The Scoop: ‘Tiny Chef’ viral video shows importance of new content streams

A beloved series has lost its place in the Nickelodeon kingdom.

When “The Tiny Chef Show” creators Rachel Larsen and Ozlem Akturk learned the news that Nickelodeon was canceling the show, featuring a stop-motion vegan chef who enjoys teaching school-aged children fun recipes, they wanted fans, and the chef himself, to be aware.

Instead of quietly walking away, the creators instead dropped a video in which the chef receives a phone call from “Mickelfodeon” telling him he’s fired. The minute-long clip shows Tiny Chef receiving the call, attempting to plead with the company (“But we won an Emmy!”) and then resigning to his fate and sitting down to shed some tears.

Since it was posted on YouTube two weeks ago, the clip received over 1.2 million views and sparked a public outpouring calling for the show to keep going, the New York Times reports. This effort also spawned a funding page for Tiny Chef that has amassed $140,000 from fans and the relaunch of the character’s “Fwiends Club,” a paid subscription that has already drawn 10,000 members.

“The crowdfunding had helped cover some of our overhead, enough that we feel comfortable moving forward and filling that gap with brand deals” — sponsorships that will appear on the Chef social feeds, Larsen told the Times. “I want the public to know it literally did work.”

Why it matters: Creators are finding that big networks aren’t the only mainstay for success. Sometimes even the most valuable and beloved content can conflict with a network’s bottom line. This puts mass amounts of pressure on creators to perform, even sometimes changing the direction of their project.

While “Tiny Chef” found success and fame with Nickelodeon, his ousting doesn’t have to mean his downfall. What Larsen and Akturk did by sharing their character’s sadness with the viral YouTube video demonstrates the power of creators to bypass traditional distribution outlets and make appeals to fans in a way previously impossible.

There’s an opportunity here to capitalize on the moment and create something that places Larsen and Akturk at the helm of the controls.

Brands and even journalists are finding more independent ways to continue sharing their content and finding success through brand loyalty and building a following. This may have some risks, but as “Tiny Chef” shows, it may also have some truly valuable advantages.

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• Citi is among the companies that mandated a partial RTO policy earlier this year, bringing people back to the office at least three days a week. In a recent memo to employees, Citi said it opted to balance the move with an option to work from home for two weeks in August. Business Insider reports that the memo said, “Because we know how much you value the opportunity for flexibility, we are pleased to share that colleagues in hybrid roles will have the opportunity to work fully remotely for two weeks of your choosing in August.” The memo also describes why August is a prime time for this (“It’s typically a quieter time for business”) and offered a section at the end that lists FAQs about the decision as well as its WFH policies. Citi was transparent about why August is optimal for everyone and said it wanted to be flexible by giving employees the option to choose which weeks they worked from home. Offering a FAQs section can help address concerns or any remaining confusion over the policy. Two weeks may not be a total win for employees who disagree with RTO policies entirely, but Citi is attempting to offer an olive branch of sorts and boost its company culture and employee morale.

Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at [email protected].