Cannabis Karaoke Podcast

This episode, I get to speak with Joseph Sulistyo the CEO and Jake Tital, Co-Founder/Head of Business Development for Sproutways. We discuss the value of landrace, heirloom and hybrid genetics from well respected and top level breeders Bodhi of Bodhi Seeds, Snowhigh of Legendary Genetix and Kagyu of Coastal Seed Co.

Fresh off the press release with Waverider Nursery and Santa Cruz Naturals, Sproutways is looking to create a seed to sale transaction providing the best cannabis available to the consumer but more over a METRC tracked process allowing full transparency for all involved. Most cannabis customers probably do not realize how many brands are white labeling the same weed but rebranding it with a new name or experience (check those COA’s people!!).

Covid-19 and the impact to the business is much like it is hitting everyone else, more virtual activity and digital story telling which is something Sproutways was already tackling. When you visit the website a person can meet the breeders, see the strains offered complete with drill down information about THC%, how to grow and more. The company does not stop their with their education efforts as they provide growing tips and videos about the breeders involved with the platform.

People, cannabis is always evolving and Sproutways is ahead of the curve bringing the customer ISO standards and transparency that is so desperately needed in cannabis as we see it today.

Make sure to follow Sproutways on Instagram @sproutways and Twitter @sproutways and send them a DM to find out more.

Alex Frost came from being a founding member of Canndescent the first of its kind "experience" based brand in cannabis. She spent time helping build the brand from the beginning selecting the color orange and it eventual growth to a 250 person company.

Along the way she realized her talent for getting clients to ask "What is your deeper WHY". Branded The Cannsultant, Alex begin her endeavors consulting cannabis brands and helping them realize their biggest strengths. It is clear that Alex is here to help, she believes in the plant and wants the industry to be in the hands of good people not just people looking to make a bunch of money.

Her latest endeavor is a big one, on the back of Hall of Flowers Palm Springs being postponed April 1 and 2 she launched her idea. The Brand to Buyer Virtual Summit a virtual trade show where 16 selected brands will showcase their products or services to buyers and others via a interactive chat style model. The Brand will be assigned a video chat room that buyers can attend and ask question in a public setting, if desired the buyer can take that chat private with the brand while also enabling those brands to provide handouts or incentives on a more intimate level.

Follow Alex Frost on Instagram @the.cannsultant (and in her bio you can request a 30 minute call with her) To participate in the Brand to Buyer Virtual Summit and also on Instagram @b2bvirtualsummit

Rico Lamitte (Suavecito Rico) TedX speaker, NCAA Football Athlete, Founder of LA and Orange County Cannagather, Founder of The Suave Life and recognized as 2018 High Times 100 most influential people in cannabis, BAKER rep and former opioid addict.

Rico was an asset to the NCAA, guaranteed to always get a heads up on drug testing and was presented with opioids to cover pain relief. He ended up rupturing his tendon, got depressed and dove into Norco's, Ambient, Zoloft and other drugs. It spiraled out of control as he finds himself slinging dub sacks in front of Wrigley Field a college graduate with 2 degrees from Northwestern University.

He found his way to the finance world while still being a secret addict until that fateful moment when he was called out for his addiction and was introduced to cannabis as a treatment. He begun to substitute weed for opioids and eventually managed to shake the grip the pills had over him.

Rico started realizing his relationship for being "the glue connecting the trap house to the penthouse" was coming in handy in the cannabis industry. He joined up with Baker Technologies and he dove into events with Cannagather and his brand The Suave Life.

Listen as co-host Mark Reitman and Danny Keith have a deep conversation with Rico Lamitte about his life and growth as a human. Make sure to follow Rico on Instagram @Suavecito_Frederico check out his company The Suave Life also attend his events CannaGather LA watch his TedEX The Man Behind the Mask 3 times Cannabis saved my life .

Episode 25 is a first, the first co-hosted show with Mark (first name only) and he brought some heat to Cannabis Karaoke with renown comedian Ngaio Bealum (Emerald Cup MC, Star of Cooking on High found on Netflix, frequent guest on Getting Doug with High and cannabis MC). We came right of the gate swinging with Ngaio's parents being a combo of hippy/Black Panther upbringing.

