Paula Deen, the disgraced former Food Network star, is planning a comeback from last year’s racial scandal that practically destroyed her career. Deen revealed last month that she will be launching an online venture, The Paula Deen Network. According to the Washington Times , she announced today that the premiere will be on September 24.
With her new company, Paula DeenVentures, which is backed by an reported $100 million from a private Phoenix investor, Paula has turned her home into a 24/7 studio. Her interactive, digital network will feature shows highlighting her signature southern cooking, as well as low-cost and health conscious meals. There will also be videos featuring behind-the-scenes views of Deen’s daily life.
The digital format of the new Paula Deen Network will allow her fans to access her videos and recipes anytime on phones, computers, or tablets. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight , Paula said of her new network: “It’s really being made so easy for us. You know, even I can do it. And you’ve heard me say it before, I’ve tried lugging my TV around and it’s so heavy.”
Deen has reported that she has had “a number of offers” to return to television. However, she has decided to make her comeback on the internet – a move that will provide her with both a bigger share of profits and greater creative control than she had with her former Food Network shows. Paula is hoping that her millions of fans will follow her in the digital format.
The Paula Deen Nework will be available to subscribers for a $7.99 per month fee with an annual subscription, and executive producer Gordon Elliot is hoping that the convenience of the digital format will encourage Deen’s fans to subscribe. “As people’s time becomes more fragmented and they can’t sit down in front of TVs, that time that they choose to get what Paula has to offer is even better,” he said in an interview.
The new network’s website opened today to pre-subscribers. In an effort to promote the venture, Deen sent a tweet out to her 1.3 million Twitter followers today offering her fans a preview of the show with a link to a video, and special offers such as access to live cooking classes and an invite to the launch party for the network.
“The #PaulaDeenNetwork is almost here, y’all! Watch this video and join today for a special offer just for you! http://t.co/EJnHf8SMdM
— Paula Deen (@Paula_Deen) July 22, 2014 ”
Photo courtesy of nbcnews.com
