By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The agency Underscore Talent has created a new division devoted exclusively to culinary talent, such as celebrity chefs, food bloggers, writers and influencers.
The new culinary division will be headed by Noah Swimmer, who was also recently promoted to become a partner of the company.
“Featuring more than forty top food creators, this makes Underscore Talent the only entertainment management company with a dedicated culinary talent division,” the company said in a statement from co-founders and co-CEOs Reza Izad and Dan Weinstein.
Underscore Talent’s new culinary division kicks off with an impressive roster of influential chefs, writers, bloggers, and YouTube stars. That includes Albert Niahvinski, aka Albert-Can-Cook; the James Beard Award-winning Joanne Molinaro, aka The Korean Vegan; international chef and author Andy Hearnden, aka Andy Cooks; New York Times best-sellers Preppy Kitchen’s John Kanell and Jake Cohen; YouTube stars Mike Greenfield of Pro Home Cooks and Stephen Cusato of NotAnotherCookingShow; veteran food blogger Jocelyn Delk Adams (GrandbabyCakes); and next-gen talent Owen Han and Toni Chapman aka TheMoodyFoody, amongst other culinary superstars and rising foodie talents.
“The culinary content space is one of the fastest growing sectors in digital media, and we are proud to offer brands, networks, publishers, and other media partners access to an impressively diverse roster of food media talent and content creators,” said Swimmer. “Our culinary clients are not just foodies; they curate and share their recipes in a way that deeply and authentically connects with their audiences.”
Swimmer comes to the role after more than three years working as a talent manager at Underscore Talent, preceded by a four-year stint at the APA Agency. He has worked both as a talent agent and working with brand licensing, particularly in the food industry.
“Noah’s experience with premium food brands, cookbook publishers, culinary merchandisers, and his passion for food and food creators make him an exceptional leader for our first-of-its-kind division,” said Izad and Weinstein.
Underscore Talent is a new but rapidly growing talent agency focused on what it calls the “attention economy,” made up of top influencers on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, Snapchat, gaming and podcasts. The company was launched in 2021 by Reza Izad and Dan Weinstein, and is a division of TheSoul Publishing.
The company says Swimmer and his impressive roster have already established Underscore Talent as the go-to talent firm for premium brand sponsors in the culinary industry, such as Coca-Cola, Genesis, Dior, and HexClad, as well as unscripted TV producers, cookbook publishers, convention organizers, and product retailers. They also consistently appear as celebrity food media panelists at leading industry conventions, including the South Beach and New York City Wine and Food Festivals.
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