Luke Pitzo
A Man of Many Names: Professional Hotdogger, Wienermobile Driver, or Lunchmeat Luke
This is Luke. Well, some of you might know him as Lunchmeat Luke, but to me, he’s been a great friend of mine for many years now.
He’s always been the guy everyone wants to be around, he’s incredibly funny, extremely inviting + inclusive, I seriously don’t think anyone could say one bad thing about him.
Upon graduating from UW-Madison, he became a ‘Hotdogger’ for Oscar Mayer. A ‘hotdogger?’ you ask? Yep, that’s correct! Luke shares some pretty incredible advice on how to land your dream job + some tips to excel within the position below ↓
INITIAL INTEREST + INTERVIEW PROCESS
“I heard about it freshman year, and by the time senior year rolled around, I chatted with someone I knew who was finishing up the gig. She told me about the job - you drive a 27-foot-long hot dog around the country for 12 months where your main job is to make people smile,” Luke stated. “How much better can that get?”
As for the interview process, it was filled with standard questions. However, he mentioned that thinking of hot dog puns, sharing funny stories, and but of course, singing the Oscar Mayer jingle, was also included in the process.
“I was ecstatic when I got the offer! Despite being confident in my application, the odds were completely against me. Seven thousand people applied last year, and I was 1 of 12 getting an offer. So yeah, you could say I was pumped.”
WHAT IS A HOTDOGGER?
“As a Hotdogger, I was a brand spokesperson for Oscar Mayer and an official driver of the Wienermobile.” How cool is that!
“A big part of the role is executing events, of which we each were responsible for around 300 events throughout the year ranging from grocery stores to parades to festivals.” If you know Luke, you know he LOVES to talk so this part of the role he really excelled at - whether it was in-person with people or making conversational content on social media. If you’ve heard of “barbe-curious” that’s Luke’s proud invention. Let’s get that one in the dictionary!
“Additionally, I pitched and appeared on countless media outlets which is something I initially struggled with. I was unsure the best way to contact outlets - phone, email, showing up to their station? Thankfully, though, I had a great team to offer advice as well as my partner to help me, so after a month or so, I started figuring out what worked and we got those interviews rolling.”
“We had our brand in our hands + we were the face of Ocar Mayer.”
ADVICE ON AN ‘OUT OF THE ORDINARY’ JOB?
“Be a YES person. There are so many opportunities in an ‘out of the ordinary’ job when you keep an open mind.” Go back and remember some of your fondest memories. Was it when you were pushed? Volunteered by a peer or friend? Someone else’s idea? If you’re debating doing something, just imagine yourself leaving that job, and ask yourself, ‘Am I going to regret not doing this?’ 9 times out of 10, that’s enough of a convincing.”
FAVORITE MEMORY BEING A ‘HOTDOGGER’
“When in LA, we got to take the Wienermobile on set of the Wheel of Fortune + film a segment with Pat Sajak + Vanna White. It was pretty incredible. Additionally, we sat in the audience for an episode, spun the wheel, and toured the Jeopardy set.”
“In Oregon, I woke up at 3:30am, drove to the top of a mountain, + watched the sunrise. It was a 6,000 foot elevation gain, + the road, weirdly enough, was not perfectly suited for a giant hot dog (???). It was truly a breathtaking moment. “
Interested in learning more about Luke, his adventure being a ‘hotdogger’, or anything else? Follow him on personal Instagram or his Lunchmeat Luke Instagram account. For professional inquiries, contact him on LinkedIn.
“Please hit me up! I’m always down to talk about hot dogs or other topics!”