Why The WTAF Show matters

This year, we've seen a tidal shift in consumer spending on women who lead in media and entertainment. Just this summer alone, major stadium tours by Taylor Swift and Beyonce plus the box-office dominance of “Barbie” have added a combined $8.5 billion to the U.S. economy.

https://www.investopedia.com/beyonce-taylor-swift-barbenheimer-boosted-summer-spending-7964698

Beyond the numbers, the evidence is clear: content by and for women is not only successful - it’s in demand. Women make 90% of all purchase decisions and hold trillions in wealth worldwide, and they’re increasingly choosing to spend on content, stories and experiences where they see themselves.

This is why we do The WTAF Show. One year into this content series, we are endlessly inspired while sharing the stories of chefs, artists and influential leaders in travel-worthy destinations around the world. Their stories are powerful, and we love the reactions from our viewers and listeners.

We created The WTAF Show because we didn’t see ourselves - or many women for that matter - in the vast majority of food & travel programming. Said another way, we’re tired of the status quo.

Why It Matters to See Ourselves

Not that you need us to tell you, but there are huge advantages to seeing more women in content and entertainment:

• Diversity of Perspective: Women bring a different perspective pretty much anything we do. We help broaden and dimensionalize any conversation.

• Representation: Whether artists, chefs, business owners or hosts, seeing ourselves matters. When women (and girls) see other women succeeding in the content they consume, it can inspire them to pursue their own dreams and ideas.

• Economic Power: Women are a real force in the economy, often the primary decision-makers when it comes to household spending. By supporting women in media, companies can tap into this financial power and create content that resonates with their target audience.

• Cultural Impact: Simply put, the zeitgeist needs more women.

Why The WTAF Show Matters

The WTAF Show shares stories about travel, art, and food experiences around the world. We offer something different than most of the food & travel programming out there - which is geared toward a male perspective (most of the food & travel shows - Stanley, Phil, Andrew and more) or younger women (pretty much every travel IG influencer).

Did you know that food & travel is a top-5 content genre for women - especially those over age 40? Late Millennials and GenX women hold the purse and have the spending power. (See Taylor, Bey and “Barbie.”) They’re also multidimensional and curious about stories and experiences from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

So why shouldn’t they see themselves in food & travel storytelling?

This is our difference. The WTAF Show team is made up of late Millennials and GenXers, but our episodes - YouTube and podcast - are not not just about us: we talk with women from different places and backgrounds about the cool shit they create every single day.

Here are just a few:

1010 Wine and Events, Inglewood

1010 Wine and Events was founded by two sisters in Inglewood, Calif. who brought fine dining and wine tasting to this historic Los Angeles-area neighborhood. They boast the largest collection of black-owned wine labels in the country.

Tara Brown - Sky Gallery, Kingston

Meet Tara Brown, the brilliant mind behind The Sky Gallery (TSG) - the only dedicated physical and online art gallery with event space in Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica. Here, Tara discusses a curated collection at TSG that goes deep into the impact of slavery on contemporary Jamaican culture.

Chef Nasim Alikkhani - Sofreh, Brooklyn

Chef Nasim shares her connection with her Iranian culture, and how the sofreh represents more than just a dining setting - embodying the heart and soul of Iranian hospitality and the value of shared meals and communal experiences. From the meticulously arranged spread of food to the carefully selected tablecloth and accompanying elements, every detail plays a part in creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.

This is just a taste of the incredible stories we aim to deliver. Beyond the YouTube series, our podcast features conversations about travel, art and food with incredible women, including Solo in Style founder Deborah Ives; Heather Kliebenstein, Esq., managing director of Merchant & Gould; and interfaith minister Naeemah Leonard.

It’s been a helluva year for women, and the future is bright. We have more stories to tell - food, art and travel experiences as exceptional as the chefs and artists around the world who create them - and we’ll continue to share them with you. If just one woman is inspired by these stories to make her own moves, then it’s a job well done in our book.