WEBVTT - Leaders of the New Cannabis Industry 0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:10.280 Afro Tech twenty nineteen, Oakland, California. News personality and social 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:13.840 justice activists Angela riots on the mainstage speaking with Jason 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:18.239 White and Kareem Webtation is at the time chief marketing 0:00:18.320 --> 0:00:22.080 officer a cure Lee cannabis label, and Kareem is an 0:00:22.160 --> 0:00:26.280 entrepreneurial activists and CEO at Fourth Movement in l a 0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:30.960 based social equity initiative. Angela position is a question to 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:34.400 the guys about the impact of legislation and the black 0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:38.000 opportunity in the cannabis industry. When you think about the 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:42.519 other barriers of entry, because there's not policy right that 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:45.680 would allow this uh space to exist for us in 0:00:45.680 --> 0:00:47.760 a way that I think it makes it one, makes 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:51.560 it sustainable and to makes people engage. Whether we're talking 0:00:51.560 --> 0:00:54.320 about raising capital, we know there are folks that won't 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:58.080 fund um these ventures because it's not federally legal. What 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:00.800 are the other barriers of entry that exists from a 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:05.040 political standpoint? Well, I think to your point about capital, 0:01:05.200 --> 0:01:07.080 even though even when you can raise couple of the 0:01:07.080 --> 0:01:10.880 cost of that capital is it's extraordinary high and and 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:14.560 and higher. So that's an issue. UH, it's still a 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:18.480 Schedule one drug, which means there's basically no way to 0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:21.319 research it, no way to to kind of put it 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:25.000 on the docket as a as a political discussion. And 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.240 in addition to that, I think if you look at, 0:01:27.640 --> 0:01:30.360 for example, the More Act, which was which is the 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:33.280 most aggressive bill out there, that's when you get to 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:36.039 real true expungement putting money in my money, aside from 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:40.760 research and looking at um even surveys and opportunities to 0:01:40.840 --> 0:01:43.200 truly get a measurement of like what is the state 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:45.840 of the industry in the communities, what are the real 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:50.400 numbers behind this? And without that legislation, none of that exists. 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:53.960 This is just companies making money and you need that 0:01:54.040 --> 0:01:56.760 governance to make sure that some of those other steps 0:01:56.800 --> 0:02:01.280 are taken around this industry. Will Lucas and this is 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:05.280 black tech, green money. I'm gonna interrouce you to some 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:07.520 of the biggest names, some of the brightest minds and 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:10.920 brilliant ideas. I feel black and building are simply using 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:13.720 tech to secure your bag. This podcast is for you. 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:22.040 Al Harrington and Wilson Chandler are both former NBA players 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:27.320 term businessmen. John Monopoly is Kanye who has manager. The 0:02:27.400 --> 0:02:30.360 partners have joined forces to work together on expanding the 0:02:30.400 --> 0:02:33.280 current three percent market share of the cannabis industry that 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:37.560 is currently held by black people. As Al Harrington the 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:41.799 sixteen season NBA veteran and leading black cannabis entrepreneur about 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:45.680 business success as a former pro athlete, what's your unique 0:02:45.680 --> 0:02:48.680 about business moves like his and those of other successful 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:51.680 former pros like Magic Johnson and others that leads them 0:02:51.720 --> 0:02:54.359 to the promised land with so many others have ventured 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:57.360 into business that have ultimately gone belly up or one. 0:02:57.400 --> 0:02:59.359 I want to say that's a compliment to put you 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:01.280 in with Matt you it's I got a lot of 0:03:01.520 --> 0:03:04.280 to do, but um, you know, I think the main 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:08.640 thing was just um being able to you know, create 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:14.800 a foundation of like of just of educating yourself, educating myself, 0:03:14.960 --> 0:03:16.720 you know what I'm saying. Towards the end of my career, 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:19.880 when I started to realize that, you know, I wasn't 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:21.960 jumping as high, I wasn't as fast, you know what 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:24.440 I'm saying, I wasn't as important to the organizations like 0:03:24.480 --> 0:03:26.359 I used to be, and I had to figure out 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:28.919 what was gonna be next. And you know I always say, 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:31.400 I give my financial advisor a lot of credit because 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:34.760 