As news broke last month of Bethenny selling her SkinnyGirl brand to Fortune Brands’ Beam Global. And this season on her show we saw Bethenny getting frustrated with SkinnyGirl not being accessible to everyone at liquor stores.
Bethenny’s empire is worth $120 million! She has 3 New York Time’s best sellers (Naturally Thin, The Skinnygirl Dish & A Place of Yes), her own series on Bravo (the 1st season premiere was Bravo’s highest-rated series ever), endorsement deals (Pampers, Bluefly & Hanes), Body by Bethenny workout DVD, Skinnygirl shapewear line, a diet cleanse & weight-loss supplements, she is ranks among reality TV’s wealthiest self-made stars!
She got in with Bravo at the right time because back in 2008 joining Housewives was nothing like joining today. The contracts are getting more & more detailed with reality stars starting their own little empires. A network developer said, “It’s indeed becoming the trend. Our attorneys are constantly telling us that we need to cover our butts in case the talent blows up. If we are responsible for their success, we should get a piece.”
When the sale of the SkinnyGirl brand “One month you would get 3,000 cases ordered and you’re dealing with that revenue. Then the next month you all of sudden get 30,000 cases ordered,” Dow says. By summer 2010, the most popular season for margaritas, the mix was sold out.
And Beam Global still wants Bethenny involved with the SkinnyGirl brand saying, “No one knows the brand better than Bethenny, and we don’t want to break something we just bought,” he says. “Plus, she gives us access to consumer feedback with just one tweet that would take us three months of focus groups to compile.”
And what else can she add to her growing empire? Someday she’d love to have a talk show. According to a recent report, Bethenny is in talks with Telepictures Productions (The Ellen Show) about the deal.
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