Food Network - Directing Culinary Content at Scale
Context
As digital video demand accelerated, Food Network needed to expand beyond its television-first model and meet audiences where they were—online, social, and on-demand. The challenge wasn’t interest or reach; it was scale.
The brand required a dedicated digital production system that could dramatically increase output without compromising the trust, authority, and storytelling quality Food Network was known for.
The Problem
“We need to produce significantly more content—but not at the expense of brand quality.”
Without a centralized digital production system, creative direction risked becoming fragmented across teams, formats, and platforms. Speed was increasing, but consistency and clarity were harder to protect.
The real risk wasn’t volume—it was creative drift.
My Mandate
I was brought in to found and lead Food Network’s first Digital Culinary Production department, with full ownership over creative standards, production systems, and execution at scale.
The goal: build a digital-first content engine where creative quality was repeatable—not dependent on constant oversight.
My Role
Founded and built the Digital Culinary Production department from the ground up
Defined creative standards and quality bars for digital food storytelling
Directed execution across culinary producers, editors, talent, and post-production teams
Designed scalable workflows and approval structures
Oversaw multimillion-dollar annual production budgets
Hired, mentored, and led internal teams while managing external vendors
Partnered cross-functionally with marketing, creative, and talent teams
The System I Built
Rather than relying on taste-driven intervention alone, I embedded creative direction directly into production systems.
This included:
Clear creative standards and storytelling guardrails
Executable briefs that translated brand intent into action
Repeatable workflows with defined ownership and approvals
Production models adaptable across formats, including short-form how-tos, episodic digital series, and social-first culinary content
As output increased, the brand became more consistent—not diluted.
Scale & Output
2,000+ digital culinary videos produced annually
Multi-platform distribution across owned properties and social channels
Sustained production through pandemic-era constraints
Impact
Hundreds of millions of views across digital platforms
Millions in digital revenue supported by scalable content systems
Stronger alignment between digital content and overall brand strategy
A production framework that continued to support long-term digital growth
Strategic Insight
Creative quality doesn’t erode with scale—direction does.
When creative leadership is designed into systems, consistency becomes automatic rather than enforced, and teams can move faster with confidence.
What This Proves
Creative direction can scale when it’s embedded into production systems—not layered on after the fact.