- 10 hours ago
In 2019, Mike Cessario founded Liquid Death. This is the story of how his rejection from the corporate business advertising and marketing world led him into entrepreneurship and founding the disruptive canned water company.
Long Shots is a series of narrated biopics about remarkable people and their unique footprint on the world. Designed to be watched on a TV or listened as a podcast.
_______________________________________
*BASED ON A TRUE STORY*
_This video is a dramatised interpretation of real events. While the core of the story is based on true events, certain timelines, dialogues, characters and facts have been modified or re-imagined for dramatic purposes. The portrayal in this video is a blend of fact and fiction, intended for entertainment. It should not be taken as an exact historical record._
Long Shots is a series of narrated biopics about remarkable people and their unique footprint on the world. Designed to be watched on a TV or listened as a podcast.
_______________________________________
*BASED ON A TRUE STORY*
_This video is a dramatised interpretation of real events. While the core of the story is based on true events, certain timelines, dialogues, characters and facts have been modified or re-imagined for dramatic purposes. The portrayal in this video is a blend of fact and fiction, intended for entertainment. It should not be taken as an exact historical record._
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SportsTranscript
00:00Mike's heart pounds as cold water splashes onto the bag covering his face, trickling down his nose and mouth.
00:07He gasps, choking, his mind racing.
00:11As panic sets in, he thrashes against his restraints.
00:15Is this really worth it?
00:16All this to try and sell a can of water?
00:20And cut!
00:21Great job, everybody.
00:21That's a wrap.
00:22With that, the first ever ad for Liquid Death was recorded,
00:25and one man's willingness to do anything for his dream was about to turn water,
00:30the most boring product in the world, into a billion-dollar punk rock phenomenon.
00:37The screech of skateboard wheels on concrete pierced the quiet suburban air of Delaware.
00:42It was 2005, and a 23-year-old Mike Cesario was carving his way through the streets
00:47with a punk rock anthem blasting from his Walkman.
00:50Mike arrived at the local bar, stepped up onto the dingy stage with his band,
00:54and belted out lyrics to a crowd of maybe 30 people.
00:58This was his life now, gig to gig, barely scraping by.
01:02As the last chord faded and the sparse applause died down,
01:06Mike felt a gnawing emptiness in his gut.
01:09Yeah, the music was exciting, but something about it felt empty.
01:13That night, as he lay on a couch in yet another stranger's living room,
01:17Mike stared at the ceiling, his mind drifting back to how easy life was as a kid.
01:22He remembered how he'd curl up in the corner of his bedroom, flashlight in hand,
01:27desperately trying to stifle his giggles, so his parents wouldn't catch him reading Mad Magazine past bedtime.
01:32He'd always loved drawing cartoons, trying to mimic the style of Mad Magazine,
01:37and coming up with his own wild concepts that would make people laugh and think.
01:41But he knew how hard it was to actually make a living out of that.
01:44Even though he knew the odds were stacked against him, something in his life had to change.
01:49Mike started applying for jobs the moment that he got back home,
01:53and within the week, he'd scored a dream placement working for an ad agency.
01:57Mike's first day felt like stepping onto another planet.
02:00He found himself surrounded by gleaming glass, sleek furniture,
02:04and people in crisp shirts who looked like they actually got eight hours of sleep every night.
02:09He sat at his new desk, fingers hovering over his keyboard.
02:13The first few months were a whirlwind.
02:14Mike threw himself into every project, pulling late nights, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.
02:20His ideas were fresh, edgy, unlike anything the agency had seen before.
02:25Cesario!
02:26His boss, Hank Goldstein, called out one day,
02:29That, uh, Callaway pitch, it's interesting.
02:32The golf brand had commissioned the agency to come up with a marketing campaign for their new Diablo Golf Club.
02:38Mike, sensing the chance to do something different, created something that wasn't really an ad at all.
02:43It was a legally binding contract to be printed in a golf magazine,
02:48which readers could fill in to sell their soul,
02:50for a chance to win their own devil horn stamped golf club.
02:54Mike perked up.
02:55Ha ha, you like it? I'm pretty confident it'll get some media attention.
02:58Hank's face was unreadable.
03:00It's certainly different.
03:02Callaway has a pretty traditional image to maintain,
03:05so I doubt they'd be receptive to it, but let me think about it.
03:08Hank walked away, and Mike couldn't shake the feeling that different wasn't exactly a compliment.