As an artist he has seen all of his gigs cancelled due to Covid-19 virus including Spannabis 2020. We talked about setting up a Next Door comedy tour payable by Ngaio's cash app, think ice cream man/weed/comedy. Ngaio has released multiple episodes Weed and Sex, and Weedier and Sexier to get a feel of how funny this man is and support the arts! We also spend a moment on me being a comedian groupie, my fetish of watching comedy looking for the next up and coming act apparently the moniker is "chucklefucker" . Awesome.

We saved the best for last as we discuss The Daily Bonfire App a Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Game play is three days each week for $420 in prize money. The more people play, the more you can win. Compete against your friends for real cash - live trivia games hosted by comedians. It is available on iTunes and Google Play.

You can follow all of Ngaio's travels and appearances on Instagram and Twitter.

Colin Disheroon decided in 2010 while working in park and land management that cannabis was something he was not just interested in but felt he could build an experience around. As with everything Colin does (self quoted takes a special kind of crazy) he jumped in with both feet building out his Santa Cruz Naturals dispensaries in Santa Cruz and Monterey County.

The Cannabis industry is tough. From taxation, regulation, packaging, testing, product availability, metrc and pricing. Then you add the Covid-19 virus which is crippling the world is having the reverse effect at the moment. Cannabis is on fire as state after state putting shelter in place requirements and deeming cannabis as an essential service. Colin had the foresight to develop SDash delivery for his customers and right now with everything going on is helping his customers get their medicine.

Black Swan, an event that has high unexpected impact. Colin feels Covid-19 falls into this category as we are faced with a situation we have never dealt with in our lifetime. Opportunities will expand, businesses will cease to exist and when we come out of this period expect things to be different as we know it. The hope is California regulation/taxation can change to better help the growth of the cannabis industry instead of strangling it.

Passion is a big driver for Colin, which is why he took another shot at being on the edge and launched Power of Flower the first cannabis music festival on Santa Cruz County. The inaugural event went off without a hitch which was held at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds coupling cannabis consumption and music together.

Make sure to check out Santa Cruz Naturals on Instagram @believe_in_a_higher_flower and Power of Flower on Instagram @poweroflowerfestival

I spoke to Carl just over 5 months ago, his company was on the path to go public while establishing the Hash Bone product line. In that short amount of time Carl not only went public on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE) under the ticker HOLL and is also trading on the Over The Counter (OTC) market ticker HSTRF.

But Hollister Cannabis Co. is not stopping there, the roll of signings continued with Tommy Chong and the relaunch of the celebrities brand under Tommy Chong Cannabis. The initial launch of this product will be a 1000mg Tommy Chongs Elixir a 1 to 1 CBD to THC tincture. Tactical Relief a veteran owned business that is committed to returning 5% of profits to veteran charities.

The husband and wife team run Hollister Cannabis Co. straight of of San Benito County, but do not let this sleepy town define the business. As of this podcast the company is in the final stages in acquisition of Venom Extracts, the largest extraction business in Arizona with facilities in Nevada soon to be operating in California as well. The acquisition provides instantaneous revenue (as of press Venom Extracts did $13MM in 2019) and the ability to be a Multi State Operator (MSO) for all of their brands.

Of course, in the height of everything moving quickly, Covid-19 hits and Carl and his wife pivot. They kick into gear to take care of their employees while they create policy and continue to operate safely while also making sure the staff feels appreciated. One of the the things I am the most impressed with is how much Carl and his wife Amasa care for their staff, not always the case in business let alone cannabis.

Make sure to visit Hollister Cannabis Co. website follow the company on IG @hollistercannabisco @hashbones and go buy some stock on the CSE HOLL or OTC HSTRF.

Adelia and I are good friends, in the cannabis industry you have to band together with like minded people. She has seen the ups and downs of the industry and is powering in her role of CMO for EventHi. So when I gave her a hit on social media looking to talk she definitely looking to share.

In the event landscape, there are not many options for cannabis brands/events to promote conferences, mixers, brand launches etc. Her fiancé Ali Fakhri saw this need and launched the first cannabis focused ticketing platform and promotional company EventHi. Before the Covid-19 virus business was booming, event after event was coming on and for the young startup life was looking amazing. Everything changed once the global pandemic hit.

In episode 22, Adelia and I cover the challenges for the cannabis space with respect to event planning and execution with EventHi providing a valuable resource to these businesses... but she goes one step further.