you know, throughout my career and you know Wilson and whoever, like, 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:37.200 you know, we get so many opportunities throne at as 0:03:37.280 --> 0:03:40.960 business deals all day, right, and they all sound great, right, 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:42.760 I mean what business deal have you ever heard? It 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:45.560 didn't sound like a great opportunity. But what he did 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:48.560 was they made me, you know, do my own research 0:03:49.000 --> 0:03:51.440 and come to them and tell them why was a 0:03:51.480 --> 0:03:54.080 good idea? You know what I'm saying. So because I 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:57.440 got into that practice, it allowed me, too, I feel like, 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:00.120 you know, become a better entrepreneur that you know, I 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:01.760 was done playing that I was able to put myself 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:03.680 in the position that I am and I'm in today. 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:05.760 And I also want to just say too, I think 0:04:05.760 --> 0:04:08.080 that passion right, being able to do something that you're 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:10.640 passionate about is you know, you you'll never work another 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:13.200 day in your life, right, So you think about like 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:15.240 you know, John Monopoly and like all that he's been 0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:16.760 able to do. You know what I'm saying, these are 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:20.760 you know, these are professional We're professionals that actually you know, 0:04:21.080 --> 0:04:22.800 love what we do. You know what I'm saying. We 0:04:22.839 --> 0:04:24.960 can't wake up to act, wake up the next day 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:26.719 to actually get right back to the ground and do 0:04:26.760 --> 0:04:29.680 what we're doing. So you know, um, just trying to 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:32.160 just continue to just you know, build on you know, 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:34.640 just build, uh, you know, have a solid foundation and 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:36.760 just build on top of it. And you know, for me, 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:38.880 I was lucky enough to you know, get into the 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:42.400 cannabis space, you know, almost eleven years ago now when 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:45.000 it wasn't as popular as it is today. And you know, 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:47.200 now we have you know, first mover's advantage, you know 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:50.800 what I'm saying. So it's really um, you know, it's 0:04:51.040 --> 0:04:52.600 I always say I was blessed, you know what I'm 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:54.880 saying to be in this position, and you know, the 0:04:54.960 --> 0:04:58.000 goal is to obviously be at that Magic Johnson type 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:01.680 of level. N you know, he mentioned this a few 0:05:01.680 --> 0:05:04.279 times in his comments there about you know, really being 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:07.160 in the right position to take advantage of these opportunities 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:10.640 is a large part of finding the continue success having 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:12.880 it one place. You know, success be get success and 0:05:12.920 --> 0:05:16.159 a lot of uh instances, and I would imagine that 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:19.240 you get calls to do partnerships like these because you 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:22.159 have obviously showing a lot of showing a lot of 0:05:22.279 --> 0:05:26.520 depth and expertise at managing incredible talent, and what can 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:31.680 we learn from journeys like yours to be intentional about 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:35.920 you know, our journey to finding ourselves in rooms, uh, 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:38.640 like the ones you find yourself in, so that we 0:05:38.680 --> 0:05:41.960 can you know, have that success that we gets more success. 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:44.799 Like what can we do intentionally when we're not managing 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:48.159 you know, superstars and etcetera, but in our everyday lives, 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:50.360 what can we do to make sure that we're positioning 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:54.240 ourselves to take advantage of opportunity. I let's say, you 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:56.719 gotta keep your eyes and ears open at all times 0:05:57.080 --> 0:05:59.520 and always just be in search of the right opportunity. 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:02.920 You know, Because I've been in music and entertainment for 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:06.400 you know, almost thirty years now, I have been exposed 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:11.160 to a lot of different opportunities, um just in business 0:06:11.160 --> 0:06:14.279 and in this you know, helping to build artists brands. 