Former Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli on Wednesday launched her direct-to-fan platform, Valerie’s Place, a subscription service powered by startup tech company Visible Things.
Bertinelli’s Valerie’s Place service, currently live as a website and set to debut as an app in the coming weeks, will feature “a curated library of fan-favorite content, including new episodes of ‘Valerie’s Home Cooking,’ new original programming, podcasts, live streams, and more.” This content is provided through tiered subscriptions starting at $2/month.
“Valerie’s Place is my digital home and that’s why it’s my place. Everything I do is there and it’s where I can explore everything I want to do next,” Bertinelli, who left Food Network in January 2024, told Variety. “Beyond ‘Valerie’s Home Cooking’ and fan favorites, we’re launching all-new original programming, including shows, livestreams, podcasts, merchandise, and members-only content. I’m especially excited about my book club and podcast, ‘Getting Naked,’ launching this spring. It’s completely my own, but it’s also brand new.”
Valerie’s Place is the first product to debut from Visible Things, a company focused on “enabling traditional stars, digitally native creators, and brands to move beyond algorithm-driven platforms and build direct, monetizable relationships with their most devoted audiences.”
Founded by “American Idol” and “Little People, Big World” producer Billy Cooper as CEO, Andrew Greenberger as chief content officer, and Willis Robertson as chief operating officer, Visible Things aims to “dramatically reduce the time, cost and engineering effort traditionally required to build a custom DTC platform from the ground up.”
“For decades, talent has been asked to build audiences on platforms they don’t own, but that business model can change overnight. Visible Things was built to provide the infrastructure for celebrities and creators to power their businesses and take back control of their relationships with libraries, communities and fans,” co-founders Cooper, Greenberger and Robertson said in a joint statement. “Valerie saw that change right away. She’s not just launching an app, she’s redefining the way today’s celebrities connect with and serve their superfans.”
Visible Things, which is also the production partner for original programming produced specifically for Valerie’s Place, has an advisory board that includes Boardwalk Pictures founder and CEO Andrew Freed, former WME board member Mark Itkin, Voldex franchise head Caitlin Duffel Heil, and new AMS Capital managing partner Freddie Boom.
Visible Things will soon launch a platform that connects talent and brands directly to their fans. The company is repped by WME.
“For a long time, I felt like I had to stay in one lane,” Bertinelli said. “With Visible Things powering my platform, I finally have a seat at the table and I own the table. I’m no longer put into one box. I have complete creative freedom to create and share the content I actually want to create. And it’s not just my seat, it’s my fans. I work closely with the team at Visible Things to create Valerie’s Place. I built it because it allows me to share all my shows, podcasts, live experiences, products, and more directly with my audience in one place. It’s more than just a streaming service; it’s my own platform, where I own my content and my relationship with my fans. It’s a fully connected digital platform that reflects who I am and how I want to engage with my community. It’s about creating a home. What’s most important is the level of ownership and creative freedom I have now.”
See below for a list of shows you can watch on Valerie’s Place at launch and those that will be added in the future.
Reheat: Valerie’s Home Cooking: Valerie and her longtime culinary producer Sophie Clark reimagine favorite recipes and fan-favorite episodes of Valerie’s Home Cooking and give them a fresh twist. Along the way, they break the fourth wall, share behind-the-scenes stories, and show how cooking shows are really made while creating something all new (and delicious).
Now Val’s Cooking: An all-new stand-up cooking show where Valerie cooks recipes never filmed before. From brand new dishes to favorite dishes inspired by her cookbook Indulge, this is classic Val. It’s relaxing, fun, and the dishes you’ll actually want to make.
Now We’re Cooking: This is cooking together in real time. Valerie goes live and invites VP Preferred and VP VIP members to cook together, comment, ask questions, and share their experiences like friends gathered in the same kitchen.
Meals for one person: Sometimes you cook for yourself, but it requires just as much attention as you would cooking for your family and friends. In Meals for One, Valerie creates simple, satisfying single-serve meals with an emphasis on comfort, ease, and recipes that won’t fill your fridge with leftovers. Real food, real life, no scale required.
After launch, content will be available throughout the spring:
Getting Naked: The Podcast: An all-new podcast with Valerie and special guests featuring candid conversations about life, growth, creativity, and expressing your true self. Thoughtful, funny, and heartfelt. A conversation that will stay with you long after it’s over.
Superfan Supper Club: Valerie cooks live, but this time select VP VIP members join her in front of the camera. While everyone else watches and cooks along, a few lucky superfans will get to interact with Val face-to-face, ask her questions, and even attend the show itself.
Val’s Book Club: Every other month, Valerie and her community choose a book to read and discuss it together in a live virtual book club. VP Preferred and VP VIP members can watch and comment, and select VP VIP members will have intimate and honest conversations with Valerie on screen…starting with her new book, Getting Naked.
