Ready for Its Close-Up: Dippin’ Dots Getting Exposure on History Channel, Food Network
By Adam Shull, The Paducah Sun, Ky.
Jun. 21–TV — publicity can be hard to come by for Dippin’ Dots, the futuristic ice cream maker based in Paducah.
But it’s not for lack of opportunity.
Terry Reeves, corporate communications director, said the company’s doors are wide open and welcoming to film crews looking to highlight the unique ice cream manufacturer.
It’s the company’s manufacturing plant that is a different story.
The problem is the production plant’s cryogenic processor and freezers that operate anywhere from minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 300.
“The film crew’s tapes will freeze, parts will get stuck, stuff like that,” Reeves said.
Leave it to “Modern Marvels.”
“(They) seem to handle it well,” Reeves said.
Handle it well they did. The western Kentucky company will be featured on the History Channel on Monday and a Food Network special later this summer.
In January a high definition film crew the History Channel hired toured the Paducah plant, conducted interviews and shot footage for the channel’s “Modern Marvels” series.
Running since 1995, the series highlights the history and creation of man-made innovations ranging from the scientific, the technological and the mechanical.
“They’re doing a feature on the history of ice cream, and we’re the future segment,” Reeves said.
Created by Southern Illinois University at Carbondale graduate Curt Jones in 1987, the traditional summer snack is the result of flash freezing and mixing ingredients in liquid nitrogen to create ice cream pellets.
Reeves said the factory has been featured on television several times before, but the most recent film crews get new footage of the dots coming straight out of the processors.
The Food Network crew documented the company in a feature about movie munchies, which Dippin’ Dots is becoming known for with 510 vending machines in theaters across the country.
“That show will be out sometime this summer,” Reeves said. The company has further ties to the movies this year promoting “Journey to the Center of the Earth” starring Brendan Fraser and due out July 11.
Reeves said with the amount of growth and exposure the company has experienced, it’s clearly established that the tiny balls of ice cream aren’t just a fad.
But how long can Dippin’ Dots live up to its slogan as the ice cream of the future?
“In a lot of ways it’s still very futuristic in what we do. I mean, you don’t see meat or celery in little pellets yet,” Reeves said.
Adam Shull can be contacted at 575-8653.
Want to watch?
–What: Paducah-based Dippin’ Dots on the History Channel’s “Modern Marvels” series.
–When: 7 p.m. Monday.
–More: www.history.com or www.dippindots.com
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