0:06:14.360 --> 0:06:18.520 But it's all about finding the right situation. And luckily, uh, 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:20.520 you know, with with this particular deal you know that 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:23.000 I've been working with with with Dan and Al. I've 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:25.360 been knowing these guys for you know, twenty plus years, 0:06:25.360 --> 0:06:28.320 and I've always seen them, um, you know, moving the 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:31.720 right way. So I was just really honored to join 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:35.320 the team. Yeah, and I think about you know, the 0:06:35.360 --> 0:06:38.039 black sauce, you know, when when we bring something to 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:41.960 an industry, the sauce that black people specifically add value 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.600 um to whether it be sports, where there'd be music, 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:48.479 where they'd be food, and now we're talking about cannabis, 0:06:48.880 --> 0:06:52.119 the black perspective on things as a whole other layer 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:55.280 of value. And Wilson, I'm interested in your perspective on 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:59.000 because when you're launching this, uh, your new dispensary, you're 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:02.920 launching it with a shower festival, free festival, and you know, 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:07.360 how can we leverage more than just having the license 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:10.960 to sell, but bring our perspective to an industry that 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:14.560 has so much opportunity to ensure our success. I think, 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:17.720 you know, piggybacking off what Alice done, you know, as 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:20.200 being a lifestyle, bringing in space, you know, just bringing 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:23.360 that aesthetic, you know, that coolness, like you said, like 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:25.560 our culture you know brains, you know, whether it's music, 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:28.000 fashion or whatever it is. I think bringing the extra 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:30.600 push to the space, you know is everything you know, 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:34.200 um and the culture. You know, we pretty much determined thing, 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:36.840 you know in every space we've been and I think 0:07:36.840 --> 0:07:40.160 that's the same cannabis, you know, just bringing that style 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:42.559 and that flavor to the space and they also having 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:45.440 a good business practices. So do you do you think 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:49.240 that there is a unique value Wilson on partnering with 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:53.640 artists who have maybe a marijuana stick about them or 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:56.760 think about them people um who you know obviously in 0:07:56.800 --> 0:07:59.840 the music is already prevalent. What do you think of 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:04.040 of than just partnering with artists, because when when we 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:05.560 talk a lot about these things, and I read a 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:07.800 lot of stories on you guys, you also leveraging the 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:10.600 part of it it's medical benefit, right, and so it's 0:08:10.640 --> 0:08:13.080 not just about the entertainment value of it, but it 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:15.600 is also over the recreational use of it, but also 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:19.320 but additionally the medical benefits. How do you think about 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:23.200 using entertainment as well as you know the medical benefit 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:25.640 A branding part of this to make sure that you're 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:29.480 building a valuable business. Um, I think going forward on 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:32.400 the basically get more maturity, you know, and people start 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:35.160 thinking more so about the medical benefits. So I think 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.160 just bringing awareness using everybody's platform and bring awareness to 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:40.839 you know, uh, you know, whether there's artists that's touring 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:43.760 any you know, certain benefits you know, the condown or 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:47.720 stress lea, whatever it is, pain management. So I think, um, 0:08:47.840 --> 0:08:51.520 using it, you know, those those different platforms, whether it's athletes, 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:55.360 artists or you know, um, people in fashion, whether there's 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:58.280 people that's in uh that's in the art scene. I 0:08:58.320 --> 0:09:01.920 think marijuana kind of bring a lot of those communities, 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:05.720 communities together. Uh. So I think using those different platforms, 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:09.120 bringing awareness to the medical benefits of it would be uge. 0:09:09.160 --> 0:09:10.920 And I think a lot of universities are starting to 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:12.760 get into it, and I think they start doing more 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:17.240 research on different possibilities. So yeah, and now, and to 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:19.840 piggyback on that, I was reading you know, up on 0:09:19.920 --> 0:09:22.200 you guys and other interviews that you've done, and you 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:25.400 you talk, you guys talk a lot about wanting VMO 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:29.640 to really be a model business that communities will appreciate 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.960 that you were doing great work. And how soon or 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:37.640 what would it take even for communities to see cannabis 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:44.680 dispensaries and others as businesses that are really contributory to community. 