Netflix has dropped their highly anticipated new series Clickbait and if it isn’t at the top of your watchlist right now, it should be. Created and produced in Melbourne, Netflix’s latest Original series is described as “a taut, propulsive, twist-filled cyber thriller”.

Co-creator Tony Ayres says Clickbait is a truly international show – a genuine amalgamation of Australian talent and American talent.

“Netflix hadn’t done a show set in America but shot in Australia before, this was a first for them,” he said.

“Melbourne is incredibly user friendly and there’s a diversity of locations so we can get a lot of different kinds of looks. I have a very emotional connection to my city so I’m always happy when I get to film at home.”

Tony Ayres Co-creator, Clickbait

Starring Adrian Grenier, Zoe Kazan and Betty Gabriel, Clickbait follows father and husband Nick Brewer (Grenier), who is abducted in a crime with a sinister online twist. Those closest to him, sister (Kazan) and wife (Gabriel), race to uncover who is behind his disappearance and why.

While locations around Melbourne doubled for Oakland, California, the Brewer house which features in many scenes was just one of a number of sets created at Docklands Studios Melbourne.

“Docklands Studios Melbourne is a one-stop shop – we had great production facilities, fantastic space for the art department and wardrobe, and we were seconds away from where we needed to be at any given time,” Ayres said.

The eight-part series also showcases the talent of Melbourne-based key creatives and crew, with local directors Emma Freeman and Ben Young working behind the camera on the series alongside lead director Brad Anderson.

“The international directors, who were mainly American, were blown away by how good our Australian crews are.”

Tony Ayres, Co-creator, Clickbait

Clickbait was produced by Melbourne-based Matchbox Pictures and Tony Ayres Productions together with Heyday Television for Netflix. All three companies are part of NBCUniversal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.

The series was supported by the Australian Government’s Location Incentive program and attracted to Melbourne through Film Victoria’s production incentives. The Victorian Screen Incentive (VSI) provides competitive grants to projects that spend at least AU$3.5 million on production, or production and post-production, in Melbourne and/or regional Victoria.

Want to find out more about VSI or be introduced to one or more of the state’s talented creators?

Contact Film Victoria’s Manager of Production Attraction & Support Joe Brinkmann at [email protected]

Featured top image credit: Portsea. Image: Visit Victoria.