'House of SpaceX' Catches Netflix Show's Eye
The upgraded SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off on its demonstration flight in September 2013.
When Francis and Claire Underwood, the conniving, cut-throat couple portrayed by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright on Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning political drama “House of Cards,” decide to strategically unload a press relations guru who has outlasted his usefulness, their operatives arrange for a lucrative job offer in private industry to woo him away.
“There’s room to grow at SpaceX,” the hapless flak tells a poker-faced Claire when he tenders his resignation in Episode 7 of the newly released Season 2.
It’s an ironic choice given the revolving door on the press office at SpaceX, a very real company based in Hawthorne, Calif., that is owned and operated by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Emily Shanklin, SpaceX’s senior director of marketing and communications, is still serving double duty as the head of media relations since the abrupt departure of PR director Christina Ra last September.
Ra’s predecessor, Katherine Nelson, ran the show for a year. Kirstin Brost Grantham held the job for two years. For a short time, SpaceX also had former Orlando Sentinel space reporter Bobby Block working as its vice president of corporate communications.
So is art imitating life?
Inquiring minds will have to be patient. No response from SpaceX for comment.(Feb 19, 2014 11:35 AM ET // by Irene Klotz)