03:15Weeks passed, Mike's ideas kept coming, each one bolder than the last,
03:20and each one met the same fate.
03:22A polite nod, a vague,
03:24we'll consider it,
03:25then nothing.
03:25His concepts rarely made it past the first round of internal reviews,
03:29let alone to the clients,
03:30and on the odd times they did,
03:32it was almost always a watered-down version of his vision.
03:35One night, as he was working late again,
03:38Mike overheard a conversation from the conference room.
03:41Cesario's stuff is just too out there.
03:43The clients would never go for it.
03:45I know, but he's got talent.
03:47We just need to rein him in a bit.
03:48Mike's stomach churned.
03:50Rein him in?
03:51Is that what they wanted?
03:53Some castrated version of himself?
03:55He looked down at the sketch on his desk.
03:57It was an ad for a new line of running shoes.
04:00Instead of the usual image of a toned athlete sprinting through a picturesque park,
04:04Mike had drawn a punk kid,
04:06dashing away from a store security guard,
04:08new shoes on his feet and shoebox still in hand.
04:11Edgy?
04:12Sure.
04:13But it made you look twice.
04:14Isn't that what ads were supposed to do?
04:17Get attention?
04:18With a deep sigh,
04:19Mike crumpled up the sketch and started over.
04:22This time, he drew the toned athlete in the park.
04:26Days blurred together,
04:27and Mike found himself churning out safe, bland concepts
04:31that could have come from anyone.
04:32Cesario!
04:33Hank called out,
04:34his voice cutting through Mike's days.
04:37Look,
04:37Hank said,
04:38reaching into his pocket.
04:39Ben sent over some passes for their wart tour.
04:42VIP access,
04:44backstage,
04:44the works.
04:45I was going to give them to my nephew,
04:47but...
04:48He paused,
04:48looking Mike straight in the eye.
04:50I think you need them more.
04:52Consider this a mandatory fun assignment.
04:56Hesitantly,
04:56Mike reached out and took the passes.
04:59Thanks, boss.
04:59Mike said,
05:00a genuine smile spreading across his face for the first time in weeks.
05:04On the day of the festival,
05:05with backstage passes in hand,
05:08Mike felt like he was straddling two worlds.
05:10Part of him was the ad guy,
05:12there to observe and report back.
05:13But another part,
05:15a part he'd been trying to suppress,
05:17felt the old familiar surge of energy
05:19that came with being around live music.
05:21That evening,
05:22he was backstage,
05:23chatting with one of the bands,
05:25when they offered him a can of Monster Energy.
05:27Mike hesitated,
05:28he'd never been a fan of the stuff.
05:30Nah, I'm good.
05:31I don't really drink that shit.
05:33He said.
05:33The guitarist grinned.
05:34Come on, man.
05:35Try it.
05:36It's not what you think.
05:37Curious,
05:38Mike took the can.
05:39It looked like Monster,
05:40felt like Monster,
05:42but when he took a sip,
05:44his eyes widened.
05:45Water?
05:46He thought they were playing a prank on him.
05:48The band laughed at his confusion.
05:50Yeah, man.
05:50Tour water.
05:51Monster sponsors us,
05:52but we can't be chugging energy drinks all day in this heat,
05:55so they make us these special cans.
05:57Looks like we're endorsing the product,
05:59but we're just staying hydrated.
06:00Mike thought it was weird,
06:01but it made sense to his marketing mind.
06:03It was pretty clever, actually.
06:05He took home the can as a souvenir.
06:07As Monday rolled around again,
06:08and he returned to his day job,
06:10Mike was dragged into another pitch meeting
06:12where his energy and enthusiasm
06:14were met with blank stares.
06:16Mike eventually quit that job
06:18and started bouncing between ad agencies,
06:20hoping desperately to find somewhere
06:22that would let him express his creativity to its fullest.
06:25He even tried his hand at building his own liquor brand,
06:28an American-style brandy called Western Grace,
06:31until he discovered that the permits,
06:33the regulations,
06:33and legal paperwork
06:34were even more restrictive on his creative mind
06:37than his bosses had been.
06:38The creative fire that once burned so brightly
06:41was now barely a flicker.
06:43He felt like a zombie going through the motions
06:45as one pitch blurred into another.
06:47When an advertising job for Organic Valley landed on his desk,
06:51it seemed like just another gig,
06:52another forgettable campaign for a boring milk company.
