WEBVTT - Off-Campus: the global blockbuster making consent sexy 

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<v Speaker 1>Going back to Mills and Boone, the romance genre has

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<v Speaker 1>always been there in the background, but maybe it was

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<v Speaker 1>more of a taboo, like, oh, I don't want people

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<v Speaker 1>to see my fabio book cover on the train, put

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<v Speaker 1>it inside my economics text and Daily Reader on m kindle.

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<v Speaker 1>So really I can see.

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<v Speaker 2>From The Australian, this is the weekend edition of The Front.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm Claire Harvey, a literary universe allegion of fans and

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<v Speaker 2>a steamy TV adaptation streamed by millions. Off Campus is

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<v Speaker 2>the romance phenomenon sweeping the globe and making consent very sexy. Indeed,

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<v Speaker 2>the Amazon Prime video series has been adapted from the

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<v Speaker 2>best selling books by Canadian author L. Kennedy. Season one

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<v Speaker 2>follows the budding romance between Hannah, a bookish but beautiful

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<v Speaker 2>music student at the fictional Brier University, and Garrett, the

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<v Speaker 2>school's ripped but tortured ice hockey jock. Today we meet

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<v Speaker 2>the self described book girlies who've taken romance from embarrassing

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<v Speaker 2>to enormous. Chloe Barr is The Australian's off platform editor

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<v Speaker 2>and she is also a super fan as am I

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<v Speaker 2>now of the biggest show in the world. Amazon's off Campus, Chloe,

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<v Speaker 2>Why has this show taken off like nothing in history.

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<v Speaker 1>I really think they're just giving the people what they want.

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<v Speaker 1>We know that there was a massive fan base for

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<v Speaker 1>this series which came out. The first book came out

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<v Speaker 1>in twenty fifteen. I'd read it a couple of years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think romance is back, yearning is back, and

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<v Speaker 1>we're not seeing enough of it. I don't think thinking

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<v Speaker 1>back to the era of all classic rom coms like

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<v Speaker 1>Nodding Hill and Ten Things I Hate About You just

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<v Speaker 1>not really being made in the same volume because they're

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<v Speaker 1>not big box office hits like Oppenheimer. I think for me,

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<v Speaker 1>it comes down to the happily ever after or the

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<v Speaker 1>ha that people call it in book communities. That's what

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<v Speaker 1>I'm looking for is a strong female protagonist having her

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<v Speaker 1>story be told and it all works out for her

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<v Speaker 1>in the end, no matter the trials that she goes through. Oh,

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<v Speaker 1>Garant hates my singing, but it's okay. Guess he loves me. Yeah, I.

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<v Speaker 2>Love you, I Love you two.

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<v Speaker 1>For me, we work in like the real hardcore stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>Every day we're reading and writing about actual wars and

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<v Speaker 1>actual murders and murder mysteries that this is why I

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<v Speaker 1>love to read things with a happy ending. At the

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<v Speaker 1>end of the day, when I go home, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>need to read about fictional murders of.

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<v Speaker 2>The same I go home and retreat to Jane Austen

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<v Speaker 2>Absolutely so.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's a reprieve from fiction and real life

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<v Speaker 1>of all dark themes.

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<v Speaker 2>Off Campus is a romantic comedy, but it's got some

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<v Speaker 2>very serious undertones to it, and maybe that's part of

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<v Speaker 2>the appeal as well. I'm sitting there watching myself from

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<v Speaker 2>across the room, do what is wrong with you?

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<v Speaker 1>Nothing? Nothing is wrong with you? What if they What

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<v Speaker 1>if I'm broken?

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<v Speaker 2>You're not broken? Well, you just don't trust me enough

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<v Speaker 2>to fully. I certainly found it really intriguing for this

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<v Speaker 2>generation who has also grown up with the idea of

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<v Speaker 2>positive consent to sexual encounters, to unpacking their own trauma,

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<v Speaker 2>to being articulate about what they want in sexual relationships.

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<v Speaker 2>It manages to canvass all of that without being preachy

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<v Speaker 2>and kind of weird, doesn't it totally?

