Tasteful transmedia travels: the history and specifics of travelebrity as a product of media culture

Abstract

The article focuses on various transmedia projects developed by culinary travelebrities. The aim of the research is to show that the form of transmedia storytelling, based on the flow of content between different platforms (book travelogues, videos, TV programs), is treated by traveling chefs as a tool for building a recognizable and coherent personal brand. The study covers the media activity of three culinary travelebrities: Jamie Oliver, Anthony Bourdain and Robert Makłowicz, whose projects combine journalistic,culinary and travel content with autobiographical discourse. Due to the adoption of such a communication strategy, they effectively influence the attention of the contemporary media audience, but also they build a recognizable and coherent media identity. The research outlined in the article demonstrates that culinary travelebrity focuses primarily on discovering the exotic side of the world. Celebrity chefs are presented in the original scenery where they prepare a kind of media performance simulating authenticity.