On The Rise

with Marcus Samuelsson

On the Rise with Marcus Samuelsson

During the summer of 2020, at the height of the pandemic and racial unrest, Black-owned businesses were shutting down nearly twice as fast as other businesses throughout the United States. To bring awareness and attention to this issue, we sought to create a fully integrated content brand to elevate and support the Black-owned businesses that were being hit hardest.

Through our “On the Rise” program, we raised $26 million towards Black-owned businesses during Black History Month, drove over 125 million total impressions, and matched individual donations with a 5X multiplier to drive real impact around this urgent and critical issue.

Multi-Channel Content Brand

Using the talent, the stories and the delicious food inspired by the best selling book “The Rise” by Marcus Samuelsson, we created a custom content-driven social impact campaign that was suited for the moment.

Exclusively presented by Uber Eats, we created a four-part original series titled “On the Rise” hosted by Marcus himself, and a multi-channel content brand designed specifically to elevate and amplify black talent around the culinary world and financially support Black-owned business and restaurants that are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

PARTNERS

Four-Part Original Series

“On the Rise,” produced in partnership with award-winning Director, Dawn Porter (Of ‘The Way I See It’ / John Lewis: Good Trouble’), takes viewers on a journey into the thriving world of African-American cuisine to highlight why Black food matters, and to restore African-American cooking to its rightful place as an essential definition of American culture.

Focusing on notable chef talent and stories of experience and delicious food, we told incredibly personal accounts of historic and cultural importance across a dynamic ecosystem comprised of Uber Eats in-app curation of Black-owned restaurants; Including On The Rise's signature dishes available at Marcus’ Red Rooster locations, a social media presence featuring our talent and their restaurants, distribution through Eater’s OTT platform, a digital hub with Vox, and a PR blitz highlighting opportunities for enhanced engagement.

THE EPISODES

MIGRATION

Nina Compton - Compère Lapin & Bywater American Bistro, New Orleans, LA

In the first episode, Marcus meets up with Nina Compton to make her famous curried baby goat dish, and to talk about the spices of the Carribean and how food represents our journey.

LEGACY

Rodney Scott - Rodney Scott's BBQ, Charleston, NC

In episode two, Marcus and the legendary pitmaster Rodney Scott explore the role that legacy has played in barbeque as they make ribs and remember the first bite they ever tasted.

ORIGIN

Kwame Onwuachi - James Beard Rising Star & Top Chef Contestant

When it comes to cooking, Kwame likes to honor the culinary legends who came before him – especially his mom, Jewel. In episode three, Kwame discusses his Nigerian, Caribbean, and uptown roots and how they inform his cooking today.

REMIX

Leticia ‘Skai’ Young, Lolo's Seafood Shack, NYC

A remix of Cape Cod and the Caribbean in Harlem, Lolo’s Seafood Shack is inspired by flavors from Guyana, Belize, and Anguilla. In episode four, Marcus and Skai talk about what “remixing” means to her.

More Than a Moment, a Movement

To ensure lasting impact, we partnered with Project Bento, launching a matching fund in support of the Black Businesses Matter Matching Fund (BBMMF.org). During the campaign, Uber Eats pledged to match donations and donate a dollar for every dollar spent with a Black-owned restaurant on their app, up to $250,000, in support of grants towards Black chefs and business owners.

“On the Rise'' not only re-asserted the importance of Black food at the center of American culture, the initiative also provided a meaningful call-to-action that will continue to impact Black-owned businesses around the country.