Dad's 'Schitt's Creek' Toy Set Landed Him A Netflix Deal
Remember the adorable Schitt’s Creek toy set that went viral a few weeks ago? It landed the creator his very own Netflix deal
Last month, one dad from Canada went viral after sharing the adorably charming Schitt’s Creek play set using his son’s toys, making his creative quarantine hobby famous around the globe. Now, Todd Cameron is taking his talents to Netflix, and it’s all due to the viral fame he’s gotten on behalf of the beloved series — and no one is as surprised as Cameron himself.
The Nanaimo native works as a wedding DJ and karaoke host, but found himself with extra time on his hands at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. He spent five months crafting a picture-perfect replica of the town of Schitt’s Creek using both his own vintage toys and toys that belonged to his two-year-old son, Jack.
His intricate creation earned him tons of new fans on social media, including Annie Murphy and Dan Levy, the stars of Schitt’s Creek, as well as pros behind the scenes at Netflix. As Cameron told Today, the “super exciting” phone call came when “someone at Netflix noticed my artwork. They love my Instagram and they were very interested in me creating the same type of toy art and photographs for their original content. That just took my excitement and elation to a whole new level.”
Cameron revealed that he’s never been paid for his creative work, and that crafting the replica helped him with pandemic-induced stress, while also hopefully inspiring his young son to do what he loves in his own life. “I was just someone who did silly, fun projects to make people laugh… To have Netflix come knocking on my door and have people really from all over the world engaging in my Instagram and sending me messages — it really cheered me up.”
He added, “I just did what I love to do, which is create things to make people laugh, make people smile, and share that with my son.” His newfound viral fame “just reinforced the idea of ‘do what you love.’ Even if you don’t have an amazing opportunity, at least you’ll have spent your life doing what you love.”
And of course, the fact that it was all started by his love of Schitt’s Creek — a show about a dad giving his son a town — makes it a full-circle moment for Cameron. “Johnny Rose gives the town of Schitt’s Creek to his son, and that’s what inevitably ends up leading to all this joy and opportunity and financial gain for the family,” Cameron told Today. “It’s just so funny because as a father I gave the town of Schitt’s Creek to my son, and in the end that’s what led to all this joy and exciting opportunity for our family. It’s a perfect parallel.”
Next stop: Netflix, and we can’t wait to see what Cameron has up his sleeve for our favorite shows and movies.
