hey caviar
eat the riches starring Thorndyke
Caviar was overdue for a takedown. Long considered the icy heart of old-money luxury, the category was dominated by legacy brands more focused on exclusivity than accessibility. Meanwhile, a younger generation was embracing chaotic luxury, ordering martinis at 2pm and eating tinned fish for fun. There was a cultural opening. And Hey Caviar took it.
project overview
The Spark
When the founders of Hey Caviar came to me, they were launching a premium-grade caviar brand with a completely different model.
They'd done something radical: Made the distributor a partner, which gave them access to top-tier caviar for a fraction of the price legacy brands pay. That meant they could sell the same quality at 35-50% less, and open the gates of luxury to a much broader table. The only problem? Luxury still looked like velvet ropes, gold script, and people who say "supper." We wanted paper plates, punchlines, and people who eat caviar in sweats.
My Role
I created the world of Hey Caviar — including Thorndyke, a velvet-draped aristocrat with the soul of a shitposter. I wrote and directed the hero launch spots and built the brand identity from the ground up. Every jar came with a wink. Every line was crafted to skewer luxury while still indulging in it.
The Work
Our first campaign, Eat the Riches, introduced Thorndyke: self-aware caricature of inherited wealth. He’s a man who never earned a dime, yet somehow makes you want to Venmo him $500. A trust fund Poe. A romantic deadpan villain who believes indulgence is a human right - especially his.
The campaign worked on two levels:
For wealthy audiences, it was a knowing nudge, a parody of their own privilege.
For middle-class audiences, it cracked open a door once bolted shut. Caviar, without the condescension.
The Impact
Hey Caviar now has a cult following and a fridge presence. It doesn’t whisper status, it hands you a mother-of-pearl spoon and a punchline. It lives at the intersection of decadence and self-awareness, where you can eat like a villain and laugh like the hero.
