Tastemade

Tastemade
Name	Tastemade
Type	Private
Industry	Food media
Founded	2012
Founders	Joe Perez, Steven Kydd, Larry Fitzgibbon
Headquarters	Santa Monica, California
Products	Video programming, digital content, branded content

Tastemade is a global digital media company focused on food and travel video content distributed across social platforms and streaming services. Founded in 2012, the company produces short-form and long-form programming, partners with brands for sponsored series, and operates a multi-platform network that spans mobile apps, connected-TV channels, and social media. Tastemade's operations intersect with major players in digital entertainment, advertising, and technology ecosystems.

History

Tastemade was founded amid rapid expansion of online video and social platforms, contemporaneous with notable companies such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Vimeo, and Twitch. Its early trajectory paralleled fundraising trends seen at BuzzFeed, Vice Media, Complex Networks, and Refinery29. Founders Joseph Perez, Steven Kydd, and Larry Fitzgibbon launched the company in Santa Monica during the era of platform evolution alongside Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. Series A and subsequent rounds involved investors similar to those backing Reddit, Spotify, Peloton, and Snap Inc., reflecting venture interest similar to deals with Sequoia Capital, Benchmark, and Accel Partners. Tastemade expanded internationally with teams and offices in markets like London, Berlin, Tokyo, Sydney, and São Paulo, aligning with distributor strategies of HBO, BBC Studios, and National Geographic Partners. Corporate partnerships and distribution deals connected Tastemade to streaming hardware makers such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Electronics. The company’s growth paralleled content strategies of networks including Food Network, Travel Channel, CNN, and Smithsonian Channel.

Programming and Content

Tastemade produces a range of formats from quick recipes to travel documentaries, comparable in scope to programming from Bon Appétit, Epicurious, Munchies (Vice) and Serious Eats. Signature series have featured hosts and collaborators akin to personalities associated with Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Anthony Bourdain, Ina Garten, and Nigella Lawson in terms of culinary focus, while travel episodes echo storytelling from Rick Steves, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, and No Reservations. The company’s content strategy leverages platform-native approaches used by Vox, The New York Times Video, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Los Angeles Times' visual teams. Tastemade has produced branded series and partnerships similar to campaigns created by GE, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Samsung, and Airbnb with other studios, and has collaborated on celebrity-driven projects paralleling ventures with Chrissy Teigen, Martha Stewart, David Chang, Ree Drummond, and Samin Nosrat. Episodic themes include street food, regional cuisines, kitchen techniques, and cultural exploration akin to topics covered by Saveur, Eater, Zagat, and Lonely Planet.

Business Model and Funding

Tastemade’s revenue model mixes advertising, branded content, licensing, subscription, and distribution deals, reflecting monetization patterns similar to Condé Nast, Hearst Communications, ViacomCBS, and WarnerMedia. The company has raised venture capital in rounds reminiscent of financing seen at BuzzFeed Newsroom, Mic, Vox Media, and Group Nine Media and has worked with strategic partners parallel to Amazon Studios, Google/Vision, and Facebook Watch initiatives. Branded content collaborations mirror relationships between creators and brands such as Target, Walmart, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and General Motors. Licensing of catalog content and channel carriage agreements resemble distribution strategies used by Dish Network, Comcast, AT&T, and Charter Communications. Tastemade’s business development activities align with mergers and acquisitions patterns like those executed by Discovery, Inc., Scripps Networks Interactive, and 16:9 media conglomerates.

Technology and Distribution

Tastemade uses video production workflows and content management systems comparable to tools from Adobe Systems, Avid Technology, Autodesk, Apple (company), and Blackmagic Design. Its multi-platform distribution strategy targets OTT and FAST channels on platforms such as Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, YouTube TV, and Pluto TV, and integrates with social systems like Instagram TV, Facebook Watch, TikTok, Snapchat Discover, and Twitter (X). Analytics and ad-tech stacks draw on services and integrations akin to Google Analytics, Nielsen, Comscore, DoubleClick, and The Trade Desk. Live and on-demand productions use streaming protocols and cloud infrastructure reminiscent of deployments by Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and Akamai Technologies. Device reach includes partnerships for smart TVs and set-top boxes comparable to collaborations with LG Electronics, Sony Corporation, TCL (company), and Chromecast.

Audience and Reception

The audience for Tastemade spans social-native viewers and streaming consumers tracked with metrics similar to those reported by Comscore, Nielsen Digital, Pew Research Center, eMarketer, and Statista. Critical reception has been discussed in outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Atlantic with comparisons to digital-first food and travel storytelling from Epicurious, Bon Appétit, Thrillist, and Atlas Obscura. Community engagement models parallel those used by creator networks such as Patreon, YouTube Creators, Twitch Partners, and Instagram Creators, while audience demographics echo trends reported alongside Millennial and Generation Z media consumption studies.

Awards and Recognitions

Tastemade and its productions have been part of industry ceremonies and festivals similar to The Webby Awards, Emmy Awards (Primetime Emmys), James Beard Foundation Awards, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and Shorty Awards. Recognition in trade press and at conferences has occurred in contexts akin to accolades received by National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Clio Awards, Streamy Awards, and MIPTV showcases. Individual series and talent associated with the company have been highlighted in year-end lists from Forbes, Fast Company, Time (magazine), and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Category:Digital media companies