Ricky Hirsch, founder of Think Jerky, was “overwhelmed” when his brand appeared on screen.

On October 16, Ricky Hirsch’s meat snack startup Think Jerky experienced an unscripted marketing moment so crazy it’s “not even once in a lifetime,” the founder tells Entrepreneur. 

Hirsch launched Think Jerky in 2015, building on his finance background and creative inclinations to start a “cool” jerky brand with a minimalist design and unique, chef-crafted flavors.

The brand’s sriracha honey flavor, created by Michelin-starred and two-time James Beard Award-winning chef Gale Gand, landed in the spotlight last month. 

Hirsch was watching poker on television at his home in Austin, Texas, when he received a text from one of his employees. 

She was in New York and had just attended a screening of You Can See Everything, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s A24 meta-documentary featuring Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the lead-up to her federal prison sentence.

Holmes was convicted of one count of conspiracy alongside three wire fraud charges stemming from more than $140 million in investor losses in 2022.

“ I was familiar with Elizabeth Holmes,” Hirsch says. “I’m in the business world, so that always intrigued me. And I saw the Hulu series. I was not familiar with Nathan Fielder at all.”

Hirsch’s employee was “freaking out” over Think Jerky’s cameo, the founder recalls. 

In You Can See Everything , Holmes requests turkey jerky from the prison vending machine. The scene is reenacted with Amanda Seyfried, who plays Holmes in Hulu ’s The Dropout .

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