The Infatuation Q&A

Hi there!

We’re obsessed with the content coming out of The Infatuation, so in today’s issue we sit down with Megan Daly (Head of Talent Partnerships & Programming for Chase Dining, Travel & Lifestyle) and Brennan Carley (Senior Editor, Entertainment), the duo who are powering all of these creative brand-talent partnerships and editorial bookings. Think: the Severance waffle party, Joe Jonas splitting the bill with Zelle and Chase, and Chrissy Teigen bringing Cravings to life at EEEEEATSCON.

The Infatuation’s mix of talent-driven pieces has featured everyone from Michael Shannon, Shea Couleé, Meghann Fahy to Kevin Bacon — proving that food content can be cool and current.

This isn’t your typical press stop — but it might be your most creative one.

What you’ll take away from this interview:
🎯 How to think beyond chefs— and pitch actors, athletes, creators, and even storylines
🎯 What they’re actually looking for in a pitch
🎯 How hometown heroes have an advantage
🎯 How they incorporate talent into their major food festival

The biggest takeaway? It’s all about food and restaurants! Which means nearly every client has a way in — if you do your homework.

This Q&A breaks down how to turn your client’s everyday obsessions (like a go-to brunch spot or late-night dumpling run) into real coverage.

The Infatuation Isn’t Just for Foodies - it’s a Secret Ingredient for Savvy Publicists

Can you tell us about the verticals you’re booking for The Infatuation and what kind of guests you’re looking for?

Brennan
I handle US editorial for our website, including talent editorial guides across major and expansion markets. I also book talent for our social video franchises. These include the “Iconic” series — New Yorkers, Chicagoans, Angelinos — and “We Got Lunch With,” which is a longer-form interview series. “The Spots” is our shorter format where talent shares three restaurants they love — we just launched that last month. What we’re looking for really depends, but generally it’s talent who are passionate about food. That’s always my answer to publicists. There’s nothing wrong with a standard pitch — “my client is in town doing press, here are the dates” — but we’ll always ask, “Where do they live, and do they like restaurants?” Because that’s the core of what we do. We want people who are engaged in the food scene, who care about where they eat. We’re a recommendation site, so we need talent who can tap into their own knowledge. That’s true for our guides and our videos.

Megan 
On the Infatuation side, especially for editorial and social, people think they need to be chefs or food experts — not true. Most of our recent content features people who are just really passionate and have strong opinions. It can be about anything — pizza, coffee, ice cream, bars — as long as they’re informed and love it. Chefs are great, but they’re not the only fit.