06:56As Mike scrolled through stock photos for a mock design,
06:59a voice piped up behind him.
07:01Mr. Cesario?
07:02It was Sarah, the new intern,
07:04clutching a laptop close to her chest.
07:06I hope you don't mind me saying,
07:08but these ideas feel kind of safe.
07:11Mike's head snapped around,
07:13his cheeks flushing red.
07:15Safe?
07:16He sputtered.
07:17Did you just call my work safe?
07:20Sarah took a step back,
07:22eyes widening.
07:23Oh, I...
07:24I just...
07:25meant...
07:26The entire office had gone quiet.
07:29She was just an intern.
07:30What did she know?
07:31But he looked back at his computer screen
07:33at the bland milk ad that he'd been working on.
07:36Oh, God.
07:37Sinking further into his chair.
07:39I've become everything I used to hate.
07:43Mike's fingers hovered over the keyboard.
07:46Then, with renewed determination,
07:48he deleted everything he'd done so far.
07:51Safe, huh?
07:52We'll see about that.
07:53As he started to brainstorm,
07:55something unexpected happened.
07:57Crazy, anything but safe ideas started flowing.
08:01Mike found himself chuckling,
08:02his excitement growing with each passing minute.
08:05Sure, the client probably wouldn't sign off on any of them,
08:08but for the first time in years,
08:10Mike didn't care.
08:11He was having fun.
08:12The result was Save the Bros,
08:14a hilarious off-the-wall campaign
08:16that poked fun at fitness culture
08:18while promoting Organic Valley's new protein shake range.
08:22As Mike watched the final cut of the video,
08:25he felt something that he hadn't felt in years.
08:27Genuine excitement.
08:29At Organic Valley,
08:30we have a plan to save the bros.
08:32It's called Organic Fuel.
08:34It's a recovery shake
08:35with 26 grams of the protein that bros love,
08:38but none of the synthetic junk.
08:40Bros don't need to know that it's organic
08:42or made with real milk from pasture-raised cows.
08:45Just tell a bro it has a ton of protein,
08:48and he'll pound the shit out of it.
08:50To Mike's surprise,
08:51the company executives loved it.
08:53Mike's mind began racing at the potential.
08:55He could already see it going viral,
08:57shaking up the industry.
08:58This was it.
08:59This was the moment he'd been waiting for.
09:01But Organic Valley was a co-op,
09:03and the farmers had a say in the company's direction.
09:06Sorry, Mike, we can't run this.
09:08One of the marketing execs told Mike,
09:10his face apologetic.
09:11The farmers,
09:12they just don't think it represents the brand properly.
09:15Mike felt like he'd been punched in the gut.
09:17But it's perfect, he argued.
09:19It's funny, it's memorable,
09:21it'll get people talking about Organic Valley.
09:24But his protests fell on deaf ears.
09:27The campaign was shelved.
09:28Yet again, people who had no idea about marketing
09:31wanted to play it safe,
09:33too scared to try anything new.
09:35That night, Mike grabbed a craft beer,
09:37sat down, and stared at his computer screen.
09:40The unlisted YouTube link for the Save the Bros video
09:42taunted him.
09:43Whether it was liquid confidence or Mike's despair,
09:46perhaps a bit of both.
09:48A sudden thought tugged at his mind.
09:50What if I just made it public?
09:53He thought to himself.
09:54He'd probably get fired,
09:56maybe he'd get sued.
09:57At this point, Mike was done caring.
09:59F*** it, let's see what happens.
10:00He posted the video,
10:02finished his beer,
10:03and went to bed.
10:04The next morning,
10:05Mike looked at his phone.
10:0621 missed calls.
10:08Oh s***.
10:09Mike ran to his computer.
10:11He had to pull the video down
10:12before it caused any more damage.
10:14But when he refreshed the page,
10:16his jaw hit the floor.
10:18One million views.
10:24Mike stepped back from the computer in disbelief.
10:26He scrolled through his phone.
10:28All those angry farmers,
10:29the furious execs,
10:30his agency boss,
10:32they weren't mad at all.
10:34Just like that,
10:35Mike was back on top.
10:36His phone buzzing with job offers
10:38and requests for more viral ads.
10:40He'd finally found his lane.
10:43A year later,
10:44Mike got the chance to pitch a campaign
10:46for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
10:48They weren't looking to sell anything.
