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Netflix has announced it will open a dedicated outpost in Canada with a local chief who will be in charge of commissioning domestic content.

The news was announced on Thursday by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos in a blog post.

“Ten years ago, Canadians invited Netflix into their homes for the first time,” Sarandos wrote. “And whether it’s been bringing new life to the story of a famous red-head from PEI (‘Anne with an E’), following a rag-tag group of survivalists into the forests of Quebec (‘Jusqu’au déclin’), or having a little fun with fire (‘Blown Away’), Canada has provided our members there and all over the world with plenty of stories to love,” he went on to note.

“We want to build on that momentum and make a new home for Netflix in Canada — opening an office and hiring a dedicated content executive to work directly with the Canadian creative community,” Sarandos said.

He pointed out that since 2017, Netflix has spent “more than CAD$2.5 billion on productions in the country.”

“But more than that, we have built relationships with so many talented directors, screenwriters, actors, producers, animators and more,” he added.

The new Netflix office will serve as a complement to the streaming giant’s existing production centers in Toronto, where it leases sound stages and office space at Cinespace Studios and Pinewood Toronto Studios, and in Vancouver.

The streaming giant’s strong presence in Canada has already spawned “over 20 Canadian partnerships” and “helped support the career development of more than 600 Canadian creators to-date,” according to Sarandos.

In his post Sarandos underlined that “Canada is an amazingly diverse country” and said “it’s still a thrill every time I hear a story about how a series or film we’ve developed has supported (or kicked off!) the career of local talent.” He cited Mississauga Ontario-born Maitreyi Ramakrishnan who recently broke out, having had no previous acting experience, in Netflix teen comedy “Never Have I Ever.”

“Growing our presence locally will help us share more authentically Canadian stories with the world, whether through the development of original content or through co-production and licensing opportunities,” Sarandos said.

Sarandos said Netflix will soon “be announcing even more exciting news around local projects and relationships.”