The Cheesecake Factory Presents “The Kitchen Speaks”
The Cheesecake Factory introduces “The Kitchen Speaks”, a 7-part animated series featuring an all-star cast of kitchen tools that will allow the upscale casual dining restaurant to tell its “Made Fresh” story from the perspective of the kitchen tools. With more than 250 items hand made every day, this is the first time The Cheesecake Factory has made the utensils the spotlight of a campaign.
“The Kitchen Speaks” follows the daily activities of the kitchen tools prepping for the prep, showing a natural fear of microwaves, tolerating new employees and generally supporting one another. The shorts are engaging, entertaining and connect to a wide audience in a fun way.
The imaginative and quirky campaign personifies six hard-working kitchen utensils through hand-drawn animation and playfully focuses on how each “character” prepares the hundreds of made fresh dishes which make up The Cheesecake Factory’s menu.
The Cheesecake Factory CMO, Donald Evans (who spent 11 years previously with Disney and Pixar animation) worked with agency of record, Pereira & O’Dell, as well as commercial studio, House Special, known for its expertise in animation.
The Kitchen Speaks cast of characters include:
1. “Whisk” – twirly, dizzy and upbeat
2. “Board” – cutting board astounded with the quantity of chopping of fresh ingredients
3. “Pan” – frazzled from sautéed to fried to searing
4. “Bowl” – mellow, happy-go-lucky and likes parties
5. “Knife” – sharp wit, cuts to the chase
6. “Grater” – a millennial cheese grater, a newbie
The series will run online leading up to National Cheesecake Day on July 29th and 30th and will be distributed on video partners including Hulu, YouTube and Drawbridge and published across The Cheesecake Factory’s popular social channels.
Client: Cheesecake Factory
Donald Evans - Chief Marketing Officer
Lead Agency: Pereira & O’Dell
Chief Creative Officer - PJ Pereira
Executive Creative Director - Jonathan Woytek
Group Creative Director - Jason Apaliski
Art Director - Tyler Jensen
Copywriter - Demian Kendall
Associate Director of Creative Services - Jennifer McConville
Project Manager - Melissa Redada
Co-Director, Account Services - Ryan Toland
Account Director - Nidhi Chinai
Senior Account Executive - Stephanie Stoutner
Account Executive- Jenna Hering
Chief Strategy Officer - Matt Herrmann
Director of Strategy – Alan Stout
Strategic Planner - Beth Windheuser
VP, Communications Strategy - Joshua Brandau
Associate Communications Strategy Director- Ashley Wells
Senior Communications Strategist – Breanne Brock
Associate Director of Social Strategy- Danielle Marcello
Creative Social Strategist- Oscar Nilsson
VP, Production - Jeff Ferro
Broadcast Producer - Bill Spangler
Director of Business Affairs - Russ Nadler
Business Affairs Coordinator- Christina Hadly
Animation: House Special
Director - Aaron Sorenson
Creative Director - Kirk Kelley
Executive Producer - Lourri Hammack
Producer - Julie Ragland
Editor - Cam Williams
Flame Artist - Rex Carter
Storyboard Artist - Joe Merideth, Gordon Clark
Character Designer Aaron Sorenson
Production Design - Michelle Kwon
Layout - Stephen Bodin, Alan Cook
2D Animator(s) - JD Buffam, Sam Neimann, Temris Ridge, Frank Summers, Lyla Warren
Assistant Animator – JD Buffam
After Effects Artist – Stephen Bodin
Production Coordinator – Alix Iverson
Production Assistants – Alex Webster, Emma Van Halsema
Compositing Artist – Stephen Bodin, Jose Diaz
Tape Room Op – Dino Coons
Music/Sound: 740 Sound