10:50They were looking for an anti-ad
10:51to bring attention to the health dangers
10:53of drinking energy drinks.
10:55Videos were all over social media
10:57of extreme sports athletes
10:59chugging cans of sugary,
11:00caffeinated energy drinks
11:02and performing extreme acts of athleticism.
11:04Mike knew it was all BS.
11:06All he had to do was show it.
11:08His eyes fell on the souvenir monster can
11:11on his desk
11:11and suddenly he was back on the Vans tour
11:14watching punk bands swigging tour water
11:16and that's when it hit him.
11:18What if we created a water brand
11:21that looks like an energy drink?
11:23Mike quickly sketched out the idea,
11:25his excitement building.
11:27This wasn't just an ad campaign.
11:29This could be a real product.
11:31A way to call out the BS
11:32in energy drink marketing
11:33while promoting something actually healthy.
11:36He walked into the pitch meeting
11:37brimming with enthusiasm.
11:39Picture this, he said,
11:40holding up a mock-up of a black can
11:42with a skull on it.
11:43Water, but marketed like
11:45it's the most badass drink on the planet.
11:49The clients looked confused.
11:51Wait, so the plan is to make a parody ad?
11:54One of them asked.
11:56No.
11:56Mike insisted,
11:57his eyes gleaming with excitement.
11:59We actually make it.
12:01We steal the marketing playbook
12:03that these guys use to manipulate kids,
12:05but we use it to advertise
12:07what these athletes are actually drinking.
12:10We can make water cool.
12:13But they didn't get it.
12:14They just wanted a funny video,
12:15like a Save the Bros one,
12:17not a whole new product line.
12:19Mike left the meeting feeling deflated,
12:21but the idea wouldn't let go.
12:23He couldn't shake the feeling
12:24that he was onto something big.
12:26Over the next few months,
12:28Mike began researching
12:29all the bottled water brands on the market,
12:31and there were a lot.
12:32It was clearly an oversaturated niche,
12:34with all the big names
12:35vying for a slither of market share.
12:38But the truth was painfully obvious.
12:40There were no cool brands.
12:42Nothing exciting or funny.
12:44Water was water,
12:45and all the brands seemed to blend
12:47into one great big blob of suck.
12:50Mike's water needed to be as cool
12:52as an energy drink.
12:53No.
12:54Energy drinks were cool,
12:55but only to teenagers.
12:57If it was really going to disrupt the industry,
13:00looking like an energy drink
13:01wasn't going to cut it.
13:02Frustrated,
13:03Mike pushed away from his desk.
13:05He'd been brainstorming for hours.
13:06He needed a break to clear his mind.
13:08He shuffled to the kitchen,
13:10opening the fridge more out of habit than hunger.
13:13As the cool air hit his face,
13:15his eyes fell on a lone craft beer
13:17tucked in the back.
13:18Almost without thinking,
13:20he grabbed the can.
13:21As he cracked it open,
13:22the familiar hiss brought him back
13:24to that fateful night a year ago
13:26when he made the decision
13:27to publish the Save the Bros video.
13:29He studied the can in his hand,
13:31and suddenly it hit him.
13:34Beer was the lifeblood of college parties,
13:36the centerpiece of the Super Bowl,
13:38the porch companion after a long day of work.
13:40It didn't matter if you were 21 or 81.
13:43Beer transcended age.
13:45A slow grin spread across Mike's face.
13:48He needed something that people of all ages aspired to.
13:51Something that had been cool for generations.
13:54He needed beer.
13:55After a night of pulling together beer references
13:58from other brands,
13:59Mike emerged from his creative cave.
14:01His hair wild,
14:03his eyes bloodshot.
14:04He'd done it.
14:05He'd found the perfect name
14:06for his revolutionary water.
14:08The next morning,
14:09Mike swaggered into the office
14:10of the skateboarding company
14:11where he was now working as a creative director.
14:14Prepare to have your mind alone.
14:17He announced to his boss,
14:18pausing dramatically.
14:20The name was perfect.
14:21It embodied his own rebellious spirit,
14:24and it spoke to the danger
14:25and ruthless nature
14:26of the most deadly
14:27of Mother Nature's inventions.
14:30Southern Thunder.
14:32Mike said,
14:33waiting for his boss's jaw to drop.
14:36Southern Thunder.
