Netflix – Peaky Blinders City Takeover

Context

For Netflix, I worked as event manager on the Peaky Blinders promotion in Amsterdam. The activation consisted of a city takeover in which a group of performers in Peaky Blinders style moved through Amsterdam, with fixed moments for media, the public, and street visibility.

The event centred around a strong brand experience: the Peaky Blinders atmosphere had to be visibly and credibly brought to life in the city, while the group had to move precisely on time between different locations and transport moments.

Challenge

The operation had to run with great precision. With a large group of 60 performers on public locations in Amsterdam, everyone had to be ready at the right moment, fully dressed, in the right transport, and moving according to the planned route.

The biggest challenge lay in the combination of:

• tight timing across multiple locations simultaneously
• coordinating 60 performers at once
• changing locations throughout the city
• movement by transport and on foot
• safety while walking through public space
• media moments that had to land at exactly the right time

Because the activation was visible to the public and media, the group not only had to be operationally tight, but also continuously maintain the right appearance and formation.

My Responsibilities

I was responsible for the operational coordination of the full group of performers throughout the activation. My responsibilities included:

• ensuring all performers were present on time
• making sure everyone was dressed and ready at the right moment
• coordinating that the group was in the right transport on time
• verifying the correct route was followed
• guiding the group during movements through Amsterdam
• monitoring safety while walking through public space
• liaising with the media crew for the right timing and positions
• communicating with crew and production during delays or changes

Approach

I structured the operation around clear timing, fixed gathering points, and continuous oversight of the group. The flow consisted of fixed steps:

call time → costume/styling → gather → transport → route → media moment → next location

At each phase I maintained oversight of who needed to be where and whether the group was ready to move. I actively managed punctuality, formation, and safety.

• working with clear call times and departure times
• checking all performers were fully dressed and ready
• gathering performers on time for transport
• keeping the group compact and manageable during movement
• route guidance while walking through Amsterdam
• continuous alignment with production and media crew
• ensuring the group was visible to cameras and audience at the right moment
• quick adjustments when timing, crowds, or traffic demanded it

Event impression (video)

The video below gives an impression of the atmosphere and execution of the activation.