How to Cake It

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How to Cake It is a digital web show on YouTube that posts videos showcasing Yolanda Gampp creating cakes that look like other objects, as well as baking tutorials. Her cake designs have been featured on various websites and in magazines. How to Cake It has expanded to selling merchandise,[1] holding live workshops, and a second YouTube channel ("How to Cake It Step by Step", which features more in-depth baking tutorials). The main channel has 4 million subscribers and their most popular video has over 12 million views. They upload new videos every Tuesday.

History[]

The concept of How to Cake It debuted in the form of Food Network's show SugarStars[2] starring Yolanda Gampp, the soon-to-be face of How to Cake It. It aimed to be a real-life sitcom, with the contestants making cakes and various sweet treats for big events in Toronto. The show was cancelled by the network after one season consisting of 14 episodes in 2012 and the contestants moved on to other ventures. The future co-presidents and producers of How to Cake It, Connie Contardi and Jocelyn Mercer wanted to create an entertaining baking show with Yolanda Gampp as the star, after meeting her on SugarStars.

"Connie and I decided to make our exit from television and entry into YouTube, where we could stop asking permission and make a show that we really believed in." — Mercer, 2018[3]

Their vision was not understood by any television executives, so they turned to a social media platform that would allow their creation to come to life: YouTube. Contardi and Mercer approached Gampp early 2014 about a more relaxed baking show, starring Gampp, which she was more than excited for.

Personnel[]

Yolanda Gampp[]

Inspired by her father who was a baker, Yolanda Gampp (born July 21, 1977) is a self-taught baker and cake designer. She would bake in her mother's small kitchen filling custom orders. She attended George Brown's Culinary Arts Program, a culinary school in Toronto, but soon discovered she preferred baking.[4] By 2005, she had a large enough clientele base to quit her job at a local bakery and focus on growing her own business.[5] Whilst a contestant on SugarStars, Gampp gave up most of her regular clients as filming was intense and took ten months.[5] The show aired for one season consisting of 14 episodes in 2012, before it was cancelled by the network. Gampp had a brief period of uncertainty towards her career, but soon found she was expecting a child.[5] Contardi and Mercer approached Gampp in early 2014 about creating How to Cake It with Gampp as the star, which she was excited for.[5] How to Cake It posted their first video on February 10, 2015. Gammp has also appeared as a guest judge on baking shows such as Sugar Showdown and Cake Wars.[5]

Gampp has a husband whom she refers to as "Mr. Cake" and a son, born in 2013.[5]

Connie Contardi[]

Connie Contardi is a producer and entrepreneur living in Toronto, Canada. She co-founded CJ Mercon Productions[6] in 2007. CJ Mercon is a film and television production company through which Contardi worked on programming for networks including Food Network, HGTV, and HBO Canada.

Contardi is the current producer and co-president of How to Cake It, a digital web show launched in 2015 using YouTube as its main platform.  

Jocelyn Mercer[]

Jocelyn Mercer is a television/film producer residing in Toronto. She is also a co-founder of CJ Mercon Productions and has a background in factual television. Mercer is the co-president and executive producer of How to Cake It, working behind the scenes to create content. In their earlier videos, Mercer can be heard laughing at Gampp's jokes, which was a hit with the audience [5] and added to the fun atmosphere of the show.

Channels[]

How to Cake It consists of one main channel and one secondary channel. The main channel, "How to Cake It" is where most of the content is posted. The two types of content posted on this channel are the videos starring Gampp creating realistic looking objects with cake, and "#CakeTalk" where Gampp offers tips and advice to fans who leave questions.

The second channel, "How to Cake It Step by Step," delivers in-depth tutorials from Gampp on the ins and outs of baking. These videos allow fans to follow along at home to create cakes.

List of awards[]

  • Nominated for a Streamy at the 6th annual Streamy Awards 2016
  • Forbes Top Influencer – Food 2017[7]
  • Webby Awards: Online Film & Video – How-to & DIY 2016[8]

References[]

  1. ^ "Shop All". HOW TO CAKE IT. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  2. ^ "SugarStars| Episode Guide, Videos & TV Schedule - Recipes". foodnetwork.ca. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  3. ^ Belanger, Lydia (18 April 2018). "Rejected by Network TV, These 3 Women Took Their Talents to YouTube and Grew an Audience of 3.6 Million". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Yolanda From How to Cake It Gives Us Her Top Cake-Making Tips". Sweety High. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Fitzpatrick, Anna (25 October 2017). "How Yolanda Gampp Became YouTube's Queen of Cakes". Thrillist. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  6. ^ "CJ Mercon". Vimeo. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Yolanda Gampp". Forbes.com. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  8. ^ "How To Cake It -- The Webby Awards". Retrieved 15 May 2019.

External links[]

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