Page 42 - AVN May 2022

Seems almost too obvious, some might say. But of course, aligning yourself with pornography and/or stars of pornography can be more than a little treacherous an excursion, and one that requires ever-so-cautious advancement.
“It was like, how do we use an adult film star in a way where if we wanted to, broadcast television networks will let us run it as a commercial? That was kind of the bar,” Cessario said. “So we kind of found this fun way to do it but not make our retailers that carry us nervous, and make it where it’s not about being sexy. We’re not trying to do that. It’s just a really unexpected person and unexpected way to deliver this sustainability message.”
Coming from a decade-long background in advertising, Cessario submitted that, as his general marketing philosophy for Liquid Death, “I don’t ever want to make ‘ads,’ I want to make entertainment. The way we think about making ads is probably more similar to the way Saturday Night Live thinks about making those parody ads—it’s more about legit comedy and entertainment that is in service of the brand.”
That being said, there may very well be no one more qualified for this specific campaign, inside or out of the adult sphere, than Joanna Angel, with her singular—and AVN Award- winning, many times over—comedic prowess. Having worked on the side for some time now as a brand ambassador for Liquid Death, Angel as of April 1 embarked upon a major career shift by accepting a full-time position with the company carrying the official title of Lifestyle Marketing Rep.
Her involvement with the brand, she reveals, started off purely as a bona fide fan. “I saw the product backstage at concerts, and my fellow industry longtime dear friend, Jessie Lee, drank it religiously,” Angel imparted. “I absolutely loved the branding, and their hilarious and even oftentimes dangerous daily social media posts became something I looked forward to seeing every day. On top of that, it was legitimately refreshing water, and as a sparkling water connoisseur, it was the best one I’d ever tasted.
“I had a real admiration for them, and I very much felt like Liquid Death was to water what BurningAngel was to porn,” she professed, referring of course to the famously irreverent adult company she founded as a college student in 2002.
Then one year ago, when she was preparing to shoot her epic biopic Casey: A True Story— which would go on to collect a tank load of 2022 AVN Awards, including top prize the Grand Reel—Angel reached out to the company in an attempt to secure permission to use Liquid Death as set dressing in the movie’s bar scenes ... and ended up connecting with Cessario, who to her pleasant surprise gave her his blessing.
“I’ve attempted to collaborate with other brands over the years ... even so-called ‘edgy’ brands ... and these attempts have most often been unsuccessful,” she related. But not only did Cessario give her the green light, “he even put me in touch with someone to get a large amount of product to me in time for the movie.”
Almost as if it were straight out of a movie, Angel divulged, “On a whim, I said in my next email, ‘Hey by the way ... if you guys are hiring ... let me know. I really love the company and I’m looking for some new projects in life.” As they say, one thing led to another...