This week’s Beverage Forum event in California went deep into one area that L.A. Libations CEO Danny Stepper holds near and dear: brands’ relationships with celebrities.
On the celebrity front, brand founders like racer Lewis Hamilton, wrestler/Gawker slayer Hulk Hogan, and podcaster/author Jay Shetty had each been previously announced as panelists or speakers who would share insight into brand strategy.
But Stepper had a mild (given last year’s pop-in by Robert Downey, Jr. on behalf of Happy Coffee) surprise in store when BERO co-founder, actor and Zendaya consort Tom Holland appeared to join a discussion between Stepper and BERO CEO John Herman. BERO, launched in October, is backed by investor Imaginary Ventures.
Holland, currently best known for his work in the Spider-Man franchise, was nothing if not humble, constantly downplaying his day-to-day involvement in the running of the NA beer brand that had been built with his image in mind.
Asked by Stepper about the company’s growth, Holland quipped, “I don’t know much about business, because I’m an actor, but I think it’s going really, really well.”
Throughout the conversation, Holland continued to downplay his work on the business side – at one point noting that he doesn’t really make any “financial decisions,” although he made it clear that he was more useful when it came to marketing and creative ideas, as he’s been acting since he was 13 years old.
“Tomorrow we have our board meeting, and I’m really looking forward to being confused for an hour,” Holland said, adding that he’s been asking for a key during slide presentations to help him understand the acronyms that are frequently thrown around by beverage executives.
Holland, who described himself as a member of the “sober community” added that he does believe the product has fulfilled a mission for him, to be able to give non-drinkers a feeling of inclusion in a social environment.
One more celebrity appeared on Wednesday morning: during an “announcements” section to start the day, “creator brand” specialist Danny Wright, CEO of COLLAB, announced that none other than Dolly Parton would be launching a coffee brand, called “Cup of Ambition” after a line from her song “9 to 5.”
“I need the money ‘cause it costs a lot to look this cheap,” she quipped via a video.