Live-streamed cooking shows are here to feed your inner foodie
Steve Chen and Vijay Karunamurthy used to meet up for meals to chat about potential future ventures. But rather than talk about business ideas, the co-founder of YouTube and its former engineering lead soon realized something -- they were spending most of that time talking about their food.
And just like that, over one lunch on the Google Campus in Mountain View, the idea for Nom was born.
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The live, food-centric interactive video platform -- which debuted Wednesday and will be promoted at SXSW -- gives users the ability to direct, produce and host their own food shows. Viewers can then watch and interact with everyone from chefs to brewmasters through Nom channels.
"People care a lot about the foods that inspire them -- they get excited about it," Karunamurthy told Mashable. "But they want to hear the stories behind that food. And on a personal level, both me and Steve are passionate about food, whether it’s going to an amazing restaurant or cooking at home."
The co-founders have known each other for over 25 years -- they went to high school and college together at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Nom springs from a big year for live streaming. Fueled by the popularity of Periscope and Meerkat, many are increasingly jumping into the live streaming space to attract younger users and capitalize on the rise of the live format.
StreamUp, launched by Maker Studios and Endemol alum Will Keenan, recently announced its first slate of live-streaming originals. Livestreaming platform YouNow also recently stirred up some new original content with two food-related shows, including one with RokerLabs, a New York-based video and live streaming studio spearheaded by Today Show co-host Al Roker.
Food, too, has become a popular genre across all video platforms.
On Facebook, the list of top video producers is made up of food-related channels. On YouTube, a search for "cooking" garners 10.4 million results -- including videos from chef Gordon Ramsay.
Still, Nom hopes to differentiate itself by pushing its interactive component on live streaming, users reportedly watch live video for three times longer than recorded video.
"While there are certainly food-focused content out there on the web and on TV, most of this content need to weave through many layers of editing before it reaches the viewer," Chen said in the email interview. "We put you as close as you could possibly be with a chef; you are right there, receiving the live feed of the chef talking in his kitchen. Chefs love to have that control and power to control the message they want to deliver."
Already, chefs and personalities who have launched channels on Nom include 3-star Michelin chef Corey Lee and Master Sommelier Yoon Ha of Benu in San Francisco; Pastry Chef Joanne Chang; Tim Hollingsworth of Otium in downtown Los Angeles; Hubert Keller in Las Vegas; and Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco.
The company has raised $4.7 million in Series A funding, including from celebrities such as "Gangnam Style" artist PSY and Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto and others.
Chen will be demonstrating the product at a featured talk at this year's SXSW next week. The festival will also have its own featured channel.
"Food brings so many people together across many walks of life," Karunamurthy added. "It's a shared passion that crosses cultural boundaries and is part of all of lives ...we're excited for people to explore and connect with others."
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Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