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<v Speaker 1>It's probably still an idealized version of real life, but

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<v Speaker 1>it doesn't shy away from those kinds of themes, which

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<v Speaker 1>makes more appealing to the masses, and I think people

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<v Speaker 1>probably have a conception of BookTalk and what that entails,

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<v Speaker 1>which these books absolutely would be categorized by BookTalk. Just

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<v Speaker 1>because something has that happily ever after doesn't mean it

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<v Speaker 1>can't go there. It's just all wrapped up nicely in

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<v Speaker 1>the end and everyone gets to win and have a

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<v Speaker 1>good time.

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<v Speaker 2>I was intrigued in the final episode, and of course

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<v Speaker 2>season two has already been commissioned. That was a no brainer,

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<v Speaker 2>I think, wasn't it that we get a very firm

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<v Speaker 2>sense of resolution that all the great romantic comedies have,

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<v Speaker 2>but of course their trauma still exists and there's still

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<v Speaker 2>the same people who they were before. Do you think

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<v Speaker 2>to have some credibility in having raised those very serious

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<v Speaker 2>plot points they will have to continue through forthcoming seasons

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<v Speaker 2>or can they just be resolved?

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<v Speaker 1>Well? I think how this series is sort of laid

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<v Speaker 1>out in the books and how it looks like they're

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<v Speaker 1>going to lay it out in the show is quite

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<v Speaker 1>common of romantic fiction series. Is that we see now,

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<v Speaker 1>which is that it's sort of a couple per book,

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<v Speaker 1>two people per book, but because they're all part of

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<v Speaker 1>the same world and maybe it's the same family or

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<v Speaker 1>the same hockey team. Those characters are recurring the whole

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<v Speaker 1>way out. So in the same way that they were

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<v Speaker 1>sort of sewing the seeds for Dean and Allie in

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<v Speaker 1>season two, who are actually book three, we will still

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<v Speaker 1>get to see Hannah and Garrett throughout all the rest

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<v Speaker 1>of them. They're still there, They're still living in the

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<v Speaker 1>same house together. So I think it's knowing that it's

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<v Speaker 1>not the end of their story. And in the broader

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<v Speaker 1>world of the el Kennedy universe, she's actually gone down

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<v Speaker 1>generations now. So there's the off campus series, then there's

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<v Speaker 1>a second series called Briy You that's all set on

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<v Speaker 1>the same timeline. But now She's released and I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>up to these yet, a whole next generation. So like

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<v Speaker 1>Hannah and Garrett's children are having their love stories.

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<v Speaker 2>Wow, So I think it's a very stay together and

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<v Speaker 2>get married and have kids. Yep, I'm glad.

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<v Speaker 1>I need to show you with chart.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, I want to see it.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a lot of books in this universe, so I

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<v Speaker 1>think it's probably I mean, for the book Girlies, it's

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<v Speaker 1>knowing that their story absolutely doesn't end. There's like heaps

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<v Speaker 1>more where that came.

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<v Speaker 2>From this group of women. Book girlies are so powerful

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<v Speaker 2>now and they're probably the most powerful cultural force in

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<v Speaker 2>the world in terms of consumers. But you guys have

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<v Speaker 2>created this. It wasn't publishing who created it for you.

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<v Speaker 2>Why not? Why do you think publishing didn't see this coming,

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<v Speaker 2>that your generation would want this. They thought you wanted dragons.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe you also do want dragons, and they maybe also

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<v Speaker 2>thought you wanted a bit more fifty shades of gray,

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<v Speaker 2>but as kind of you don't want that. You want reassurance, comfort, nostalgia.

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<v Speaker 1>Going back to Mills and Boone, the romance genre has

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<v Speaker 1>always been there in the background, but maybe it was

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<v Speaker 1>more of a taboo, like, oh, I don't want people

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<v Speaker 1>to see my fabio book cover on the train.

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<v Speaker 2>But put it inside my economics text.

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<v Speaker 1>Totally read it on my kindle, so really I can see.

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<v Speaker 1>But I think through TikTok and BookTalk it's just boomed

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<v Speaker 1>and people aren't afraid to talk about it.

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<v Speaker 3>So you've just finished watching Off Campus and now you

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<v Speaker 3>want to read the books. Welcome to the writing of

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<v Speaker 3>l Kennedy. She's one of my favorites.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, this was my first hockey romance series that has

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<v Speaker 1>a very special place in my heart. However, I was

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<v Speaker 1>You're going to eat it up.

