Amelia Dimoldenberg didn’t realize 12-years-ago that her small internet talk show, “Chicken Shop Date,” would be paving the way for a new era of celebrity interviews. From being told that “no one would come on a YouTube show,” to having some of the most talked about names in pop culture, Dimoldenberg was truly a trailblazer for what is now one of the most popular forms of interviewing.
12-years-ago, Amelia Dimoldenberg had the vision for a new form of celebrity interviewing. In a world of late night TV hosts and structured conversations, she wanted to create something new by using the power of the internet.
At the time, it seemed unheard of, bringing a celebrity on a “date” to a small eatery to talk nonsensically and let the audience know a more personal side to the people in the spotlight.
Now, the internet is flooded with gimmick interview styles. From “Hot Ones” with Sean Evans and “Royal Court” with Brittany Broski, to even late night hosts embracing the format with segments like “Day Drinking with Seth Meyers,” the world loves to see their favorite celebrities embrace comedic settings as opposed to traditional sit down interviews.
In the beginning, however, Dimoldenberg described how she found it “impossible” to be able to get anyone in the mainstream to come on her mock dating YouTube show.
She recalled how even local actors and celebrities in London that she knew personally didn’t see the point of coming on a show in which they would chat awkwardly and snack on chicken, especially if it wasn’t going to be on TV.
It’s hard to believe that now, dozens of other media figures have utilized “Chicken Shop Date” as a blueprint for their own programs, and Dimoldenberg is now comparable to figures like Graham Norton or Jimmy Fallon when it comes to celebrity interviewing, promotion, and entertainment. Utilizing YouTube as early as she did gave her a leg up on the channels we see today, which draws in A-list guests.
“When I started the show in 2014, no publicist and no manager would let their talent come on a YouTube show – that was just insane. I would be banging down the doors, it was just so challenging. Now it’s so fascinating because it’s the opposite.”
“If your publicist is coming to you and you’ve got a movie out, or you’ve got an album rollout campaign, now I do think one of the first things up there on the list of things to do would be to come on Chicken Shop Date,” she said.
While the main demographic for the slew of YouTube “talk shows” is from 18-35, there truly is something for everyone out there. What Dimoldenberg was able to do successfully is create an environment where celebrities aren’t coming onto her show to strictly promote whatever they’re, but instead show off their personality and make small talk that audiences would otherwise not really see from them.
“Chicken Shop Date” has guests and Amelia on what truly feels like a first date, filled with some awkward “get-to-know-you” type of conversations while they eat.
Dimoldenberg has had some of the biggest names in pop culture on her show, including Charli xcx, Ed Sheeran, Keke Palmer, Idris Elba, Jonathan Bailey, and recently, Paul McCartney.
Initially her vision of the show was to interview figures from the UK rap and grime scene, until actor Daniel Kaluuya reached out to come on because he was such a fan of the show, thus shifting the caliber of individuals Dimoldenberg could have.
One of the more viral moments that really blew up the show was when she had Andrew Garfield on the show, and the chemistry between the two truly felt like an amazing first date straight out of a rom com.
“I didn’t realize fully how much the audience would catch on to how obsessed he (Garfield) is with me,” she said.
What also makes the show stand out is how dedicated the quirky host is to its format. As “Chicken Shop Date” grew in popularity, Dimoldenberg became more picky over who would be invited on. She didn’t want to just be another show that had someone come on because they were in the middle of a press run promoting their latest project, she wanted personality to be at the forefront, which we now see in countless other programs.
“That has always been the ambition – my ambition – to make it as important as going on Graham Norton or going on Greg James, Radio 1, for example. So I’ve achieved that goal.”
Now, Dimoldenberg is ready to keep growing, and unfortunately recently announced that “Chicken Shop Date” would be releasing its final run of interviews in the coming years.
“When I was 17 I had a fantastic idea that I might meet the love of my life on a date in a chicken shop.
I’ve spent my entire twenties sitting across from the most incredible people, people I’d always dreamt of meeting. All of them charmed me (some more than others) and I definitely charmed them,” Dimoldenberg wrote in an Instagram post this week announcing the show’s ending.”
She spoke recently about how she’s ready to continue growing in the entertainment business, with a desire to become more involved in movies and television. She revealed that she is currently writing a teen drama for the BBC that she compared to the show “Skins.”
She also is in the middle of writing a Hollywood romcom starring herself as a journalist who finds romance with a celebrity after interviewing them, a role she definitely will be able to pour a lot of herself into.
“It’s a character that I’ve been playing half my life, so I feel like I know it very well. It’s definitely just an exaggeration of who I am,” she said.
While Dimoldenberg is signing off on “Chicken Shop Date,” it’ll always hold a special place not only in her heart, but in culture and the way in which she was a part of shifting modern day interviewing, and the power of internet shows.
“To me the show is my very own romcom and I have loved creating so many stories for you to watch. I am so grateful to everyone who has followed me on this journey and found some joy in these episodes.
I never thought I’d stop Chicken Shop Date, I thought maybe it would be a part of me forever, and in some way it always will, but I feel like it’s now time to move on from this adventure and onto a new one.
But before I say goodbye forever, I want to celebrate everything Chicken Shop Date has been for me with a few final dates…coming very soon.
Love Amelia x”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