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:47.160 I think that will already happened. Man. You know, I 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:49.360 think that during the pandemic, you know the fact that 0:09:49.400 --> 0:09:53.480 cannabis was deemed essential, Um, I think it definitely put 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:56.400 cannabis in a different light right now when you talk 0:09:56.440 --> 0:09:58.720 about our community, you know, there's some work to be 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:02.080 done there, right, because people don't realize is that our 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:05.040 people from our community really suffer from PTSD of the 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:09.160 cannabis prohibition essentially, right. You know, we've seen so many 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:12.160 people locked up, We've seen so many lives destroyed. You know, 0:10:12.200 --> 0:10:16.240 we've seen uh, you know, people get access to product 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:19.400 that was not safe and you know, have negative effects 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:22.120 and different things like that. So our community have seen 0:10:22.280 --> 0:10:24.800 so much negative is really hard for them to wrap 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:27.840 their head around, like, oh, we're about to sell drugs. 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:30.679 They still call it legally you know in our community, 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:33.560 and you know, it's bigger than that, right because you 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:37.559 know what what we've seen now is that one uh, 0:10:37.640 --> 0:10:40.240 you know, they use cannabis as a way to lock 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:42.240 us up. You know what I'm saying, that they use 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:45.480 it as a tool. Right. But now that we see 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:48.520 with testing and you know, with legalization and regulation and 0:10:48.559 --> 0:10:51.520 all these things happening, we see that cannabis is actually 0:10:51.520 --> 0:10:54.800 medicine for real, right, it actually can uh, you know, 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:56.920 help a lot of the issues that we deal with 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:00.920 in our community. Depression, anxiety, all those different things. You 0:11:00.960 --> 0:11:03.880 know what I'm saying, PTSD. You know, these are things 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.040 that we suffer from every day. And you know the 0:11:06.120 --> 0:11:09.120 things that we have to turn to is usually prescription 0:11:09.200 --> 0:11:12.600 drugs alcohol, right because once again and people from our community, 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:14.920 we don't go to doctors like we should, right, you know, 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:17.480 that whole process is all that stuff. So you know, 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:21.640 for me, it's about you know, one breaking the ice 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:23.319 with a lot of people in our community. Telling my 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:25.840 grandmother's story. You know, for a seventy nine year old 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:29.319 woman that definitely saw all the ill effects of cannabis 0:11:29.640 --> 0:11:31.480 and for her to be open minded enough to try 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:33.520 it and then it actually worked. And you know now 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:37.120 you know, she'll be ninety years old, uh next next month, 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:40.240 on the twenty six, and she still uses cannabis every day, 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:42.480 you know what I'm saying. And you know, and have 0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:45.040 people from her church that now use cannabis and my 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:51.400 mom's church, you know what I'm saying, Like my mom, 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:53.600 my mom used to kick my dad. My mom used 0:11:53.600 --> 0:11:55.320 to kick my dad out of the house for smokes, 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:57.199 for smelling like weed when he came home. And now 0:11:57.240 --> 0:11:59.679 she smoked more weed than you know what I'm saying, 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:02.120 but it's just because of the education, you know what 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.760 I'm saying, She knows that she can benefit from using 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:08.560 cannabis compared to the things that she had been using 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:10.920 in the past. So, you know, it's it's a journey 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:13.320 that we're on and I think that one of the 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:14.840 ways that will be able to continue to break that 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:17.360 stigma is for when we go to these meetings with 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:19.560 the people in our community, for us to show up, 0:12:20.040 --> 0:12:22.240 not the other people that have been showing up, because 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:24.680 they definitely are trying to take advantage of people in 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:26.760 our community, you know what I'm saying. So you know, 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:29.320 it's one of those things where you know, we just 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:31.199 got a lot of work ahead of us. And I 