14:38Yeah, it's edgy, it's bold, it's...
14:41The lamest name I've ever heard.
14:44His boss cut in.
14:45It sounds like a corporate idea
14:47of what a cool brand name would be.
14:50Any argument died in Mike's throat.
14:52His boss was right.
14:54He was thinking like the old corporate executives
14:56at his past jobs had shaped him to think.
14:59Safe.
15:00And boring.
15:01For days, Mike brooded over his failure.
15:03He knew he needed something different.
15:06Something that would cut through the noise.
15:08He didn't have an endless bag of money
15:10to throw at marketing for a mediocre brand.
15:12He knew that the only chance this thing had
15:14was if the brand was so unique
15:16that people had to share it.
15:18Something that would be the very antithesis
15:20of safe and boring.
15:22Because safe and boring
15:23would be the death of the brand.
15:26Suddenly, Mike sat bolt upright in bed.
15:29Liquid death.
15:30A smile spreading across his face.
15:33Murder your thirst.
15:38There was nothing to stop him
15:40launching a killer brand now.
15:41No laborious permits and licenses.
15:43No restrictions on who he could market to.
15:46But most importantly,
15:47no advertising executives
15:48that had to sign off on his ideas.
15:51All he had to do was find a manufacturer
15:53that could put water in a can.
15:55What do you mean it's impossible?
15:57Mike shouted into his phone,
15:58pacing his small apartment.
16:00It's f***ing water in a can.
16:02You're telling me there's not a single place
16:04in the country
16:05that can put spring water in an aluminum can?
16:09I'm sorry, Mike.
16:09It just doesn't make economic sense.
16:12The sales manager said.
16:13You have to can it at the source.
16:15And unless you're going to use city water...
16:17No, we aren't using city water.
16:20It's in a can.
16:21It needs to be premium spring water.
16:23The cans are already more expensive
16:26than plastic bottles.
16:27It's going to have a premium price point.
16:30So the product inside
16:31means to feel like it has a premium story.
16:33Look, I know you creatives
16:35think the brand is everything.
16:37But this is the real world.
16:38We just don't have the capabilities.
16:40Mike ran a hand through his hair.
16:42Frustration mounting.
16:43It's not just the aesthetics, man.
16:46Cans are infinitely recyclable.
16:48Plastic bottles aren't.
16:50Do none of you give a s***
16:51about where this stuff is even ending up?
16:54I'm sorry, Mike.
16:54It's just not possible in the U.S.
16:56Mike paused.
16:58Well, where is it possible?
17:00Days of research and countless phone calls later,
17:02Mike had finally found an answer.
17:05Austria.
17:05He'd found a manufacturer with four water springs
17:08and canning capabilities.
17:10It was perfect.
17:11Except for one tiny detail.
17:13200,000 cans?
17:16Mike repeated.
17:17That's the minimum order?
17:18Yes, Mr. Cesario.
17:20The manufacturer confirmed.
17:21And it will cost a quarter of a million dollars.
17:24Mike's heart sank.
17:25A quarter of a million dollars.
17:28There was much more than he'd been able to save
17:29while bouncing between ad agencies.
17:31He needed to raise some serious money.
17:34And that meant proving the concept.
17:36Showing that people would actually buy water in a beer can.
17:40Mike needed to make an ad.
17:42This time, with full creative control.
17:45He wrote the script in a night,
17:47hired a local actress online,
17:48and he set the shoot date for that weekend.
17:50As the sun rose on the Saturday morning shoot,
17:53Mike stood in his garage.
17:55A bag over his head and his hands taped together.
17:58He was leaning awkwardly over a makeshift plank,
18:01trying not to lose his balance.
18:02Honey, are you sure about this?
18:05His wife, Carly, called from behind the camera.
18:07I mean, I know you're committed to your ideas,
18:09but this seems a little extreme.
18:12Mike's muffled voice came from beneath the bag.
18:15Trust me, it'll be hilarious.
18:16Just make sure you get my good side.
18:18Just then, the doorbell rang.
18:20Carly set down the camera and went to answer it.
18:22She returned a moment later with a young woman in tow,
18:25who stopped dead in her tracks at the site before her.
18:28Um, I'm here for the commercial shoot?
18:31The actress said, hesitantly,
18:32her eyes darting between Carly and the bagged figure of Mike.
18:36I think I might have the wrong address.
