Fries! The Movie

French fries are familiar enough to invite people in and varied enough to carry a story across countries, kitchens and cultures. The film explored the people, histories and arguments surrounding something audiences already cared about.

I was a producer on the feature documentary, financed by Unilever Entertainment and Sir Kensington’s. The project connected cultural curiosity with a brand-backed production model.

Malcolm Gladwell, Chrissy Teigen and Eric Ripert joined historians, chefs and other people with strong opinions about fries. The film traveled from the potato’s origins in Peru through the contested early history of the fry in Europe and the United States.

The brand had a connection to the subject, and the production had a reason to exist as entertainment. That relationship gave the work a story people could choose to spend time with.

Fries! The Movie premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and was acquired by Universal for Peacock. Recognition included a Bronze Cannes Lion and audience awards at Sonoma International Film Festival and SIFF.

The release also created a commercial occasion for a limited-edition fry sauce, with coverage across trade and consumer press.

Unilever’s Conny Braams described the film as delivering the strongest business results in Sir Kensington’s history. The accompanying limited-edition fry sauce became the number-one bestseller in its Amazon category during the release.

Those were results of the original campaign and product launch. The film also became a licensed property with distribution beyond the brand’s own channels.

Start with a subject people want to explore, build a production around it and connect the release with a relevant product occasion. The resulting property can work across entertainment distribution and the brand’s commercial plan.