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The Bay Area likes to think of itself as being on the cutting edge of pop culture developments. And why shouldn’t it? Facebook, Twitter, Netflix and YouTube live here. The area has long been a magnet for creative artists, performers, chefs and entrepreneurs. And while we gleefully despise all things L.A., celebrity worship is as powerful here as anywhere.
But given all that, the cultural milestones of the past decade were big and far-ranging even by Bay Area standards. It was a time when Netflix reinvented itself and altered American entertainment forever, when some of our brightest stars became mega-stars and when some of our biggest arts leaders decided it was time to step down.
Here are the pop culture milestones that rocked the Bay Area and far beyond:
Netflix changes … everything
When Netflix was founded in 1997, it was just an upstart DVD rental business, stuffing our mailboxes with red envelopes. But by 2013, the audacious Los Gatos-based company had reinvented itself, boldly charging into the realm of original programming. As the decade unfolded, this digital disruptor became a Hollywood juggernaut that changed how we engage with content (binge-a-thon, anyone?), sped up cable cord-cutting and dramatically reshaped the media industry.
The political thriller “House of Cards” put Netflix on the map. Then came “Orange Is the New Black,” “Stranger Things,” “The Crown” and a mind-boggling flood of other titles, including original movies. Quantity, yes, but quality too. In 2018, Netflix earned more Emmy nominations than mighty HBO. Meanwhile, two current Netflix films — “Marriage Story” and “The Irishman” — are strong Oscar contenders.
By decade’s end, rivals like Disney, NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia were scrambling to keep up by forming their own streaming services — lest Netflix completely leave them in its dust.
Ryan Coogler rewrites the rules
Growing up in Oakland, Ryan Coogler spent plenty of time at the Grand Lake Theater, gazing in wonder at the big screen, probably never realizing that he’d someday mesmerize audiences with his own brand of movie magic.
Coogler did exactly that during a decade in which he directed three very different films — “Fruitvale Station,” based on the tragic killing of Oscar Grant; “Creed,” a new chapter in the storied “Rocky” franchise”; and “Black Panther” — that blended entertainment with social commentary. It was 2018’s “Black Panther” that thrust him into Hollywood’s A-list. Featuring a mostly black cast, it followed the Marvel superhero-king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. In amassing $700 million domestically and $1.3 billion worldwide, “Black Panther” shook up Hollywood’s status quo and inspired African-Americans everywhere.
“Hamilton” mania lands in S.F.
“Hamilton” hit the theater world like perhaps nothing before it. Powered by hip-hop beats, rapping actors and an almost entirely non-white cast (despite a story and characters that were very white), the high-powered musical about America’s founding fathers became an instant blockbuster, made a household name out its creator and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and was credited with drawing a new generation of fans to the theater. It also made stars out of such actors as Oakland’s Daveed Diggs, who played Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the 2015 original Broadway production.
When the initial touring production was announced in 2016, San Francisco was named the opening city and “Hamilton” quickly became the hardest ticket in town. Its initial run in 2017 sold out in 24 hours. Now it’s back at the Orpheum Theatre in an open-ended run. And combined with “Harry Potter and Cursed Child” in an open-ended run at The Curran, it means that for the foreseeable future, San Francisco has two of the biggest-selling theatrical productions in the world playing just blocks from each other.
Steph & Ayesha Curry — Bay Area brands
The first couple of the Bay Area? If such a title existed, it would have to go to Stephen and Ayesha Curry.
He splashed and shimmied his way to three NBA titles and a pair of Most Valuable Player awards with the Golden State Warriors. But his star shined just as brightly off the court, where his smile and joyful brio were featured on countless magazine covers, commercials, talk shows, a Facebook documentary and — “Holey Moley”! — an ABC reality series. Curry even formed a production company and struck a development deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to make films, TV and video games.
Meanwhile, Ayesha spent the decade proving that she has game as well, building a food-and-lifestyle empire that includes cookbooks, culinary TV shows, restaurants, a meal-kit delivery service and her own line of cookware. Oh, and she has amassed more than 8 million social media followers.
R.I.P Bridge School Benefit
Neil and Pegi Young’s long-running and beloved concert series, held in support of the Hillsborough facility for children with severe speech and physical impairments, finally came to a close in 2016, following a 30-year run that delivered some of the most indelible moments in Bay Area music history. Performers included Paul McCartney, David Bowie, R.E.M., The Who, Phish, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Wilson, the Cowboy Junkies and Patti Smith.
The era ended in appropriately legendary fashion, with one last two-night stand (Oct. 22-23, 2016) at Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheatre — featuring Metallica, Dave Matthews, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, Roger Waters and more — although fans had no idea it was ending at the time. The event was canceled in 2017, after Neil announced he’d no longer host the event due to “personal reasons.”
Samin Nosrat shapes cooking
Every generation has its culinary force — an award-winning author who simplifies home cooking, a famous restaurant chef who sends us back into the garden, or a Netflix star who re-shapes reality television. Samin Nosrat is all three.
