Spencer Hoddeson

CRACKING OPEN CURIOSITY. From a young age, Spencer Hoddeson has always been a voracious learner. Growing up in the suburbs of New York City, he vividly recalls exploring his backyard, cracking open rocks to understand their composition. “I wanted to understand what went into the formation of rocks,” he reminisces. This insatiable curiosity has driven him throughout his life, leading him to the beverage industry, where he is now deciphering its intricacies and transforming it with his innovative brand, Gay Water.

Gay Water is a mission-driven, canned vodka soda company that aims to destigmatize the word ‘gay’ by creating a queer product for spaces where representation is traditionally lacking—liquor stores, bars, restaurants, and grocery stores. The term ‘Gay Water’ is a colloquialism for a vodka soda in the queer community, and Spencer’s goal is to reframe the word ‘gay’ to mean happy and joyful, just as it should. ]Spencer’s journey to founding his own company began with his college years at Vanderbilt University, where he created his own major in entertainment media studies. “I was pretty set on what I wanted to do after college,” he explains. His drive and passion for the entertainment industry led him to the NBC Page Program, a prestigious post-graduate position that he describes as foundational to his career. “The Page Program taught me incredible public speaking skills and how to excel in a competitive environment,” Spencer says.

After several internships in record labels, publications, and television, Spencer decided to explore new opportunities, which led him to Yahoo. At Yahoo, he worked on the brand team, experiencing the company’s evolution through three rebrands. “By the company’s third rebrand, I was ready to learn something new and wanted to start something on my own,” Spencer recalls. This realization planted the seed for Gay Water. Gay Water’s mission is to carve out a space on the shelves in an otherwise generally heteronormative industry. “The beverage industry is competitive, but it’s a space that would benefit the most from bringing in a queer perspective,” Spencer explains.

His vision for Gay Water is not just about creating a product for the queer community but for everyone. “Gay just means happy. It’s a fun, happy brand that everyone can enjoy,” he says. “I recently saw a comment online asking, ‘Is this only for gay people?’ And my response to them was, ‘Is Italian food only for Italian people?’ That’s the mindset that I’m going into with this brand.

A VISION FOR INCLUSIVITY. Spencer wants Gay Water to engage its audience on a human level, creating a two-way dialogue rather than the typical one-way communication found in other beverage brands. “We want to make sure that whoever is buying this product is actually joining in the conversation and championing the community with us,” he explains. Whether it’s a queer person or an ally, Spencer wants everyone to feel connected to the brand beyond just the product itself.

As Gay Water continues to expand, Spencer shares his biggest takeaway from his founder journey so far: to keep moving forward. “There’s a time and a place to focus on the past and learn from mistakes, but it’s not in the moment that you make the mistake,” he advises. “In the moment, you need to be solution-oriented and keep moving forward. There’s always a way forward and a solution to every problem.”