In all honesty, I keep going back and forth about where the Duchess of Sussex is in the process of launching American Riviera Orchard. The fact that she’s sending out ARO jam-baskets and creating an Instagram account gives the impression that a hard launch is coming up soon. But the fact that she’s only just recently started to film her Netflix cooking show? And her team has only been filing for trademarks within the past few months and nothing has actually been granted? That makes me wonder if ARO is still very much in the planning stages, not hard-launch stages. I’ve always liked the way Meghan works and if her past projects are any indication, she wants stuff to be fully formed. But yeah, I wonder. As I’ve said before, I’m as interested in the process as I am with ARO products. The Mail is the same, only for entirely different reasons. The Mail claims that Meghan’s hunt for an ARO CEO has fallen flat, and she might organize everything through Netflix, à la Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia brand.
The Duchess of Sussex was unable to fulfil her ambitions within the Royal Family. Now, she seems to be struggling to achieve them outside it as well. Meghan has failed to find a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for her new cooking and lifestyle business, American Riviera Orchard, despite having interviewed several candidates for the position and having began the search five weeks ago.
‘The initial CEO search has not panned out so far,’ a California-based source said. And her apparent difficulties have led to an intriguing new development: Meghan has begun negotiations with Netflix about the American streaming giant entering into a commercial partnership with American Riviera Orchard.
‘This is something new for Netflix,’ the source said. ‘It would run the lifestyle business with Meghan, developing products as spin-offs from her show. If a partnership is agreed, it’s likely that Netflix would install its own CEO to run operations.’
The model for the potential partnership is said to be the deal that American television stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have with HGTV/Warner Brothers for their Magnolia Network. The husband and wife duo host a home renovation show, Fixer Upper, and sell lifestyle products such as bedding inspired by the programme.
Meghan is said to hope that American Riviera Orchard, which will focus on home, garden, food and lifestyle wares, will be highly lucrative. Netflix has more than 250million paid subscribers around the world.
An insider told the Daily Mail: ‘The brand is meant to coincide with the launch of a new cookery show for Netflix. Meghan will be making and selling products such as jams. At some point there will be a book and a blog.’
The way the British media has attempted to narrate everything around ARO leaves the impression that Meghan is being sort of half-assed? Which doesn’t sound like her. What does sound like her is that she has a lot of plans and ideas and she’s having issues finding people to help her execute everything. As for the Netflix and Gaines/Magnolia thing… if Netflix is platforming Meghan’s cooking show and Meghan is under a production contract with Netflix, then Netflix already “owns” part of whatever Meghan is doing with the ARO brand. Meaning, Netflix is already involved. Anyway, I have no idea if the Mail genuinely has a scoop here, I just find it interesting. Considering how these people are having a Defcon 3 freakout over jam, I can only imagine the headlines if and when she has a cookbook, cooking show and kitchenware line out simultaneously.
Also: speaking of CEO hunts, Prince William has been looking for a Kensington Palace CEO for something like seven months. Barely a peep from the Mail though.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.