Born to Iranian immigrant parents, Nosrat grew up in San Diego eating mostly Iranian cuisine. She never went to culinary school or intended to work in restaurants. But she landed at Alice Waters’ famed Chez Panisse, rising from busser to cook, before going on to teach and write “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,” a masterful guide to foundational cooking.
The 2017 cookbook won every cookbook award there is — and the accompanying 2018 Netflix show brought her bright personality into our living rooms, sealing her culinary rock star status. These days, Nosrat writes for the New York Times Magazine while working on her follow up cookbook, a collection of 120 recipes called “What to Cook,” and a second Netflix show.
Rachel Maddow becomes a cable TV titan
After Donald Trump’s stunning presidential victory in 2016, most politics-centric TV programs experienced ratings boosts. Perhaps no one benefited more than Rachel Maddow and her nightly MSNBC show.
Amid one of the most chaotic and divisive eras in American political history, the liberal-minded, openly gay Castro Valley native and Stanford grad became a steady voice of reason for millions. In the process, she crushed the competition and was hailed by Forbes as “the most powerful person in cable news.”
Maddow did it with a format that tapped into deep wells of passion and intellect, while stripping away the noise and adhering to a simple mantra: “Increase the amount of useful information in the world.”
Noted a writer for Entertainment Weekly, “Whether we’re Democrat or Republican, she makes us smarter.”
BottleRock Napa Valley arrives
When BottleRock made its debut — from seemingly out of nowhere — in 2013 with an eye-popping lineup, it appeared just too good to be true. Turns out it kind of was. The organizers declared bankruptcy.
Then three local businessmen came to the rescue, taking over the event and steadily rehabbing the brand. They focused not only on booking great lineups — Eric Church, Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars and Florence & the Machine — but also on improving the fan experience and showcasing Napa’s famed cuisine, wine and hospitality.
As it approaches its seventh annual event — set for May 22-24 — the festival is a massive success story, drawing capacity crowds of music/food/wine lovers from around the Golden State and beyond.
“Silicon Valley” brings the funny — and hits a nerve
Throughout the decade, several TV shows attempted — and failed — to showcase the world of high tech. But one hysterical sitcom, HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” managed to crack the code.
Inspired by co-creator Mike Judge’s brief stint as an engineer in Palo Alto, the series followed the misadventures of a painfully awkward computer programmer (Thomas Middleditch) and his band of nerdy misfits struggling to get their ambitious startup off the ground.
“Silicon Valley” laced its humor with a satirical zing as it lampooned the Bay Area’s dot-com community over six raucous seasons. While not above slapstick and gross-out jokes, its writers also strove to get the details of tech culture right — down to the smallest quirks. The result was a savvy and insightful comedy that sometimes hit painfully close to home.
“Social Network” foreshadows Facebook headaches
When “The Social Network” was released in 2010, newly minted billionaire Mark Zuckerberg was, of course, not happy with the way the film portrayed him as as an emotionally stunted narcissist, who co-founded the site to get even with a woman and who screwed his only friend out of his share of the company.
Ten years later, the conceit that Facebook is rooted in ego and betrayal seems “spiritually accurate,” as well as ahead of its time, said New York magazine critic Allison WiIlmore, one of several critics who named “The Social Network” one of the best movies of the decade.
As Facebook transformed the way people share news and information, Zuckerberg tried to prove his creation was a force for social good. Yet the social media site’s growing influence on our personal and public lives was tainted by scandals over misuse of users’ private data and Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, and an angry debate over how Facebook should deal with ads, political and otherwise, featuring false information.
“With every rewatch over the years, ‘The Social Network’ feels more and more like an essential commentary in figuring out how we got here,” said Indiewire’s Kent Blakley.
Museums for the 21st century
Whenever the newly expanded San Francisco Museum of Modern Art celebrates the opening of some blockbuster new exhibit, it becomes the place to be in the city. Stylish millennials sip cocktails during sneak peeks at works by Matisse, Magritte or Warhol.
Over at the 6-year-old Embarcadero home of the Exploratorium, scientifically curious kids and adults create mini-tornadoes or peer into microscopes — while visitors to the Berkeley Art Museum, in its new downtown space, enjoy a farm-to-table dinner in its cafe before hearing a gallery talk or checking out the latest series at the Pacific Film Archive.
All three landmarks have re-opened in new or vastly expanded buildings designed to fulfill the ever-changing missions of 21st century museums. With more events programming, new methods of visitor engagement and a broader mix of artists, these institutions are at the forefront of the notion that art and science are not meant to be passively observed, but experienced interactively.
Changing of the arts guard
At a time when arts organizations all over are grappling to stay relevant for a new generation, some of the Bay Area’s most venerable companies are doing so under new leadership. At Berkeley Repertory Theatre, artistic director Tony Taccone has stepped down; ditto for American Conservatory Theater’s Carey Perloff. At Palo Alto’s TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, founding director Robert Kelley will retire at the end of the season. And at San Francisco Symphony, world-renowned music director Michael Tilson Thomas, a fixture in the city’s cultural scene for decades, is in his final season, with Finnish star conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen announced as his successor.
