Hi, everyone. I, for one, am not having a normal week. You see, my lovely wife caught some good ol' fashioned Covid in San Francisco over the weekend, but so far, myself and the boys are all virus-free - but we ARE quite stressed.
So, my week is not great - but that's no reason that yours can't be extra special. Which is why I'm so very pleased to bring you this special episode of Canndid, where I had the pleasure of interviewing Luke Anderson, Co-Founder at Cann.
Luke and I spoke for a condensed 30 minutes, but he managed to pack enough wisdom and fun in there to fill two hours. We were able to touch on his early days as a goodie-two-shoes, how he was raised by a single mother, and his first (and quite memorable) 2-day hangover when he turned 30. I asked him about inventing a category; we talked about the Swiss / German flavor experts; we touched on how some dispensary staff have trouble making sense of stock-out reports; we discussed the heritage of queer culture, and how Cann is playing a role in bridging the gap between the gay Zeitgeist and popular culture.
Overall - what a gosh darn pleasure this was. Please enjoy.
26 May 2022
The Candyman: Canndid with Joe Hodas
On this episode, I got to bother Joe Hodas, the CMO for Wana Brands. Wana is a well-known, international, expertly-branded gummies company, and Joe is a big part of its success. We got to discuss his life story (including some early guilt related to his cannabis consumption), his career (including his long tenure in cannabis and leadership in multiple product companies), parenting on cannabis (including his shyness at admitting consumption to his son), and more.
Joe is a real OG in this space, and Wana is lucky to have him at the helm of their branding efforts. I also managed to meet Joe in person in New York last week, and he's just as lovely in the flesh as he is on this episode.
Please enjoy!
6 May 2022
Fearless: Canndid with Andreas Neumann
This week, I had the privilege of speaking with Andreas Neumann, Chief Creative Officer at Jushi.
I met Dre back when Jushi had a few retail licenses, and I've had the honor of sitting on the sidelines and watching them grow into a monster retailer and a monster brand. Dre has played a massive role in Jushi's success during that time, curating the customer experience, the digital presence, the PR, and the overall brand.
Dre's personal story informs all of this success. He has a unique perspective on his projects and the world at large; he is also fearless, which has led to some phenomenal opportunities and successes. He has worked as a photographer, an advertising executive, a record producer, and much, much more.
Dre is inspiring, to say the least, and I'm lucky to know him. I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did.
24 Mar 2022
Unapologetic: Canndid with Kristina Lopez Adduci
On this episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Kristina Lopez Adduci, the Founder and CEO of House of Puff. As an appetizer - and to give you a feel for the kind of drive and chutzpah that Kristina embodies as a Latina in the New York cannabis scene - I'll tell you that her mother, who had always worked in real estate, up and decided to become a doctor one day. While raising kids. And she succeeded.
So, yeah. Kristina has some amazing role models, but she has also very much forged her own path. During her first cannabis experience - which came relatively late in life - she was stuck with a dirty old bong, and she began to wonder what life might be like if cannabis hardware catered more toward women. And House of Puff was born.
Kristina was such a pleasure and such a spark on the show, and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.
9 Mar 2022
Pink Hair and Passion: Canndid with Juliana Whitney and Nick Bembenek
On this episode, I had such a great time speaking with Juliana Whitney and Nick Bembenek, the Co-founders of Leafsheets. These two partners founded Leafsheets with the express purpose of "un-gating" the murky operations of the cannabis industry, with a particular focus on making winning a license easier. Juliana pulls from her experience as the President of Cann Strategy, where she has won several hard-to-win cannabis licenses on behalf of her consulting clients, and Nick pulls from his deep technological background and entrepreneurial spirit. The combo is an effective one, as you'll find.
In addition to Leafsheets, we got to talk about being a woman in cannabis, having pink hair, the too-strong cannabis flower these days, and - of course - floating down a river with a CamelPak filled with mojito and a unicorn floaty in tow after having taken some Wyld gummies.
Please enjoy.
24 Feb 2022
Pizza, Pot, and Friends: Canndid with Annie Davis
On this installment, I had the opportunity to speak with Annie Davis, the CEO & Founder of Growing Impact, a cannabis strategy consultancy.
Annie is a Yale and Harvard Business School Grad, and to put it plainly, she is not who you might expect to be the face of the cannabis industry. Through her struggles with insomnia, though, she kept finding that the greatest source of relief and normalcy for her was this little plant.
We got to touch on being a female executive in the industry, raising kids as a cannabis professional, and the promise of full-spectrum products.
I hope you enjoy and another big thanks to Annie for spending the time being Canndid.
15 Feb 2022
Synchronicity Now: Canndid with Ulysses Youngblood
On this installment, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Ulysses Youngblood, the President of Major Bloom, who built a dispensary from the ground up in Worcester, MA.
We discussed synchronicity and how the universe is connected; we touched on his early experiences with cannabis, which revolved around family, as well as his business and emotional ties to a city where he once got beat up by cops. We talked about Major Bloom's leading retail efforts, and how bigger players have been taking notice and trying to catch up.
He confided in me that it's difficult to share his entrepreneurial wins with his young kids, when they aren't allowed inside the business that he built.
This was a pleasure of a chat, and I hope you enjoy.
8 Feb 2022
Felonious Mormons and Fox News: Canndid with The Chamber of Cannabis
On this installment, I had the pleasure of speaking with Tina Ullman and Dani Barinowski, the President and Vice President, respectively, of The Chamber of Cannabis in Nevada.
We discussed being high during business meetings, and how I can't hang. We talked about their career trajectories, which were - surprise surprise - not super traditional. Mormons, felony arrests in State Parks, Fox News - we covered a lot.
More than anything, we discussed the chamber's goals to strengthen commerce, improve justice, and positively impact the cannabis community.
Please enjoy.
1 Feb 2022
$12,000 and Four Yarises: Canndid with Tim Conder
On today's episode, I chat with Tim Conder, Co-founder and former CEO, current division President at Blackbird, an HERBL company.
Tim is an interesting cat - he started in construction, moved to bike messengering, and eventually grew a bike-based courier service into car-based Blackbird.
We discuss social equity, consumption lounges and our preference to not interact with 45 strangers while we smoke, his experience selling and re-buying Blackbird, and how he once left $50k cash in an Uber.
Spread joy.
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