Liquid Death Casts Tom Segura in 'Glory Hole' Recycling Pitch

Comedian and podcaster Tom Segura enthusiastically invites members of a live studio audience—and everyone watching at home—to shove their aluminum junk right into his glory hole in Liquid Death’s infomercial spoof. It was created by the canned water brand’s in-house marketing team and drops today via YouTube and Instagram.

Actually, this really is an infomercial—albeit a brief one, clocking in at just under 1:30—because viewers can purchase Segura’s “Recycling Glory Hole” for home, office or elsewhere. We’re talking about a 3-foot-tall box with a cut-out for Segura’s mouth. It’s large enough to easily accommodate empty Liquid Death cans and other similarly-sized aluminum containers.

But don’t you dare toss in plastic bottles because, as Segura points out in the video, “Plastic isn’t actually recyclable. Ninety-five percent of it gets sent to landfills.”

The item costs $58. As part of the irreverent and eco-conscious brand’s #DeathToPlastic initiative, a portion of the proceeds will support non-profit organizations fighting plastic pollution. That’s no joke!

“We all grew up with messaging about how important it is to recycle,” says Liquid Death’s VP of creative Andy Pearson. “But there’s also something important we’re missing in that lesson, which is to waste less. Single-use plastics like plastic bottles are endemic to our modern world. What we want to do with this video and the entire brand of Liquid Death is to get people to stop and think critically about their choices.”

“And, of course, humor is the very best way to do that,” Pearson continues. “If you can get someone to laugh, you’ve already connected with them on a personal level.”

How did Segura react when the brand pitched him on the idea? 

“We read the title, and he just stopped us and said, ‘Yep. That’s it,'” Pearson recalls, noting that Segura does a bit in his comedy shows about a very different kind of glory hole. (FYI: There’s an apparent nod to Tom’s NSFW routine in the Liquid Death video. But that’s all we’ll say. If you’ve watched his act, you’ll pick up on it!) 

Liquid Death tapped the directing duo Bonabart—Bonnie Dennison and Alison Barton—to shoot the clip.

“They’ve got such great comedic sensibilities and bring a real joy to really awful subject matter like this. So, it felt perfect,” says Pearson, noting that the brand previously worked with Bonabart on its “Martha Stewart Dismember Moments Candle” campaign. (They shot Segura’s video in front of an audience of actors. If you’re a standup comedy fan, you will recognize Shapel Lacey, who at one point asks a question.)

“Tom was awesome,” Pearson says of the video’s star. “It’s great working with comedians like Tom, because once they get going, they’re off to the races and great stuff comes out that we never even thought of.”

Everyone involved with the project worked to make the material “straight-up funny, not just ‘advertising funny,'” Pearson adds, stressing that the brand strives to make work akin to the best SNL skits and internet humor videos. 

“We like to think of Liquid Death as an entertainment brand that happens to make healthy beverages and merch. So, instead of marketing, we just want to put out something that’s the best thing someone is going to see all day,” Pearson says. “If we can accomplish that, we’ve done our job.”

CREDITS

Liquid Death
Co-Founder/CEO: Mike Cessario
SVP of Marketing: Dan Murphy
VP of Creative: Andy Pearson
VP of Marketing: Greg Fass
VP of Design: Frank Dresmé
VP of Apparel: Misha Brunelli
Creative Director: Will Carsola
Associate Creative Director: Stu Golley
Design Director of Merch: Adam Hedman
Senior Brand Manager: Tia Sherwood
Senior Social Media Manager: Rachael Mumford
Senior Nihilist: Brendan Kelly
Senior Graphic Designer: Kellen Breen
Video Editor: Tyler Beasley
Apparel Production & Sourcing Manager: Sean Srnik
Executive Producer: Johnny Eastlund
Senior Producer: Tatianna Rodriguez
Senior Producer: Cookie Walukas
Production Coordinator: Rylee Brown
Directors: Bonabart
First Assistant Director: Cody Boesen
Director of Photography: Lerry Kin
Production Designer: Laurent Turlure