Virtual events are the wave of the future as we converse about the combination of physical and virtual events. Cost savings, better engagement for brands and attendees in my vision I see a Sims trade show style engagement. Imagine being able to virtually walk a show early, then having exactly who you want to meetup with once you are walking the show. AMAZING!!!!

In this episode Adelia and I also touch on the need to listen to the guidance of shelter in place, avoiding big crowds and while she is seeing all of her events planned for the next 60 to 90 days reschedule, she is confident that when we come out of this we will all be working together even better than before.

Cannabis events or people looking to see what is going on in the industry make sure sign up here EventHi follow them on Instagram @Eventhi.io. You can also contact Adelia Carrillo on LinkedIN. And in the words of Adelia, Be Kind to each other!

If you are in the cannabis industry it would be impossible for someone not to know David Tran, heck I am certain you went to a Golden Ticket party.

He is the co-founder of Dope Magazine, Farechild and Goldfingers Group; on IG he is the Tranimal Chronicles and if you run into him at a tradshow or on a plane he is easily distinguishable by his well put together outfits, coiffed hair and the ever present Daydream Electroforming gold plated cannabis bud around his neck.

Over Facebook Messenger, David and I discuss the Covid-19 pandemic and his decision to remain in Cabo San Lucas extending his annual anniversary trip with his family out of concern to protect and remain in place to diminish the spread of the virus as we know it.

Listen as we talk about the need for cannabis community, how to stick together and the importance of events for the space to create networking opportunities. The best way; not the easy way is how Farechild Events has put on events in the space since their formation in mid 2019. Starting with MJBiz in Las Vegas they continued bringing energy and focus to intimate events such as Urbana's party in SF to out of industry events like Andrew Yang's Presidential bid.

As if all of the above would be enough David Tran founded Cowgirls Inc. also sits on the boards of Intev Technologies, Sensi Magazine, AMMA Healing, Herban Legends and Trigrow Systems.

The messaging that you should take away from this podcast is that the currency of people, reputation, integrity and love is what will persevere after this pandemic passes. David Tran has so much to give to the cannabis space please reach out to him via Instagram @tranimalchronicles @thefarechild @goldfingersgroup or on his LinkedIn FatherTran

Weldon Angelos was a 23 year music producer on the path, already working with legends Snoop Dogg and Tupac (Watch the "We from the LBC" video feat Weldon Angelos). Setup by the feds, he was busted selling less than $900 worth of cannabis in Utah and sentenced in 2004 to 55 years Federal time based on the statue 924(C) stacking.

In May 2016 after 13 years in federal prison (including a 3 month solitary confinement) Weldon was released after many requests to the White House, support from the sentencing judge Paul G Cassel, The Constituion Project and celebrities Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg with a push by Charles Koch and Senator Mike Lee. Weldon decided upon his release that he was going to fight for the inmates he left behind, citing Luke Scarmazzo who is doing 22 years for running a dispensary in California. Mission [GREEN] part of The Weldon Project is dedicated to funding social change and financial aid for those still serving time for cannabis related offenses.

Weldon continues his pursuit in cannabis by launching REEForm a California cannabis brand aimed at donating $100 (on an inmates books) per inmate incarcerated for a cannabis offense. Under the moniker "it's time for criminal justice REEForm". Distributed by Calyx Distribution, Angelos looks to provide financial relief to those still left behind bars. Kush Supply Co started a social equity program after hearing about Weldon's story and felt he should be the first recipient of it providing assistance with packaging costs.

All of us in the cannabis industry need to step up, people are still serving prison sentences while we enjoy the legalization of the plant. Make sure to visit The Weldon Project and support Mission [GREEN] with a donation. Follow Weldon on Instagram @WeldonAngelos. Dispensaries check out REEForm Cannabis distributed by Calyx Distribution and on Instagram @Ree_form.

Brian Barbuto has over 3 decades of experience in capital markets, commercial real estate, mixed use and resort communities he has amassed an impressive portfolio. Listen as we traverse his desire to bring Wrazel's b2b and networking to the cannabis space for investors and companies looking to raise capital. Brian leads us through his technology vision of a top level service, no make that an atmosphere network to help cannabis companies, investors and executives to help them through the process. Wrazel and cannabis...it is time. Make sure to catch other Wrazlers at MJ Biz. Follow the company on IG WrazelThrive