A&E Networks has acquired a 50% stake in Rachael Ray’s new production company, Free Food Studios. The new partnership will result in Free Food Studios developing and producing 278 episodes of new programming.
“Today, I just finished writing over 80 pages of recipes and production notes for my groundbreaking new partnership with A+E Networks. I am so excited for this new chapter of my life to open,” stated Rachael Ray. “Viewers can expect to see me cooking in both of my homes, in upstate New York and Tuscany, Italy and creating new shows that will feature an amazing group of diverse and unique culinary talents. We have been working on this partnership for some time and this is just the beginning, so stay tuned.”
The first series announced include the 30-episode half-hour Rachael Ray’s Meals in Minutes and Rachael Ray’s Tuscany.
“A+E Networks continues to partner with leading content creators and talent as we expand our genre-leading Home.Made.Nation lifestyle programming portfolio, and there is no one more synonymous with culinary programming than Rachael Ray and the team at Free Food Studios,” said Rob Sharenow, President of Programming, A+E Networks. “The team’s expertise and prowess in developing and producing high-quality content that viewers crave is second to none, and we look forward to working together to bring Rachael and a new crop of talent to A+E Networks and screens around the world across all platforms.”
According to A&E Networks’ announcement, Free Food Studios will focus on developing and creating long and short-form content across various platforms. The full-service production company was formed by Ray, Brian Flanagan, Anthony Amoia, and Sean Lee of Intentional Content.
“When Sean, Anthony, and I started Free Food with Rachael, library ownership and scale were crucial to our collective mission statement,” said Flanagan. “During that same period of time, A+E Networks were great partners in helping us launch Rachael in the home space with Italian Dream Home and Rachael Ray’s Rebuild, so when it came time to scale and distribute our expanding food content library, partnering with A+E made complete sense.”
