The Mind of a Chef

The Mind of a Chef explored the creative process behind food. Travel, science, music, art and history were part of the story. That gave brands a way to contribute to programming people wanted to watch.

I helped bring the series to PBS and Netflix and connected the programming with partners, content and commercial opportunities. My work spanned development, brand partnerships, marketing and monetization.

The partnership started with Breville’s interest in an audience we called Food Thinkers. The Lucky Peach app developed into the first season, and the Breville relationship continued across five seasons of the series.

The program extended into exclusive chef demonstrations, product integrations, Breville’s YouTube channel and Food Thinkers site. Sixteen chef videos and two exclusive Netflix episodes each season gave the brand material it could use beyond the broadcast. The chef demonstration series generated more than five million views.

Sonos research showed that people were listening to music in the kitchen. We used that behavior to build Playlist Potluck around The Mind of a Chef, with content, chef-hosted events and a Spotify activation.

The project included 14 video assets and a special edition of The Mind of a Chef on Netflix. It generated more than two million organic video views, 316,000 social engagements and 5,000 consumer playlists. The special earned a 2017 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing Special Class.

With chef Ludo Lefebvre featured in season five, Hennessy X.O had a connection to the chef and the food. In La Joie de Vivre, the cognac was paired with a millefeuille. The integration followed the people and the dish, which gave the brand a place in the story.

One format could support different partners without losing its point of view. The work gave each brand a specific role and a set of assets to carry the relationship beyond the show. The series won James Beard Awards for Best Television Program on Location in 2013, 2014 and 2015.