ROB SHEARD

Brand strategy · Original IP · Production

Build things
people Love

I build brands, audiences and things worth watching.

The throughline

The audience has to want it.

That has been the starting point for everything I’ve built. A product. A film. A channel. A business. Give people a reason to care, then build a model that makes that attention matter.

Selected work

Brands. Stories. Businesses.

Chefs and Anthony Bourdain gathered at a dinner for The Mind of a Chef01 / THE MIND OF A CHEF

The Mind of a Chef

Food, travel and the people who see the world differently.

11 Daytime Emmy wins · 3 consecutive James Beard Awards

My role & the outcome

Development · Brand partnerships · Marketing · Monetization

I helped bring The Mind of a Chef to PBS and Netflix, connecting ambitious programming with the brands and partners that could support it.

The James Beard wins recognized Best Television Program on Location in 2013, 2014 and 2015, with further nominations in 2016 and 2017. The final season earned 2018 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Culinary Program, Culinary Host and Directing.

With Sonos and Spotify, Playlist Potluck turned a simple behavior insight into programming: people were listening to music in the kitchen. The partnership became content, an event, a Spotify activation and a special edition of The Mind of a Chef on Netflix. The special earned a 2017 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing Special Class.

PBS + NetflixDistribution
1.5M+Playlist Potluck organic video views
5KConsumer playlists
The Mind of a Chef billboard photographed on a city street
A distinct identity, built to travel beyond the show.
Breville mixer beside Ivan Ramen cookbook02 / BREVILLE

Breville

Build a brand through culture, content and product.

My role & the outcome

North American launch · Brand strategy · Content · Partnerships

I spent a decade helping launch and grow Breville in North America. We connected product innovation with chefs, filmmakers and useful content, giving people a reason to seek out the brand.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead showed what could happen when a story created demand. The film became a catalyst for the juicer business.

70%Juicer category share
$75MIncremental revenue tied to the film
Archive of Breville’s product website
The brand experience extended from the screen to the product.
US women’s national soccer team celebrating beside Volpi sponsorship signage03 / VOLPI FOODS

Volpi Foods

A heritage producer. A national stage.

My role & the outcome

Brand strategy · Media · Sponsorship · Content

Consumer insights showed that people viewed prosciutto and other cured meats as occasional snacks, much like bacon. We set out to reposition the category as a healthful, high-protein snack for everyday eating.

I led brand strategy, media, sponsorship and content as Volpi expanded its consumer business and retail footprint. We crafted a partnership that made Volpi the Official Protein of U.S. Soccer and developed innovative integrations with shows like The Men in Blazers. The work put a 120-year-old family business into a new cultural conversation.

100K+Points of distribution
U.S. SoccerOfficial Protein partnership
Steven Rinella smiling in outdoor gear on a MeatEater trip04 / MEATEATER

MeatEater

From television series to media ecosystem.

My role & the outcome

Development · Marketing · Partnerships · Monetization

At Zero Point Zero, I helped grow MeatEater beyond the television show, connecting the series with podcasts, brand partnerships, commerce and live experiences. The opportunity was to build a business around the audience’s interests, with Steven Rinella at its center.

NetflixSeries distribution
Podcast + commerceExtensions beyond television
The Chernin GroupAcquisition
The MeatEater Podcast artwork featuring Steven Rinella
The audience relationship extended into audio.
La Quercia jambon board with cured meats, cheeses, grapes, olives and crackers05 / LA QUERCIA

La Quercia

Connect brand equity to direct revenue.

My role & the outcome

Brand framework · Shopify · Customer data · Growth

I refreshed the brand framework, brought customer data together and launched a new Shopify experience. The work connected the story of the product with a clearer path to purchase. That growth enabled the founders to exit through a sale to Charcuterie Artisans.

10×DTC revenue growth
+63%Organic traffic
La Quercia’s website featuring Acorn Edition Prosciutto
The product story, brought into the shopping experience.
Fries! The Movie premiere event06 / FRIES! THE MOVIE

Fries! The Movie

One familiar food. A world of stories.

My role & the outcome

Producer

A feature documentary exploring the world’s love of french fries, with voices including Malcolm Gladwell and Chrissy Teigen. The film connected cultural curiosity with a brand-backed production model.

Tribeca 2021Festival premiere
PeacockStreaming distribution

How I work

invest in
authenticity

A media problem can start with positioning. A content problem can start with distribution. A growth problem can start with a product nobody can explain.

I work across those lines, from the first question to the finished work and the business around it.

01

Brand & positioning

Audience research, category strategy, brand architecture and go-to-market.

02

Original IP

Film, television, podcasts and repeatable formats, with talent, partners and distribution built into the plan.

03

YouTube & creators

Channel strategy, programming, creator partnerships and audience development.

04

Production

Creative development through delivery for premium video, branded content and social.

05

Growth & monetization

Commerce, sponsorship, licensing and partnerships that extend the value of the work.

The Spread Sheet artwork featuring a football player and YES or NO prediction market graphics

What I’m building now

The Spread Sheet

The Spread Sheet tracks what sports prediction markets are pricing and where the action is moving. We break down the biggest market shifts, explain what is driving them, and call where the market may be right, wrong or moving too fast.

Talk about the project

Writing

Where the audience
is going next.

I write about media, brand building and the business models taking shape around YouTube, creators and AI-driven discovery.

Follow my thinking on LinkedInLonger reads on Substack

About Rob

Authenticity starts
with a point of view.

Rob Sheard, Founder of Sheard Media

I’m the founder of Sheard Media. Before that, I led development and marketing at Zero Point Zero and spent a decade helping launch and grow Breville in North America.

My work has taken me from consumer products to documentary film, from television to podcasts and commerce. The common thread is building something people want to spend time with, then making it work as a business.

Today I work with founders, brands and leadership teams on positioning, original IP, production and audience growth.

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