18:38Mike attempted to turn towards the voice,
18:40nearly toppling over in the process.
18:42No, no, you're in the right place.
18:44I'm Mike, the director.
18:45He said, his voice still muffled.
18:47Sorry about the unusual welcome.
18:49The actress looked at Carly, who shrugged apologetically.
18:52Welcome to Liquid Death.
18:54There was a moment of silence,
18:55then all three of them burst into laughter.
18:57They were about to fake torture,
18:59to sell water.
19:02Mike had only been able to afford a few hours with the actress,
19:05but they filmed as many takes as they could.
19:07When they were finished,
19:08Carly edited together the final draft
19:10after the first ever Liquid Death ad.
19:13Hi, I'm a professional actor,
19:16and I'm getting paid to tell you
19:18about a revolutionary new product.
19:20Liquid Death.
19:22Liquid Death.
19:23Hold on to your hot dogs.
19:25Because I got news.
19:26Water isn't cute.
19:29Water is deadly.
19:31Acute innocent surfers,
19:32and snowboarders,
19:33and...
19:34kayakers.
19:36Every year,
19:37water is responsible
19:38for thousands and thousands of deaths.
19:40And that's why this brand needs to exist.
19:42To finally give water
19:44the ice-cold can
19:45and ice-cold name
19:47it deserves.
19:48A brand that parents will hate,
19:50but kids might do not.
19:53Liquid Death,
19:55Mountain Water.
19:55Made from the deadliest stuff on Earth.
19:58With the video complete,
19:59Mike launched an Indiegogo campaign,
20:01and he held his breath.
20:02This was it.
20:03If people loved it,
20:04he'd have the proof of concept
20:06he needed to attract investors.
20:08If they hated it,
20:09well, he...
20:09tried not to think about that.
20:11Mike refreshed the campaign page obsessively,
20:14watching the numbers tick up slowly.
20:16Too slowly.
20:17By the end of the campaign,
20:19he'd only raised $1,500.
20:22It was enough to cover the cost of making the ad,
20:24but nowhere near the quarter million he needed.
20:27Had he gone too far?
20:29Was the concept too weird?
20:30Too niche?
20:31Maybe people just didn't get it.
20:33Maybe this is a sign.
20:34Mike muttered one evening,
20:36slumped on the couch next to Carly.
20:38Go back to a normal job?
20:39Normal ideas?
20:40Carly looked at him,
20:42a mix of concern and determination in her eyes.
20:45No way.
20:46She said.
20:47This idea is too good to give up on.
20:49We just need to get it in front of more people.
20:51Her words struck a chord.
20:53Mike sat up.
20:54You're right.
20:54He said, reaching for his laptop.
20:56We've got the video.
20:58So why don't we put it where everyone can see it?
21:00Disappointed, but not yet defeated,
21:02Mike decided to throw the ad up on Facebook.
21:05Within days, the video had racked up millions of views.
21:08Comments were pouring in from people demanding to know
21:11where they could buy this insane water.
21:13Mike knew he was in a race against time.
21:15He had viral attention,
21:17he had potential buyers,
21:18but he still didn't have the capital
21:20to actually produce the product.
21:22He needed investors,
21:23and he needed them now.
21:24And who understands the power of a viral brand
21:27better than anyone?
21:28Marketing executives.
21:29The very people who had shot his ideas down for years
21:32might just be the key to bringing liquid death to life.
21:36Swallowing his pride,
21:37Mike started reaching out to every marketing exec
21:40he'd worked with over the years.
21:41The first few meetings seemed to go pretty well,
21:44but not well enough.
21:45Mike needed someone to actually open their wallet.
21:48He checked his calendar,
21:49and when he saw who the next meeting was with,
21:51he felt a lump in his throat.
21:53It was Hank Goldstein,
21:54the same boss who hadn't believed
21:56in his sell your soul idea for Calloway.
21:58As Mike arrived and looked around the boardroom
22:01he'd sat in so many times before,
22:03he braced himself for yet another rejection.
22:06He pitched liquid death in a daze,
22:08and he sat back down.
22:09Hank just sat there staring back at him.
22:12The silence stretched,
22:13and Mike automatically filled the air.
22:15Look, I know you didn't believe in my ideas back then.
22:20He started awkwardly,
22:21his voice shaking.
22:22Hank cut him off.
22:24I always believed in the ideas you had,
22:26but no matter how much I believed,
22:29the clients were too big,
22:30too established,
22:31and too scared to take risks.
