As a food & beverage-focused creative, culinary producer, food stylist, and food photography producer based in Los Angeles, I’ve dedicated years to crafting compelling visual and non-visual content for the food and beverage industry and media. My journey began with a deep passion for food and creativity, leading me to build brand identities for emerging restaurant chains, produce captivating food photography for National Geographic publications, and create Webby Award-winning videos. Through these experiences, I’ve witnessed the transformative power of food visuals—not just to entice appetites and sell products but to educate, entertain, and tell authentic, compelling stories. This passion, combined with my diverse work across creative formats and media, inspired me to found Phoode.com, a food & bev advertising platform designed to revolutionize how food creatives and clients connect and collaborate. Here’s the story of how Phoode.com came to be, why it’s poised to be a game-changer, and how my background shaped its vision.
The Spark: A Vision for Connection
The idea for Phoode.com emerged from a clear realization: the food and beverage industry needed a better way to create advertising, marketing, and editorial materials by connecting with a broad range of talented creatives, beyond what the internet, reps, and agencies currently offer. As a food creative, I’ve navigated these challenges firsthand, matching the right talent to projects and helping clients find professionals whose vision, style, and skill level align with their needs. Whether it’s a legacy CPG brand, a global fast-casual restaurant chain needing a menu overhaul, or a new CPG brand launching a social media campaign, the process of finding reliable, skilled creative directors, food photographers, stylists, or designers with the right portfolio was often lengthy, inefficient, and yielded inconsistent results.
In the post-internet and social media era, I observed a market in disarray, where the traditional agency and creative rep model was crumbling. Projects became more diverse, budgets varied widely, and clients struggled to find talent that met their creative needs and financial constraints. Meanwhile, creatives—especially those working with substantial budgets—often couldn’t locate the right professionals through fragmented networks. Existing tech solutions fell short, lacking a deep understanding of the food creative market and the skills and resources required. This frustration, felt by both clients and creatives, inspired me to create Phoode.com: a one-stop virtual marketplace where food creatives can showcase their portfolios and clients can easily search for and hire professionals tailored to their creative needs and budgets. The platform allows clients to brainstorm, explore ideas, and switch between creative strategies and campaign ideas freely, unbound by long-term contracts or unfulfilled promises and unmet goals. Let’s be honest—ROI matters when you’re a business investing in marketing, and Phoode.com is built to deliver the best creative yet measurable results.
My background as a sociologist, studying human behavior and responses to visual stimuli, further fueled this vision. I’ve always been fascinated by how food visuals evoke emotions, drive sales, and build brand identity. Phoode.com became my way to blend creativity with pragmatism, offering a streamlined, accessible platform for both small and large food & beverage brands and under-represented yet talented creatives.
Building Phoode.com: A Recipe for Success
Creating Phoode.com was no small feat. It required combining my industry experience with a deep understanding of what food creatives and clients need, as well as learning how to leverage technology to deliver on my promise. The food & bev advertising platform is designed to be intuitive, much like scrolling through Pinterest, but with a laser focus on food-focused creative talent and achieving the best results with efficiency. Photographers, stylists, designers, and directors can build custom profiles to highlight their unique skills, from on-white food photography to stop-motion animation for social media. Clients, whether from advertising, publishing, or hospitality, can filter by profession, creative style, or specific project requirements to find the perfect match.
What sets Phoode.com apart is its commitment to accessibility and inclusivity. Small and medium-sized food brands often struggle to afford high-quality visuals, while talented creatives, especially those just starting out, lack the exposure to land major projects. Phoode.com levels the playing field by offering a standardized, organized platform where everyone has a seat at the table. From a restaurant needing branding photography to a startup launching a nut-free spread campaign, Phoode.com makes it easier to connect, create, and test ideas with flexibility.
Rooted in My Professional Food Creative Experience
Phoode.com is a direct extension of my career as a sociologist working with ad agencies and consumer focus groups, a food-focused creative, and a creative entrepreneur. Over the years, I’ve worked with over 150 clients, from fast-food chains and food & beverage CPG brands (big and small) to fine dining establishments and mass media outlets, producing everything from editorial photography to social media content. My understanding of creative work goes beyond aesthetics, styles, and trends—it’s about creating content that resonates with target audiences and drives measurable results, whether that’s conversions, sales, or brand recognition.
As a sociologist, I bring a unique perspective to building this platform. I understand how food visuals communicate cultural and social narratives, making them powerful tools for storytelling and marketing. This insight shapes Phoode.com’s mission to not only connect creatives and clients but also to foster a food & beverage-focused creative community that educates and inspires.
How Can Phoode.com Help Your Brand or Project?
Phoode.com is more than a food & bev advertising platform—it’s a community for the food & beverage creative ecosystem: food creatives, clients, agencies, media, production companies, studios, and anyone who loves to “play with food.” It’s designed to empower creatives to showcase their talents and help clients bring their visions and business goals to fruition. The platform’s flexibility supports a wide range of projects, from copywriting, food photography, and styling to video production and food & beverage brand development and design. Its user-friendly interface and robust search system make it easy to find talent for specific needs, whether it’s a Los Angeles-based food stylist or a designer specializing in fast-food restaurant branding.
As the Creative Food Officer at Phoode.com, I’m committed to mentoring an international team of creatives who share my passion for food visuals and connecting them with food & beverage clients worldwide. The platform is already gaining traction, with over 30,000 people joining and following Phoode.com as of today. By offering free profiles for creatives and a straightforward search process for clients, Phoode.com is poised to become the go-to hub for food-focused creative work. I’m currently seeking strategic partners and investors to develop more features that will enhance search, creative collaboration, and outcomes for brands. If this is you, reach out!
Looking Ahead
Building Phoode.com has been a labor of love, driven by my years of experience and a desire to make food advertising and visual content creation more accessible, diverse, and impactful. I’ve poured everything into it, including my lifetime savings. As the food industry evolves and advertising, marketing trends, styles, and formats shift, Phoode.com is ready to meet the demands of an ever-dynamic food & beverage creative market. Whether you’re a creative looking to showcase your portfolio or a business seeking the perfect visual storyteller, Phoode.com is here to connect you with exactly what you need, as long as it involves food or beverage!
Join me in this exciting journey. Visit Phoode.com to explore the platform, set up a profile, or find the creative talent you need to bring your food story to life. It’s a work in progress, and I need your support and involvement to make this dream fully come true! Together, we can create a platform where everyone wins—a place that not only looks delicious but also inspires, educates, connects, and helps us all make a fulfilling living.
Have a Project in need of a Food Stylist, Food Photographer, or Video Producer?