Mamma Jumbo Shrimp has to go down as one of the most original names going for a new initiative which Stevie Kim hopes will become the home for equally creative content about Italian wine.
Can you tell us the concept for Mamma Jumbo Shrimp?
The concept of a jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron; the goal of MJS is to distill large complicated ideas abut wine into smaller “bite size” formats that are more accessible to a wider audience. The concept of “Mamma” is the embracing of all the “shrimps” — the podcast, the books, the videos, the maps, etc.
Where did the idea come from?
During the Covid lockdowns our team made an attempt to communicate directly with non-professional wine lovers in a way that was fun and easy to understand, using emerging social media channels like TikTok and Clubhouse, as well as existing ones like YouTube and Instagram. We seized that moment to put all of our activities and products under one brand umbrella, thus MJS was born
It looks like you are creating a digital content library that allows people to dive deep as far as they want into Italian wine?
(Click below for an example of the kind video content you can find on Mamma Jumbo Shrimp about Italian wine, food and culture)
Yes, through our videos and podcasts, but we are also producing a series of Jumbo Shrimp Guide books which have the same goal, of taking complicated subjects in Italian wine and making them easy to understand and portable in a pocket size book format with entertaining illustrations, anecdotes, story telling, as well as high quality informative content. We will soon launch a set of 40 wine maps that were conceived as hand drawn, attractive yet information packed study/teaching tools and decorative items for all wine lovers.
How will it work – through one big platform or a series of individual channels and websites under the umbrella name?
For now, it will be the latter, with the umbrella brand being Mamma Jumbo Shrimp. To date we have a YouTube channel, TikTok, Pinterest and Instagram under the name Mamma Jumbo Shrimp, as well as Instagram and websites for Italian Wine Academy, Italian Wine Book and Italian Wine Podcast (which goes out over Soundcloud and several other channels). Mamma Jumbo Shrimp will soon have a website with an online store.
What are the key highlights for you from Mamma Jumbo Shrimp’s content that people can’t get elsewhere?
A lot of available wine information is too dense, complex, dry or written in ways that make it exclusive. Our mission is to be inclusive and our language and style reflect that everyone is welcome Mamma Jumbo Shrimp, from wine beginners, wine enthusiasts, on up to wine professionals and people who want to take the deepest dive into Italian wine study. In particular, our podcast is the only wine podcast with a daily show, featuring a different topic for each day of the week:
Monday – wine business
Tuesday – wine, food, and travel
Wednesday – diversity, equality and inclusion,
Thursday – intimate conversations with Italian wine producers
Friday – wine science
Saturday – On The Road Special Edition with Stevie Kim going directly to visit producers for in-depth explorations
Sunday – wine communication
Stevie Kim has built her reputation as being at the centre of Italian wine trends thanks to Vinitaly, wine2wine and other platforms she has helped to create
Our YouTube channel carries the videos from the On The Road Series and they are quite unique, combining travel, conversations with producers, wine tasting, vineyard and soil information, learning about grape varietals, and much more. They encompass the ethos of making complex ideas easy to understand by giving a visual depiction as well as the audio conversation.
How do you hope to build up the platform over the coming months?
We are building a PR army by reaching out to all the connections, colleagues, collaborators, friends and networks we can engage with in order to spread the word that Mamma Jumbo Shrimp has something for everyone who is interested in wine.
Can people contribute and get involved by providing content or helping you to produce more?
Absolutely. We are keen to listen to our listeners and audience to help us shape the content and we welcome genuine offers of support and suggestions for more content. We’re also looking for speakers, suggestions for winery visits, educational insights, requests for specific topics, etc.
How are you making the platform commercially viable? Through sponsorship and advertising or a subscription model?
For now it’s mostly a labour of love, but sponsors and patrons are trickling in and we hope to welcome more as people become aware of the brand and the products.
Why are you so personally interested in Italian wine?
Mambo Jumbo Shrimp is for wine professionals and wine lovers
I was introduced to Italian wine via Vinitaly and all my efforts in trying to spread the gospel are to facilitate a conversation and bridge the gap between the Italian wine producers and wine enthusiasts at large.
What are you most excited about digital content in the future – what trends do you see and which parts of digital content do you think will grow and which bits will decline?
I believe there will be no more “social media,“ just media, it will become an integral part of media full stop. Audio is definitely less invasive, video will become relevant but perhaps in shorter format with captions since people can watch without the sound. Definitely audio and shorter video form will grow.
Any thoughts on the metaverse and how you can get involved in that?
Not much thought on this except that Facebook has definitely received plenty of criticism recently and this is an effort to pivot both in branding and concept. By surveying in-house members at the office: very few are still active on Facebook. So even if it’s called “meta,” Facebook will still have less traction from the younger generation at the moment. I personally feel like Linkedin has become more like Facebook from the past.
What plans do you have this year for your in person events – Vinitaly and wine2wine?
he spring calendar is still full on which includes the Vinitaly marathon (5starwines, VIA, OperaWine, Vinitaly incoming, etc). Wine2wine is still scheduled for later in the year. It’s difficult to have certainty nowadays but we are better prepared, psychologically at least and a contingency plan is always at our disposal.
But I hope Mamma Jumbo Shrimp will become part of my legacy about making a difference in the name of Italian wine.