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<v Speaker 2>You're gonna cry, probably, but you're gonna eat it up.

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<v Speaker 3>Honestly, I wish I could reread them for the first time.

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<v Speaker 3>And I'm so excited to have you guys a part

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<v Speaker 3>of this community.

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<v Speaker 2>It is such a good fun time.

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<v Speaker 1>There is cracking it. You can't put it down. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't even know. But is it a good book. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>personal opinion gonna say no. I'm so excited.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's all she wrote for now.

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<v Speaker 1>Again, as I said, for me, it's the fact that

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<v Speaker 1>there is that happily ever after. It's that strong female

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<v Speaker 1>protagonist where they get to own the story. It's the

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<v Speaker 1>FMC or the female main character written by a woman

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<v Speaker 1>with a romantic subplot in some instance. Sometimes sometimes it's

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<v Speaker 1>more pronounced than others, but also men written by women,

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<v Speaker 1>and they get to go through all their trials and

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<v Speaker 1>then it ends happily, or it goes on for eight

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<v Speaker 1>books in a multiverse, which is sometimes also the case.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's something to propel you forward and keep you going.

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<v Speaker 1>And I've always been into reading Harry Potter is really

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<v Speaker 1>what got me the first time. And then probably through

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<v Speaker 1>early adulthood. I was sort of in the realm of

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<v Speaker 1>historical fiction, sort of modern litfic, and then when I

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<v Speaker 1>found Romance, I started reading more than ever. Like, once

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<v Speaker 1>you pick it up, it's like, I actually want to

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<v Speaker 1>reach for this because I'm having such a fun time

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<v Speaker 1>reading it. It's not like, oh, I better put my

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<v Speaker 1>phone down and read my book. It's actually I'm choosing

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<v Speaker 1>that instead of my phone because it's so immersive, especially

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<v Speaker 1>when you go into something like fantasy.

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<v Speaker 3>So what I help you study and you play my

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<v Speaker 3>fake boyfriends.

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<v Speaker 2>You got Justin's attention deal.

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<v Speaker 1>Because I read so many books, I do quite a

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<v Speaker 1>bit of library borrowing as well. We're talking. I mean

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<v Speaker 1>I think last year I read about sixty books. So

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<v Speaker 1>if I was buying all sixty every year and all

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<v Speaker 1>of them hard copy, yeah, and also a bigger house.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's a mix of that. And I have a Cobo.

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<v Speaker 1>Everyone knows about kindles, but I actually got the Cobo first,

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<v Speaker 1>which is a different company not owned by Amazon. I

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<v Speaker 1>think it's Canadian. And the benefit of a Cobo is

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<v Speaker 1>that it connects to overdrive software, which is what libraries

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<v Speaker 1>all over the world use to lend e Publications, which

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<v Speaker 1>means that you can read library books on your Cobo,

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<v Speaker 1>which is awesome, and me and my friends in my

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<v Speaker 1>book club will go on day trips around Sydney to

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<v Speaker 1>different libraries because you can join unlimited libraries in your state.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think I've got about twelve from southern Sydney

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<v Speaker 1>to Paramatta to the northern reaches. Because the more library

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<v Speaker 1>cards you have, the more library books you have access to,

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<v Speaker 1>and then you borrow books on this app called Libby

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<v Speaker 1>and then you just log into that particular library on

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<v Speaker 1>your Cobo and you can read all these books for free.

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<v Speaker 2>The other side of what the book girlies are doing

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<v Speaker 2>is also writing fan fiction that they're publishing themselves. That

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<v Speaker 2>is where you can be reading on your device, almost

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<v Speaker 2>like a pay per view kind of deal. That's a

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<v Speaker 2>really interesting development, isn't it too?

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<v Speaker 1>Totally. I know people that have been reading and writing

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<v Speaker 1>fan fiction for years and years and years, dating back

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<v Speaker 1>to One Direction fan fiction back in the day, back

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<v Speaker 1>in their heyday. But I think Kindle Unlimited and people

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<v Speaker 1>self publishing through Kindle has really changed the game because

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<v Speaker 1>you don't have to wait to be picked up by

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<v Speaker 1>a publisher. You can just have at it, and then

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<v Speaker 1>that's how people are sometimes now in many cases they're

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<v Speaker 1>actually getting the book dealers because thousands of people are

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<v Speaker 1>reading their books and loving them and rating them on Goodreads.

