Chipotle Mexican Grill debuted its original comedy series, “Farmed and Dangerous,” on Hulu and Hulu Plus. The four-episode series marks Chipotle’s first foray into long-format, unbranded content. Produced in conjunction with Piro, a New York—based studio, the series stars Ray Wise (“24,” “Mad Men,” “Twin Peaks”) and Eric Pierpoint (“Parks and Recreation,” “Big Love”), and provides a satirical look at the lengths the agriculture industry goes to manage perceptions about its practices.
“Our goal in making the show was to engage people through entertainment and make them more curious about their food and where it comes from,” says Mark Crumpacker, chief marketing and development officer at Chipotle and an executive producer of the show. “It’s not a show about Chipotle, but rather integrates the values that are at the heart of our business. The more people know about how food is raised, the more likely they will be to choose food made from better ingredients—like the food we serve at Chipotle.”
Called a “smart comedy” by NBC News and “smart and wickedly funny” by Fortune, the first episode is available now for viewing on Hulu, free of charge, and Hulu Plus, with subsequent episodes to be made available Monday, February 24, March 3, and March 10.
“Every brand has their own unique story. Our job is to uncover it and then find the perfect vehicle in which to express it,” says Daniel Rosenberg, a partner at Piro and an executive producer of “Farmed and Dangerous.”
“Farmed and Dangerous” satirizes the lengths to which corporate agribusiness and its image-makers go to create a positive image of industrial agriculture. The first season focuses on the introduction of PetroPellet, a new petroleum-based animal feed created by fictional industrial giant Animoil. PetroPellet promises to reduce industrial agriculture’s dependence on oil by eliminating the need to grow, irrigate, fertilize, and transport the vast amount of feed needed to raise livestock on factory farms. Before its new feed formula can forever reshape industrial agriculture, Animoil’s plans go awry when a revealing security video goes viral sending Animoil and their spin master, Buck Marshall (played by Wise) of the Industrial Food Image Bureau (IFIB), into damage control mode.
“Brands need to make a decision,” says Tim Piper, a partner at Piro and director of the series. “They can either continue to interrupt entertainment, or they can inspire it.”
