Inside the business of Bon Appetit's wildly popular YouTube channel, which has made editors like Claire Saffitz into social-media stars
- Condé Nast has found viral success on YouTube by turning some of the editors and chefs behind Bon Appétit magazine into social-media stars.
- Bon Appétit's YouTube channel has 5 million subscribers and its most popular show, "Gourmet Makes," averages between 3 million and 5 million views an episode.
- Business Insider spoke to the people behind the YouTube channel, like video director Dan Siegal and contributing food editor and star of "Gourmet Makes" Claire Saffitz, on why they have succeeded where some other magazine brands have failed.
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Pastry chef Claire Saffitz never set out to be a YouTube star.
When Saffitz was pitched by Bon Appétit to appear in a show for YouTube, she was hesitant, but ultimately agreed knowing that it wouldn't be much different than what she already did at work.
"I am not and will never be an actor, so the lack of performativity was appealing to me," Saffitz told Business Insider. "I liked - and still like - that I am only asked to do an extension of what I normally do in the Test Kitchen environment."
But Saffitz, a contributing food editor at Bon Appétit, has become a star of the YouTube channel nonetheless. Her show "Gourmet Makes" has been a viral success bringing in an average 3 million to 5 million views a video - and recent uploads can usually be found on YouTube's trending page.
Since the rise of social media, magazines and digital-media publications have fought to adapt their video efforts to new mediums. Though many brands have tried to make the jump, only a few have really nailed it. Some of the top performers are Complex Networks and its interview-style series "Hot Ones," and Vogue's "73 questions," which live on YouTube and accumulate millions of views, attracting new audiences and revenue streams. Bon Appétit's channel is right there among them.
Today, the Bon Appétit YouTube channel has over 5 million subscribers, a merchandise line with branded apparel, and the shows have spawned various memes, fan groups, and communities off viewers' love for the characters.
There are over 5 recurring shows, like "Gourmet Makes" or "Back-to-Back chef," and each one stars a chef with a charismatic personality.
Creating content specifically for a social platform like YouTube has allowed the magazine to reach a new, younger audience, which has played an important role in the company's growth, said Adam Rapoport, editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit.
From YouTube, a viewer can tune into Bon Appétit's podcast, purchase merchandise, or check out the magazine.
"It all sort of connects and feeds into each other," Rapoport said. "Half the items on our merch store are YouTube inspired and aimed towards our younger audience."
Placing viewers inside the Test Kitchen
Most of Bon Appétit's shows take place in its recipe testing space, dubbed the BA Test Kitchen, a large open room that looks nothing like a production set - but that's the point.
Bon Appétit encourages its employees to go about their regular days while an episode is being filmed, and to participate in normal work-day banter with the host of a show. These natural interruptions and small conversations help make viewers feel like they are really there.
"That's the magic of what makes the Test Kitchen what it is - an actual place where work is being done," said Dan Siegal, the video director for "Gourmet Makes."
The production has a free-flowing feel. Unlike producing a show for TV, the crew doesn't have to worry about fitting the YouTube show into a certain amount of minutes, or squeezing in room for ad breaks. Episodes have ranged anywhere from 50 minutes long to 15.
Inside filming Bon Appétit's hit show, 'Gourmet Makes'
In "Gourmet Makes" - Bon Appétit's most popular show - Saffitz creates gourmet versions of popular snack foods like Pop-Tarts (5 million views), Skittles (12 million views), or Hot Pockets (5 million views). The Hot Pockets were Saffitz's personal favorite episode to film, she said.
Filming a single episode of the show can take between three days and a full week depending on the food. Some episodes come easier than others, Saffitz said. For example, jelly beans, which required achieving a chewy texture using a mold, and making a candy shell, presented some major hurdles.
There's a dedicated production crew for the show, a team of around five people who stand in front of Saffitz and are sometimes heard within episodes.
"One thing about working with Claire is that she is sort of on autopilot most of the time," Siegal said. "She's really the one doing the heavy lifting, and we are there to document that."
Through the show, Saffitz has become an internet star.
Off YouTube, Saffitz has amassed an audience of 500,000 followers on Instagram. There are multiple fan pages and videos made dedicated to Saffitz and her show. A majority of the fans skew younger than the audience Bon Appétit reaches from the magazine.
Fans also create memes of the show, and YouTube videos like "I would die for Claire from the Bon Appetit test kitchen," with 1.1 million views, or compilation videos of Saffitz being "absolutely adorable," which has 300,000 views.
"It's really interesting to see the level of extreme fandom," Siegal said. "In television, it's harder to get a sense of that. You put something out there and it airs, and sometimes that's the last interaction that you'll have with it. Whereas the fanbase for 'Gourmet Makes' is just so vocal and extreme."
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