22:33You don't have ideas that are worth pitching
22:36to a billion-dollar company.
22:37Mike raised an eyebrow,
22:39confused.
22:40You have ideas that build billion-dollar companies.
22:43Mike sat in stunned silence.
22:45Put me down to invest.
22:4720 grand.
22:48That night,
22:48it was like a dam had broken.
22:50Investment offers from all over the country
22:52started rolling in,
22:53mostly in small chunks,
22:54but they added up.
22:55Before long,
22:56Mike had raised $150,000.
22:59It wasn't quite the quarter million he needed,
23:01but it was enough to convince the Austrian manufacturer
23:03to start an initial run.
23:05Mike hung up the phone after finalizing the order,
23:07a mix of excitement and terror
23:09washing over him.
23:10This was really happening.
23:11Liquid Death was about to become a reality.
23:15Mike's hands shook as he opened the first box,
23:18pulling out a sleek white can
23:20adorned with a golden skull.
23:22Liquid Death was finally in his hands,
23:25but now it was time to start selling it.
23:28Mike approached the big retailers first,
23:30Target, Walmart,
23:31the usual suspects,
23:32but his meetings didn't quite go as planned.
23:34Okay, wait,
23:35so let me just make sure I've got this clear.
23:38You want us to stock water
23:41that looks like beer
23:43and is called Liquid Death?
23:46A Target executive asked,
23:47eyebrows raised.
23:49Walmart's response was similar.
23:50The major retailers weren't ready to take a chance
23:53on such an unconventional product.
23:55The rejections hit Mike hard.
23:57He poured everything into this idea,
23:59and now it seemed like no one was even willing
24:01to give it a chance.
24:03But as he stared at the pile of Liquid Death cans
24:05in his living room,
24:06something inside Mike hardened.
24:08He hadn't come this far to give up now.
24:11Mike turned to the one place
24:12he knew would let him sell his product,
24:15Amazon.
24:16Setting up on Amazon seemed simple enough.
24:18Register the product,
24:19ship it to their warehouse,
24:20and they handle the rest.
24:22But there was a catch.
24:23The shipping fees were based on weight,
24:24and water is pretty heavy.
24:26When Mike crunched the numbers,
24:27he realized that to make any profit at all,
24:30he'd have to price Liquid Death
24:31way higher than a typical water bottle.
24:33Despite his doubts,
24:34he set up the Amazon listing.
24:36He created a product description
24:37that leaned into the brand's edgy humor,
24:39he set the price point,
24:40and he held his breath as he clicked submit.
24:43Then, within minutes of Mike clicking post
24:45on his Facebook launch announcement,
24:47the sales started rolling in.
24:49The novelty factor was working in Liquid Death's favor.
24:52People were buying boxes for themselves
24:54and boxes for their friends as gifts.
24:57In January 2019,
24:58the data from the first full month of sales was in.
25:01Liquid Death had hit $100,000 in revenue
25:05in their first month.
25:07Mike stared at the sales report in disbelief.
25:09Throughout the year,
25:10Mike reinvested every dollar
25:12into his one major competitive advantage.
25:15That shit insane advertising.
25:17We're an entertainment company first.
25:19Like, we don't want to make marketing.
25:20We want to make people laugh.
25:22Now let's squat.
25:24One.
25:25Oh.
25:27Two.
25:28Go to liquiddeath.com to get skateboards
25:30with my blood in it.
25:32Because even though I'm into getting my...
25:35Hi, I'm Martha Stewart.
25:38And I am partnering with Liquid Death
25:40to launch my very own glory hole.
25:43If you asked Mike today,
25:45he'll tell you Liquid Death isn't even just a water company.
25:48It's an entertainment powerhouse,
25:50blurring the lines between advertising
25:52and pure entertainment.
25:53Now, Liquid Death is available all over America,
25:56including Target and Walmart.
25:59And soon enough,
25:59they'll be expanding to take on the global market.
26:02In their latest funding round in 2024,
26:04Liquid Death was valued at $1.4 billion.
26:08Mike Cesario has successfully pulled off
26:11one of the most punk rock middle fingers
26:13to corporate culture of all time.
26:15He's taken the most boring product imaginable
26:17and turned it into a counterculture icon
26:19that rivals the biggest brands in the industry.
26:22And he did it all his way.
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