The ten episode unscripted series is executive produced by Gomez and the Intellectual Property Corporation
HBO Max has announced that the Selena Gomez cooking show, Selena + Chef, will premiere on the streamer Thursday, August 13th. The series is executive produced by Gomez for July Moon Productions, along with executive producers Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, and Leah Hariton on behalf of Industrial Media’s The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC). The unscripted ten episode cooking series features the multi-platinum selling recording artist, actress, producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist as she navigates unfamiliar territory: making delicious meals while stuck at home in quarantine.
The world-renowned chefs featured during the season includes Angelo Sosa, Antonia Lofaso, Candice Kumai, Daniel Holzman, Jon & Vinny, Ludo Lefebvre, Nancy Silverton, Nyesha Arrington, Roy Choi, and Tonya Holland
“Having some of the best chefs open up their kitchens to me was a humbling and fun experience. I definitely discovered I have a lot more to learn. I’m also really happy that we were able to highlight and raise money for some incredible charitable organizations,” states Gomez.
“Watching Selena with these incredible chefs has been a delicious joy,” says Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max. “You don’t need to be an experienced chef yourself to enjoy the show; you learn with her and get to see all the fun that happens in the kitchen. Try not to watch it while hungry!”
Since social distancing at home, Gomez has been spending more time in the kitchen than she ever imagined. But despite her many talents, it remains to be seen if cooking is one of them. In each episode of this unapologetically authentic cook-a-long, Selena, with the support of her Quaranteam, will be joined remotely by a different master chef. Together, they’ll tackle cuisines of every variety, share invaluable tips and tricks, and deal with everything from smoking ovens to missing ingredients. Each episode will highlight a food-related charity, and this casual, funny, and informative series will embrace both the struggle and the joy of learning to cook — while inviting audiences to follow along at home.
Gomez began making the transition from young actress to adulthood with such films as Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers. She appeared in the Academy Award nominated film The Big Short opposite Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling as well as Fundamentals of Caring alongside Paul Rudd. Most recently, she starred in Jim Jarmusch’s film The Dead Don’t Die opposite Bill Murray and Adam Driver. Gomez has added executive producer to her list of credits serving as an executive producer of the hit Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why. Most recently, she executive produced the critically acclaimed Netflix docu-series Living Undocumented which created much buzz and discussion regarding the polarizing issue of undocumented people living in the United States. Gomez also executive produced the upcoming feature film The Broken Heart Gallery.
Earlier this year, Gomez released her critically acclaimed album Rare which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, her third consecutive studio album to debut atop the chart. The first single, “Lose You To Love Me,” gave Gomez her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. As a solo artist Gomez has accumulated over 22 billion global streams. Gomez recently launched her highly anticipated Rare Beauty cosmetics line exclusively at Sephora. The mission behind the brand it to embrace one’s own uniqueness and build a community of support around a healthy self-image. The company launched the Rare Impact Fund, which will raise $100 million over the next ten years to help address the gaps in mental health services for underserved communities.
This project marks the second collaboration between IPC’s Holzman and Saidman and Gomez following the last year’s groundbreaking, six-part docuseries Living Undocumented, which the three executive produced and Saidman also co-directed. Holzman and Saidman also lead IPC’s parent company, Industrial Media, an independent production group with ownership interest in IPC, Sharp Entertainment, 19 Entertainment, and B17 Entertainment which is currently producing Craftopia hosted by YouTube star LaurDIY for HBO Max.
