The One Stop Cocktail Shop – Spirit & Spoon
SCOTCH PARLOR PODCAST #32
The One Stop Cocktail Shop - Spirit & Spoon
Karl Steuck: Digital Creator & Founder of Spirit & Spoon
Many people don’t think about what all it takes to create a bar menu and a cocktail experience that’ll leave you wanting more. As consumers and patrons, we glance the menu, and we choose what we’d like to enjoy for the night. It doesn’t enter our mind what all goes into creating the menu, visuals, and social media content for the drinks we order. Karl Steuck understands the industry best; as the founder of Spirit & Spoon, a creative media business that combines photography and content development with cocktail and social media consulting, he can attest to all the hard work it takes to create a business that brings color to the menu and helps other businesses thrive along the way. Spirit & Spoon was created in 2014 and came from the many service industry experiences Karl collected in L.A. over the years. After moving to Los Angeles 20 years ago all the way from Michigan, Karl dabbled in culinary and bar positions before landing himself a job as head of business development at Loft & Bar, the second distillery in L.A. since prohibition. It was there that he picked up his camera and started taking pictures and videos of the drinks he was making. His unique take on the industry, the entertaining content he makes and the role his company plays helps him to create relationships and collaborations with other well-known brands.
Get To Know Karl Steuck:
HOBBIES? Walking while listening to old school hip-hop.Yoga & other photography.
BUCKET LIST? Travel the world - visit Japan, Italy & Spain.
BOOZE OF CHOICE? Mezcal Negroni
KARL'S BOOK LIST: Stop checking Your Likes - by Susie Moore The Brain Fog Fix - by Dr. Mike Dow
A one-stop cocktail shop, Spirit & Spoon is a consulting firm that not only showcases Karl’s gorgeous cocktail creations, along with his playful and friendly personality, it also dives deep into consultation where he helps brands build their social media presence with high-quality content while helping them to fine-tune their restaurant and bar experience. Karl is someone who stands out in the industry. He plays by his own rules and finds ways to create content like nobody else. He’s a man who doesn’t go by a set routine and finds that authenticity and your unique creative ideas are what people need to see. He doesn’t use fancy lighting, nor does he require a massive studio set to shoot his videos. He chases unknown locations, the sun, and all its angles and invites shadows to play along with his photography.
Karl is also someone who doesn’t see a point in comparing his work with others. He plays with as many natural elements as possible, bringing in his personality to spice things up, and he never looks at other companies and brands as competition. In fact, Karl wants to be known as someone who doesn’t take life too seriously, someone who’s just looking for a good time while helping as many people and businesses as he can along the way. Once travel restrictions release, Karl wants to explore other companies all around the world and experience their creations and ideas coming to life. He dreams of going to places like Japan and Italy and is excited for collaborations that’ll take him on a journey of a lifetime. Follow his tremendous work on Instagram @spiritandspoon and his website spiritandspoon.com. In this episode, we talk about how Karl's life changed when he moved from Michigan to L.A., how Spirit & Spoon was born, his photography process, his mindset when it comes to making his videos, what's the best booze strategy when hosting a gathering, his cocktail of choice, social media tips, words of inspiration for other creators plus a whole lot more. Enjoy getting to know Kart Steuck of Spirit and Spoon and his journey as a creator. Cheers, and go create.
"If your shooting for somebody or shooting for a brand or even for yourself, it’s good to use the same cocktail [for multiple images] and not recycle the same image."
SOME QUESTIONS I ASK:
- How were you as a kid growing up - were you the creative type, the athlete, the kid with a lemonade stand, etc...
- What's your photography process?
- How important is fresh ingredients when it comes to cocktails?
- What is your “secret sauce?”
- How did Spirit and Spoon start?
- Plus More
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN:
- What it's like shooting for a booze brand nowadays.
- What is the most important bar tool.
- His social media strategy.
- How he chases the natural light when it comes to his photography.
- His he balances his creative passion with his work.
- Plus More
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Don’t compare yourself to others. Find your unique voice. Find what makes you happy.
Connect with Karl &
Spirit and Spoon:
