Baker Gemma Stafford, whose show on YouTube has 2.7 million followers, is taking her rolling pin to connected TV with plans to launch a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, the Bold Baking Network, in the first quarter of 2024.
Stafford brings more than 800 recipes to the party and Taste Buds Entertainment, which produces Stafford’s digital content, promises to whip up a fresh batch of original programming for the new network.
“There are hundreds of millions of avid home bakers worldwide who bake daily or weekly, but there’s no dedicated baking cable, streaming or FAST network that caters to their passions, which is an enormous opportunity for the Bold Baking Network,” Kevin Kurtz, CEO and co-founder of Taste Buds Entertainment, said.
Stafford trained at the acclaimed Ballymaloe Cookery School with renowned chef, cookbook author and Irish TV celebrity Darina Allen. In 2008, Stafford moved to the U.S., working in a Michelin-starred restaurant and living in Northern California.
She moved to Los Angeles, where she and Kurtz founded their media company, Taste Buds Entertainment.
“We’ve conceived the Bold Baking Network to be much more than a channel — it’s the culmination of a decade-long journey I’ve been on to inspire bakers of all ages,” Stafford said. “Along with an incredible array of diverse baking talent from around the world, we want to reach out to every baker everywhere and offer a place to learn, share and be entertained every day.”