EXCLUSIVE: The Jamie Oliver Group is developing a microdrama series with creative company Baby Teeth, as a strategic partnership between the two companies is unveiled amid a rethink at the campaigning celebrity chef’s media business.
Details of the vertical video production are broadly under wraps, but it is in pre-production and still begin shooting in the UK this month, we hear. Jamie Oliver Group and Baby Teeth are working with a global consumer tech brand on the show, and an official announcement is expected soon.
Baby Teeth, a UK-based creative company that launched last year, has quietly been working with Jamie Oliver Group as a strategic partner for some time on brand partnerships and special projects.
At the same time, Jamie Oliver Group has moved Alison Corfield from Head of Social Impact & Sustainability to a new role as Brand Director, a sign of the 20 Minute Meals presenter’s new focus. Going forwards, Jamie Oliver Group will focus to formats, IP and creative output.
“I’m doubling down on my lifelong mission to make good food accessible to everyone, but as we all know, the media landscape has changed beyond all recognition over the last few years so I’m looking for fresh storytelling and new digital formats to connect with people where they are right now,” said Oliver.
“That’s why I’m so excited to be working with the creative powerhouse at Baby Teeth together with Alison Corfield leading the charge as Brand Director. She knows how to weave our social purpose into exciting and impactful brand partnerships and the brilliant creative minds at Baby Teeth give us that extra edge to tell those stories in unexpected, inspiring ways.”
The changes comes after the company was forced to cut 25 of its 126 of its staff in December following a company review. A Jamie Oliver Group spokesperson told Deadline today: “The decision was one that was not taken lightly. Like many companies, the group looked at ways of working and structure to ensure we could continue on our mission to connect people around the world to food.”
Baby Teeth – founded by former Gordon Ramsay brand chief Rebecca Lewis, former Channel 4 and Conde Nast exec Lynsey Atkin and Chris Watling – has been supporting Corfield on the development of new partnerships for the Jamie Oliver brand, especially in health, technology, travel and family. Corfield is best known for spearheading many of Oliver’s food campaigns such as #AdEnough, which resulted in the introduction of a junk food advertising watershed.
“There are very few people who can genuinely move culture, influence policy, inspire businesses and still make millions of people feel excited about cooking dinner on a Tuesday night. Jamie can,” said Corfield, one of his most trusted lieutenants.
“Having spent the last eight years working alongside him on campaigns that have changed laws, shifted conversations and improved lives, I know the scale of what’s possible when you combine his creativity, relentless optimism and deep belief that good food should be for everyone.
“Food has never been more talked about, but the need for practical, positive change has never been greater. This next chapter is about unlocking the full power of Jamie’s brand, bringing together brilliant partners, new ideas and global platforms to help more people, in more places, live healthier, happier lives.”
Baby Teeth launched with a plans to work with film and TV producers and decision makers to create new IP, as companies search for cost-efficient and creative ways to finance ideas. The Jamie Oliver Group pact is an example of the plan in action, with the chef’s catalog of IP on the table to be repurposed into new formats along with format development.
“The most exciting talents in the world are asking a different question these days,” said Lewis. “Rather than just who can broker a deal, they want partners who can help them build something that’s not only relevant for today’s landscape but that endures beyond a launch moment. Jamie’s catalogue, his credibility, and his connection to audiences across generations make for an extraordinary, and valuable foundation to build from.
“The work we’ve been doing with Alison and the team goes far beyond endorsement deals; it’s about finding brands that are strategically and creatively aligned with Jamie’s brand and business goals and ensuring that what comes out of the partnership is additive for Jamie, for the brand and most of all for the audience.
“Jamie has been at the forefront of food and media ever since he appeared on our TV screens with The Naked Chef – pushing boundaries, reimagining formats, and doing things differently. We’re incredibly proud to build on that spirit as we help shape the next exciting chapter of the Jamie Oliver brand.
Alongside the new direction for Jamie Oliver Group, celebrity chief Oliver has revived his Jamie’s Italian restaurant business six years after it went out of business.
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