[3] He has described his professional background as being "kind of all over the place",[4] having worked a variety of jobs both in and outside the food service industry, including as a caterer, delicatessen worker, kitchen chef for multiple restaurants,[4] glazier, and carpenter.

[5] After graduating, Leone was hired as an intern at Bon Appétit as a test kitchen assistant, a role which required him to perform "all the shopping, all the cleaning and certainly all the dishes", leading him to describe his position as "a glorified dishwashing job".

[7] In 2016, amid an effort by Bon Appétit to increase its YouTube presence, creative director Alex Grossman and Video Producer Vincent Cross conceived of a web series that would follow Leone in the magazine's test kitchen.

[3][10] The loose and personality-driven style of It's Alive, along with Gourmet Makes starring Claire Saffitz, are noted as contrasting the "curated [and] posh" brand of Bon Appétit[6] and were described by Forbes as having "changed the way Condé Nast approaches online video".

[16] In December of 2022, Leone and Bon Appétit announced they have mutually decided to pivot from existing full-time employee contract.