LawrenceWeibman@gmail.com
I'm a leader, manager, and producer who makes great homemade pizzas, hosts food TV shows, draws and paints, and loves telling stories. Working hard, treating people well and following my dreams have led to a fifteen-year career helping some genre-defining brands create content and grow audiences in TV and digital video. Along the way, I created a notable blog and food brand of my own (@nycfoodguy) and spent three years in TV and digital sales and sponsorships. I'm excited for an opportunity to combine all my skills and share them with a team who wants to change the game.
MANAGEMENT & PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE
Nov 2019-Present
Executive Producer, YouTube, Meredith Corporation - People Magazine, Food & Wine, Martha Stewart, InStyle
I was the first hire in Meredith’s history focused solely on growing YouTube content and audience. Working fully remotely, I built and managed a 3-year business plan, a 12-person team and a $1.5M+ production budget. I also led content strategy and analytics, development, and production while creating new collaborative workflows with high level stakeholders on four major brands. In just under one year, my team brought 9 new shows to market for People Magazine and Food & Wine and we grew YOY YouTube viewership 350% for Martha Stewart and 185% for Food & Wine. My biggest accomplishment may have been uniting digital editorial teams, audience growth and PR around a new cross-functional strategy and workflow for promoting YouTube-first video products
April 2017-Nov 2019
Senior Producer, First We Feast at Complex Networks
I was hired when Verizon and Hearst bought Complex and instituted a full, company-wide pivot to video and away from editorial. My role was to teach a team of food writers, who at that point had only one very successful show (“Hot Ones”), how to create and run a food video production effort from the ground up. I succeeded greatly in my role, but walked away with very valuable insights on content strategy, marketing, promotion, and what it takes to build a brand that successfully engages with their audience and, as a result, creates new business opportunities ranging from events and e-commerce to branded content and licensing/distribution.
In my nearly three years with First We Feast I oversaw the creation of 100+ episodes of six new YouTube shows and one Facebook Watch show. I implemented new production workflows, managed all above and below-the-line personnel, built every show budget for both deficit-funded productions and sales opportunities, created every shoot schedule, and booked all the crew, gear, and locations. I also functioned as post producer on all productions.
Supervising Producer Credits:
"The Burger Show" (5 seasons, 30 episodes)
"Sean in the Wild" (2 seasons, 50 episodes)
"Feast Mansion" (2 seasons, 12 episodes)
"That's Odd Let's Drink It" Dogfish Head Brewery Branded Show (1 season, 6 episodes)
"Curry Shop" Bira91 Branded Show (1 season, 6 episodes)
Kingsford “Grilling Sessions” Branded Show (1 season, 2 episodes)
“Custom Grills” Facebook Watch Show (1 season, 8 episodes)
November 2007-Feb 2018
Creator, Writer, Editor, Video Host & Producer, NYCFoodGuy.com / @nycfoodguy (IG)
The creation of my blog “NYC Food Guy” in 2007 is one of my proudest accomplishments as it helped me fall in love with food and open the door to many opportunities thereafter. For three years 2007-2010, I regularly wrote the blog crafting almost 400 original NYC restaurant reviews. I grew my audience to around 90K page views at the blog’s peak in 2009 (plus 5K followers on Twitter & 2K on Facebook). The site is still alive but mostly quiet as the NYCFoodGuy name lives through my Instagram @nycfoodguy (17.6K followers).
August 2016-December 2016
Producer/ Director, “Boat Buyers” on Travel Channel, Simple Alien Inc
Development Producer/ Director, Simple Alien Inc
Developed, wrote, produced, and directed five 30-minute episodes of “Boat Buyers”
Developed talent & show concepts, wrote, produced and directed field-based sizzle reels
June 2016-August 2016
Director/ Shooter/ Producer, “Page Six TV” on FOX, Endemol Shine North America/Lock & Key Productions
September 2011 – June 2016
Field Producer “The Chew” on ABC
2016 National Emmy Award-Winner
Developed, pitched, wrote, directed, and personally filmed B-cam on over 100 field shoots with talent including Michelle Obama, Bradley Cooper and Nolan Ryan
August 2006 – July 2009
Associate Producer/Production Assistant
SportsNet New York (SNY) NY Mets TV Station
May 2005 – May 2006
Production Assistant, MSNBC
HOSTING EXPERIENCE
September 2018-June 2019
Host, Writer, Co-Producer & Co-Director, "Food Adventure" on NY1 Hosting Playlist
December 2016-March 2017
Host, Writer, “The Explorers” food video series on Thrillist.com Hosting Playlist
September 2013-June 2015
Creator, Host, Producer, Editor & Videographer “NYC Food Tour” on NYC TV
SALES EXPERIENCE
September 2010 – August 2011
Print & Digital Account Manager, Time Out New York
July 2009 – September 2010
Sales Assistant, SportsNet New York (SNY), New York Mets TV station
EDUCATION
State University of New York at Binghamton, Class of 2005 – BA in English
Skills – Filming on Panasonic Video Cameras & Canon DSLRs, Editing on Avid and Adobe Premiere, photo/graphic editing on Photoshop, operating and monitoring audio direct to camera via lav and shotgun microphones
Interests – Art and Illustration, sports food, creative writing, reading, cooking, leading food tours, performing standup comedy