Employee Spotlight on Cade Huskinson, Camp Chef

If you ask a Camp Chef employee what type of meat they like, and how it’s cooked, you don’t expect to hear they like cold Rocky Mountain Oysters. Cade Huskinson would agree.

In fact, Cade admits he’s been too scared to try oysters, but found time to brag about his favorite meat, pork ribs. How to cook them? That goes without saying: Smoked. Low and Slow!

Cade is the Marketing Manager at Camp Chef. He has been with the company for three years, entering in as a Social Media Manager and working his way up to Marketing Manager.

He says he chose the career because it was his dad’s specialty and especially loves it because of the “perfect intersection” of creativity, psychology and business.

“That combination is what fascinates me about this field,” he said. “The landscape has changed with social media and consumer trends but marketing always felt right.”

His career has brought many interesting projects, but Cade took time to share his favorite project - one he holds closely as one of his greatest career accomplishments. 

The project: The Harambed “Bed of your Memes” April Fools campaign. At the time, Cade worked for a bedding company. Tasked with creating a viral April Fools campaign, Cade pulled from the 17-year-old Western lowland silverback gorilla housed at the Cincinnati Zoo. After a child fell into his enclosure in 2016, Harambed was shot and killed. Afterward, the gorilla lived on in millions of memes.

“We made a Harambed, video, featuring ‘The bed of your memes.’” Cade said. “I wrote the script and made the bed by hand using my wife’s sewing machine.”

The campaign didn’t go viral the first year, but in year two, it was picked up by some big social media channels and got wild traction. 

“The entire campaign cost less than $1,000 and got millions of views. It was fun to be so scrappy but get such great results. We were blown away!”

Cade says the Harambed project showed him what is possible on the Internet with the right creative idea and execution.  

When he’s not putting together viral campaigns at work, Cade is enjoying an ideal life at home. 

“I have a beautiful wife and four wonderful children - three sons and a daughter. I could not be happier with my home life.”

When spending time together, Cade’s family likes to swim, hike, bike. His kids enjoy spending time building forts and playing “tickle monster” on the trampoline.

FAST FACTS

Last book you read?
“Herding Tigers” by Todd Henry.

Most likely to buy in bulk?  
Shelf Stable Whipping Cream.

Most interesting job you’ve had? 
Chainsaw guy at a haunted house.

How you’d spend a day off with no obligations:
In the Winter – Snowboarding
In the Summer - Fishing

Least favorite candy?
That Halloween taffy in the orange wrapper.

Best type of meat? How is it cooked?
Pork ribs, smoked low and SLOW BABY!

Claim to Fame?
I rode my bike almost exclusively for two years.

Something you’re too scared to try?
Rocky Mountain Oysters because why? Steak exists. 

Worst Injury?
Broken arm.

Favorite form of exercise?
Biking.

Most recent Halloween costume? 
Zookeeper.

Best part about fall?
The fall colors.

Secret talent?
I can ride a unicycle. My uncle gave me a unicycle when I was 12. I practiced on that thing every single day for a couple of weeks. 

Best advice you’ve gotten?
“Don’t spend so much time making a living that you forget to make a life” – My Dad

Your greatest adventure?
Parenthood. Every day is a new experience (for better or worse).

Something most people at work don’t know about you?
I have a fake front tooth, The one tooth in your mouth you would hate to be fake.