B.J. Novak-Backed ChainFest Partners With Event Producer Medium Rare

ChainFest, a fast food celebration that held its inaugural edition in LA last year, is passing the baton to Medium Rare, a fast growing  producer of live events and manager of brands, in a multiyear deal.

B.J. Novak of The Office, a ChainFest originator, helped attract a celeb turnout to its first outing. Jack Davis, founder of Crypt TV (recently sold to Brat TV) is also an investor. Chain Fest stakeholders see the first edition as proof of concept but want to improve and expand the fest into a broader entertainment festival with live music and events. The plan is to launch the fest in New York and other U.S. cities.

Medium Rare, founded by Joe Silberzweig and Adam Richman, works closely with Shaquille O’Neal, who brokered a 2020 deal for Authentic Brands to take a 20% interest in Medium Rare. O’Neal has a big stake in both companies.

Last month, Medium Rare closed a strategic investment from Palm Tree Crew that valued it at $50 million.

Medium Rare partners and festivals include Travis Kelce’s Kelce Jam, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate, Rob Gronkowki’s Gronk Beach, Dave Portnoy’s One Bite Pizza Festival & Sports Illustrated The Party. It is Super Bowl Weekend’s largest event producer. During the pandemic, it made a name pivoting from live space to become a broadcast and virtual production company, putting out popular streaming events, Shaq vs. Gronk and Black Entrepreneurs Day.