Yesterday, in an Instagram post devoid of any real details, prolific instagrammer and content creator Watch Anish (@watchanish), run by its eponymous founder, Anish Bhatt, announced that he’s reached a deal with Netflix to create some sort of video series for the streaming giant. He says he starts filming next week, and the show will hit the streaming platform in the next 3-4 months.
@watchanish
Anish is essentially a content creator for luxury brands, showing off their wares in fresh ways that supposedly appeal to a younger generation (for example, his latest Christmas video — where he can be seen driving around London in an Aston Martin convertible with a Christmas tree in the back seat — is presumably sponsored on some level by Aston Martin). There’s no denying he creates beautiful content, perfectly catered to the consumerism and lust for luxury that seems to dominate social media feeds these days. His version of Hypebeastism certainly drives the fascination with "affordable luxury” and premium mediocre goods that we recently analyzed. If this Anish dude can zip around London in an Aston Martin, gripping the wheel with hands adorned by gold rings and a Patek Phillipe, I should be entitled to luxury too! Oh shit, that Nautilus costs $80,000? Well maybe a wallet from Louis Vuitton will do.
I’m also wary of the opaque ways in which guys like Watch Anish make money. In fact, it’s one of the reason I started RESCAPEMENT. We know brands are the hand that feeds Anish, but, taking his Instagram feed or that latest YouTube video as an example, it’s pretty unclear what’s a paid ad and what may be a legitimate, unsponsored endorsement.
All this said, it’s great that some watch-adjacent content is being given an opportunity on the world’s biggest streaming platform. I look forward to see what Anish has in store for his newfound platform. Content creators are exploring all sorts of new and interesting business models, and there’s no denying that Anish has been one of the most successful at succeeding in the new media landscape.