Soderbergh has had to think creatively and has managed to engineer his own product placements – notably in a scene of his 2012 Magic Mike film. When it comes to exposure he’s not fussy and would welcome any film in which Singani 63 might appear. “Some brands might not want to see their product used [in certain films]. I don’t care. It’s a free advert that lasts for ever. They [characters] can be doing the worst shit imaginable – we are the brand for that. It’s a movie. Nobody will think: Singani makes you kill people.”
But Soderbergh doesn’t limit his approach to what he knows. He went to the Manhattan Cocktail Classic a year back, will travel to Tales of the Cocktail this year and was on the verge on breaking off from the second series shoot of The Nick to head to Prowein, where his brand was showcased from the Bolivian wine stand. Maybe his team decided Düsseldorf isn’t as box office as Clive Owen, either way, they told him his presence wasn’t strictly necessary.
Act one is to spread the brand’s wings beyond New York and LA to about six US cities, though talks about expansion to the UK and Australia are afoot.
Building a global brand will require more than showbiz endorsement and Soderbergh knows he can’t do it alone. “Casa Real is a family business and we have a very good relationship. I want them to come on board with Act two – the expansion here and outside of the US. It’s the perfect solution. I need an equity partner – I am at the edge of my capability.”
There is probably a reason why Casa Real has not exported its product before – the sell doesn’t get much harder. But in Soderbergh, it has a storyteller to whom people listen. Bare-chested on horseback or not, it’s not every day Steven Soderbergh walks – or even trots – into your bar.
