the discharge of Byron Baes will set the report straight – although she’ll be seeing its eight episodes for the primary time because the viewers do too.
“I’ve at all times solely been a supporter of my city,” she says. “My pals which can be on the present, who've been born and bred in Byron, don’t need individuals within the city considering negatively of us, both. I believe minds will begin to change after they begin viewing it.”
Byron Baes begins on Netflix globally on 9 March.
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