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<v Speaker 2>You also don't need to be kind of a great

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<v Speaker 2>social media creator too, because that's what BookTalk needs you

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<v Speaker 2>to be. You need to be able to talk on

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<v Speaker 2>camera right and probably look nice as well. That's not

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<v Speaker 2>necessarily compatible with being a great.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, and I think all it takes sometimes is one

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<v Speaker 1>of the sort of bookish creators, whether it's on BookTalk

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<v Speaker 1>or bookstrogram, to pick it up and be like, this

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<v Speaker 1>is your next best read. If you like books of

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<v Speaker 1>this genre, whether it's sport romance or small town romance

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<v Speaker 1>or fantasy romance, this is your next best read. It's

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<v Speaker 1>on Kindle unlimited, and just something as small as that.

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<v Speaker 1>It doesn't even need to be your video that goes viral.

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<v Speaker 1>It's these other bookish creators that can just send it

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<v Speaker 1>off for you.

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<v Speaker 2>Something that I think probably everybody who loves books worries

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<v Speaker 2>about is ai. We all worried about the death of

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<v Speaker 2>the bookshop, and I think that the jury is still

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<v Speaker 2>out on where the bookshops can really can survive. Printed

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<v Speaker 2>books certainly have survived so far, and especially in children's literature.

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<v Speaker 2>What do you think about the prospect that AI could

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<v Speaker 2>replace the kind of work that we see women doing

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<v Speaker 2>in all of these forums now, book talk, writing themselves,

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<v Speaker 2>fan fiction. Do you worry about that or do you

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<v Speaker 2>feel like this is so human and so warm that

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<v Speaker 2>a computer can never do this.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think it can, and I think there's been

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<v Speaker 1>a few instances. Again, because kinderl unlimited, people can just

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<v Speaker 1>upload whatever. To an extent, there has been a few

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<v Speaker 1>instances of AI things coming through, but people can detect

0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:13.600
<v Speaker 1>it easily, and you know, there's conceptions that again, as

0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:17.640
<v Speaker 1>I said before, these books aren't highbrow or particularly well written,

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<v Speaker 1>just because they're of this genre that people deem not

0:12:20.480 --> 0:12:23.679
<v Speaker 1>intellectual enough. But to be able to replicate the success

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<v Speaker 1>of some of these authors like their success is because

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<v Speaker 1>of the especially in the fantasy world, the epic fantasy

0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:37.240
<v Speaker 1>world building, timelines, multi versus factions. I don't think AI

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<v Speaker 1>will ever be able to stand up to what some

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<v Speaker 1>of these authors have managed to do. It's that deep,

0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:47.000
<v Speaker 1>immersive world building that makes you feel like you are

0:12:47.040 --> 0:12:50.000
<v Speaker 1>somewhere else that I think is what people are really

0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:52.280
<v Speaker 1>drawn to. That's what I'm drawn to. You feel like

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<v Speaker 1>you're part of it. When you're on your way to

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<v Speaker 1>and from work, it's all you can think about me.

0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:57.640
<v Speaker 1>You're like, what's happening next in this book or I've

0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:01.360
<v Speaker 1>just finished this cliffhanger, and that the kind of space

0:13:01.400 --> 0:13:02.920
<v Speaker 1>I want to be in when I'm not at work.

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<v Speaker 1>It is such a good place to be.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you so much, Chloe.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you.

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<v Speaker 2>Chloe Barr is The Australian's off platform editor. This episode

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<v Speaker 2>of the Front was hosted by me Claire Harvey, produced

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<v Speaker 2>by Kristin Amiot, and edited by Lee and Sammaglu. Thanks

0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:25.120
<v Speaker 2>for joining us on the Front this week. Our team

0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:28.880
<v Speaker 2>also includes Tiffany Dimack, Joshua Burton and Jasper Leak, who

0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:30.280
<v Speaker 2>also wrote art theme