4 ms·

While he didn't invent hot Cheetos, he did go from janitor to marketing director, which is already an amazing accomplishment. It's a shame he's making shit up,

by astura 4y ago

While he didn't invent hot Cheetos, he did go from janitor to marketing director, which is already an amazing accomplishment. It's a shame he's making shit up, because it ruins his own legacy. There's so much money involved he might actually believe his own story now. >Montañez has built a lucrative second career out of telling and selling this story, appearing at events for Target, Walmart, Harvard and USC, among others, and commanding fees of $10,000 to $50,000 per appearance.... second memoir.... biopic... Both the book and the movie were sold after bidding wars He probably makes more money as "fake hot Cheetos inventor" than "Frito Lays executive." There's so little integrity involved when there is so much money. >The producers of his biopic, despite being informed of problems by Frito-Lay in 2019, announced a cast for the movie in early May.

MavisBacon 4y ago
and the biopic just premiered at SXSW. amazing. https://www.chron.com/food/article/flamin-hot-movie-17843954.php https://www.chron.com/food/article/flamin-hot-movie-17843954...
Reason077 4y ago
> "It's a shame he's making shit up" I guess. But being good at "making shit up" is probably much of what got him where he is today!
- astura 4y ago
  Good point.
3minus1 4y ago
> he might actually believe his own story now I was wondering this but this section from the article is fairly damning > One photograph, posted to Instagram in October 2019 but now deleted, shows four pieces of lined notebook paper, labeled “mild,” “reg,” “hot” and “extra hot,” with Cheetos piled on top of each. At the bottom of one, Montañez signed his name and wrote the date “1988.” > In another post, now deleted, he wrote that he worked on the Doritos Salsa Rio flavor in 1998 — a product that first hit test markets in 1987, according to Advertising Age articles from that year. He literally fabricated evidence, writing the date 1988 when we know at this point it's impossible. And then deleted the posts. Like someone else said, there's definitely something inspirational about his rags to riches story, but seeing this I can't help but lose respect for him.

by astura 4y ago

MavisBacon 4y ago

and the biopic just premiered at SXSW. amazing. https://www.chron.com/food/article/flamin-hot-movie-17843954.php https://www.chron.com/food/article/flamin-hot-movie-17843954...

Reason077 4y ago

> "It's a shame he's making shit up" I guess. But being good at "making shit up" is probably much of what got him where he is today!

astura 4y ago
Good point.

3minus1 4y ago

> he might actually believe his own story now I was wondering this but this section from the article is fairly damning > One photograph, posted to Instagram in October 2019 but now deleted, shows four pieces of lined notebook paper, labeled “mild,” “reg,” “hot” and “extra hot,” with Cheetos piled on top of each. At the bottom of one, Montañez signed his name and wrote the date “1988.” > In another post, now deleted, he wrote that he worked on the Doritos Salsa Rio flavor in 1998 — a product that first hit test markets in 1987, according to Advertising Age articles from that year. He literally fabricated evidence, writing the date 1988 when we know at this point it's impossible. And then deleted the posts. Like someone else said, there's definitely something inspirational about his rags to riches story, but seeing this I can't help but lose respect for him.