Manufacturer of Mexican food products Old El Paso has teamed up with two previous contestants of cooking television show Masterchef to produce a web series that documents a food oriented adventure through Mexico.

The web series, produced by Sydney-based branded content production house Projucer and supported by Ol El Paso, Intrepid Travel and Travel Insurance Direct, features MasterChef Australia 2012 winner Andy Allen and series finalist Ben Milbourne. The series, which is called Andy & Ben Do Mexico, can be viewed on YouTube.

Shot in 2013, Mr Allen and Mr Milbourne took in the sights, smells, flavours and culture that the country has to offer during one of Intrepid Travel’s Real Food Adventure tours. The tour took them to Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca, numerous Pacific Coast locations, and up into the Chiapas region. The series aims to capture the cooks’ experience, while also supporting the brands associated with the production.

“It’s been a dream of mine and Ben’s since we met a couple of years ago to travel to Mexico to explore its diverse range of food and culture,” Mr Allen said. “It was such a cool feeling to see and touch the things we’d only read about in books. It inspired us, and reminded us how much we love Mexican food,” he said.

Josh Capelin of Projucer said the project has had an excellent response prelaunch and social engagement towards the presenters has remained significant.

“Fans of Andy and Ben have been waiting to see the boys in action again after Masterchef,” Mr Capelin said. “Through this project, they are embracing the ability to engage with the audience via the easily accessible YouTube platform,” he said.

Series highlights brands

Mr Capelin said that as well as showing off the laconic on-screen chemistry between Andy and Ben, the series aimed to give Australians “a better understanding of Mexican food and highlight the destination as an experiential holiday location whilst supporting the popular brands attached to the project”.

“These digitally strategic and socially-savvy partners are a perfect fit for the series that is part food, part travel, part adventure and part discovery,” Mr Capelin said. “We’re seeing a big shift in companies engaging branded content strategies across online entertainment properties, over what you would call a usual media spend via traditional channels,” he said.

The five episode series will be released once a week for five weeks, and begins on 22 May 2014. The Andy & Ben Do Mexico series will be published on Andy Allen’s official YouTube channel youtube.com/andyallencook

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