CALIFORNIA — A post on a Contra Costa County supervisor's Facebook page announced a forthcoming Netflix documentary chronicling his journey from a closeted police officer to elected office.
However, there is more to the story than meets the eye.
In this case, the TikTok and Instagram trend inviting people to imagine their own Netflix documentaries has reached local politics, with one elected official sharing his take on what viewers might see if cameras followed his life and career.
The promo filmed at the Contra Costa Television studio in Martinez is presented as the story of District 4 Supervisor Ken Carlson's path to becoming a Contra Costa County supervisor.
The promo filmed at a local studio in Northern California is presented as the story of Contra Costa County Supervisor Ken Carlson's path to becoming a Contra Costa County supervisor.
From the lighting to the music, the clip has all the hallmarks of a trend described by The New York Times in which users on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and other platforms film videos imagining themselves sitting down for Netflix documentaries about their own lives.
Emulating the real genre's style, dramatic orchestral music begins to play as Carlson comes into frame in a dramatically lit room while a makeup artist readies him for a camera that does not exist.
"It's gonna be a long documentary," the post reads. "Preparing for my Netflix documentary about going from closeted cop to the 1st openly gay supervisor in Contra Costa."
The hook draws its power from an instantly recognizable documentary convention: A pivotal interview subject enters the frame, settles into a chair, adjusts clothing or makeup, and exchanges a few unheard words with the production crew before delivering an emotional revelation.
The "Preparing For My Netflix Documentary" trend began circulating widely on TikTok and Instagram Reels in late June and early July.
Many versions use "On a Mission," a swelling instrumental track by Duomo, while pairing cinematic staging with subjects ranging from workplace gossip and leaked group chats to genuinely difficult moments.
Carlson's video brings that format into Contra Costa County politics.
Victor Benedict Tiglao, a Carlson staff member, said he suggested the reel to the supervisor as a way to engage constituents. Carlson liked the reel, Tiglao said.
"He's a bona fide influencer," Tiglao said.
The trend has drawn performers who already possess enough personal history to fill a documentary — and others who turn comparatively minor episodes into mock scandals.
Jenna Bush Hager, the "Today" show co-host and daughter of former President George W. Bush, staged her entrance in front of the "Today With Jenna & Sheinelle" set. Her caption teased a documentary about "that one time at El Arroyo when I was 19...iykyk."
Actor Morris Chestnut invoked the death of Ricky, his character in the 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood," and prepared to explain "why Ricky didn't run in a zigzag."
Singer Rufus Wainwright looked ready to discuss how his music in "Shrek" and "Meet the Robinsons" quietly shaped a generation. Vanessa Hudgens treated her years at East High, the fictional school from "High School Musical," as documentary material.
Singer and actor Leon Thomas framed his career as the story of his rise from playing Andre Harris on Nickelodeon's "Victorious" to becoming a two-time Grammy winner. Other participants have included singers Tori Kelly and Grace Beverley, along with entertainers Dan and Phil.
Netflix joined the joke on its official Instagram account by posting an empty chair and announcing that it was "about to sit down and watch all these documentaries."
Adam Del Deo, Netflix's vice president for documentaries, told The New York Times that audiences recognize the pre-interview moment because it exposes the normally hidden relationship among the subject, director, and surrounding film crew.
That familiarity allows participants to tell a story before speaking a word. The chair, lighting, music, and deliberate entrance signal that a confession is coming. The caption supplies the punchline.
The craze also reflects a broader collapse of the boundaries separating celebrity, influencer culture, entertainment, and politics.
Actors and television hosts now adopt the same reusable formats that propel unknown creators through social media algorithms.
Influencers build audiences large enough to enter traditional entertainment. Politicians borrow both approaches, packaging their records and personalities into short videos designed to feel informal, current, and shareable.
Academic researchers describe TikTok as an especially interactive political environment in which users combine music, captions, visual performance, and responses to existing posts.
Unlike a television advertisement, a trend encourages politicians to join a shared cultural conversation rather than simply broadcast a campaign message.
Researchers have also identified a tension in those performances. Personal videos can humanize politicians and create a sense of authenticity, but overt attempts to appear spontaneous can make that authenticity look calculated.
The result is what one study described as a paradox of "performative politics": The harder a public figure works to appear natural, the more visible the performance may become.
A 2025 review of social media authenticity found a similar dynamic among influencers and celebrities. Creators strategically curate intimacy and spontaneity while maintaining the appearance that viewers are seeing an unguarded, unpolished version of them. Emotional disclosure and personal history become both expressions of identity and tools for building a public brand.
Politicians increasingly use those tools. Short videos can let them bypass the formal staging of press conferences, government meetings, and conventional campaign advertisements. They can also help officeholders reach residents who may never read an agenda, attend a board meeting, or follow local government news.
The approach carries risks. Politicians control the framing, editing, music, and message, while viewers receive little of the questioning or context that accompanies traditional news coverage. The same intimate style that makes a politician seem approachable can turn government communication into personality-driven entertainment.
Carlson's reel does not explain county policy or ask voters for support. Instead, it turns a significant chapter of his biography into a knowing joke — one that works because the underlying story is real.
Carlson made Contra Costa County history on Nov. 8, 2022, when voters elected him as the first openly LGBTQIA+ member of the Board of Supervisors. He took office in January 2023 and represents District 4.
Carlson spent 29 years with the Concord Police Department, serving as a patrol officer, crisis negotiator, and investigator. He later served on the Pleasant Hill City Council from 2012 through 2022, including two terms as mayor.
He has also served with organizations including the Rainbow Community Center, Contra Costa Family Justice Center, and John Muir Community Health Fund.
Carlson lives in Pleasant Hill with his husband, Jeremy, and their two dogs, according to his county biography.
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