Andy Cooks and the new POV: How wearables are reshaping creator content

At Meta Fest in Sydney last week, creator and chef Andy Hearnden, better known as Andy Cooks, stepped on stage to talk about how wearable tech is reshaping creativity.

With more than 140 million monthly views across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, Hearnden has become one of Australia's most watched creators, turning his kitchen counter into a global broadcast platform. Now, armed with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, he’s literally doing it through his own eyes.

In conversation with Adam Berger, director of product marketing, wearables at Meta, Hearnden offered a glimpse into what content creation looks like when powered by wearable AI.

"The thing that surprised me most was how intuitive it is," he said of the glasses. "You actually use it in the moment more than you think. I found it incredibly convenient and really creative."

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (version two) come packed with functionality: improved camera, better audio than many over-ear headphones (I tested them and they beat my Beats for comfort and clarity), and powerful AI integrations. 

Features like hands-free translation, voice-activated search, photo sharing and video recording are built in. You can literally set timers, convert temperatures, or snap POV shots without ever picking up your phone.

"We've tried for years to get good POV shots in the kitchen," Hearnden said. "It’s hard to get that angle from my side of the bench. But with these, the viewer is in the moment with you. That changes everything for storytelling."

Hearnden is the kind of creator perfectly suited to this evolution. A former professional chef, he’s turned fast, high-quality videos into a signature format. His "Hey Babe" and "Order's Up" catchphrases have earned cult status among home cooks. Hearnden told Meta Fest that wearables aren’t just cool gadgets, they are tools that simplify the content workflow. 

Whether that is snapping a photo and instantly sending it to a WhatsApp group, setting multiple timers while roasting a chicken, or asking AI to convert celsius to fahrenheit mid-filming, the glasses keep his hands on the pan and his head in the creative.

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Hearnden is not the only one thinking this way. Meta's Adam Berger described how creators are increasingly integrating wearables into their content, and how brands should take note. "Just try it," he said. "Put them on, ask questions, see how it fits in your workflow."

That advice was echoed by Hearnden.

"If brands want to partner with creators in meaningful ways, wearables open up real experiences. You get invited to things like the Australian Open or the Formula 1 pits and with the glasses, I can take my audience there with me."

This blend of intimacy and scale is something of a game-changer for first-person content. They collapse the distance between creator and viewer, brand and consumer and, as Hearnden puts it, "It's about breaking down barriers in storytelling, in food and in tech."

From firsthand experience, I can say these things are scary. They're comfortable, the sound is crystal clear and the idea that you can start documenting, narrating and translating the world in front of you, with just your voice and glasses, feels like a leap forward - and this is just version 2.

With Chris Hemsworth now fronting a local campaign to push the Meta Ray-Bay, what’s clear is that Meta is not just experimenting - they're going big.

Hearnden is already imagining a future of branded integrations, POV cookalongs and AI-assisted learning. And he’s right to be excited. In a world of content fatigue and scroll-jaded audiences, a new perspective - quite literally - could be the freshest ingredient yet.