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:34.679 think that you know, with Wilson's gesture for his community 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:36.720 to throw a free festival, and I mean, you see 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.240 those names, don't think for one second those guys moving 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:41.719 around for free. You know what I'm saying, Like, oh, 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:43.439 you know what I'm saying, Like this man is putting 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:45.160 his money out is that that store is not even 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:47.400 open yet, you know what I'm saying. But he's doing 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:49.880 it as a gesture for his community to understand that 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:52.760 what he's doing He's doing it for them, you know 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:55.800 what I'm saying. He's doing it to create opportunities, create jobs, 0:12:56.160 --> 0:12:57.840 you know, with a lot of the money that he'll 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:00.120 be making. You know, he's gonna rebuild parks and all 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.400 these different things in this community. So he's gonna take 0:13:02.440 --> 0:13:05.880 something that was very negative and turned into something very positive. 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:08.400 And you know that's something that you know, obviously, I'm 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:12.240 super excited about being a part of John, our partner's 0:13:12.360 --> 0:13:15.199 Viola Village. You know, we're all in with supporting and 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.280 doing whatever it takes to make sure that Wilson is 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:20.920 successful in his community. I love I love that and John, 0:13:20.920 --> 0:13:22.800 you know, I think about like you, you mentioned you've 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:26.079 been in the music business, entertainment business for thirty plus years, 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:30.920 and I would imagine you've been pitched everything under the sun. 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:34.280 Like you, You've probably had more businesses pitch you on. 0:13:34.760 --> 0:13:36.600 You know, I got the next hottest thing, you know, 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:38.199 I got this thing that you should invest in. I 0:13:38.520 --> 0:13:40.640 would love to partner with you on X, Y and Z. 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:44.559 When you talk, when you started hearing that cannabis were 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:46.800 the walls were going to start coming down with regards 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:50.200 to legalization of cannabis, was this something that you were 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:52.960 automatically like, yo, I gotta find my way into this, 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:55.840 or it was like opportunities hard to come in to you, 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:59.679 and it was you chose one versus the hundreds of 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:03.080 other things that came to you that day. Sure. So 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:06.520 I personally used cannabis every day, right, and it helps 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:10.240 me with my anxiety and just dealing with just life pressure. 0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:14.040 So I've been looking for the right opportunity um for 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:17.440 a couple of years. So when I, uh, finally you know, 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:19.320 God with Dan and Out, it was it was a 0:14:19.360 --> 0:14:21.600 great thing because they had so much traction in the 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.440 space already. So yeah, I mean I have been been 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:26.800 approached by many brands, by many companies, but it was 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:29.680 just never the right fit. Um. And you know me, 0:14:29.680 --> 0:14:32.360 me knowing uh Dan since I was a kid and 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:35.040 out for the last fifteen plus maybe even twenty years, 0:14:35.680 --> 0:14:37.840 it just made the decision very easy to make for me. 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:39.720 And you just said a word there. I hear a 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:42.600 lot of venture capitalists and even angel investors talk about 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:46.080 and that's attraction when people when people are coming to you, 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:50.800 um with ideas and you you work around artists a 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:53.760 lot and a lot of artists ideas don't have traction. 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:56.400 They are because that's why their artists, because they're improving, 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:59.440 they're trying to convince the world that their ideas are 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:03.640 having have merit. When you how do you transition from 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:07.720 I'm gonna trust that I believe instinctively that this artist 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:11.920 has something, versus from a business perspective, I want to 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:14.640 see the moves you've been making before you even got 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:20.080 to me. Well, it's all about really having the right 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:23.880 instinct right and making sure that you know whoever you 0:15:23.880 --> 0:15:25.800 want to move around with and build a brand with. 0:15:25.960 --> 0:15:30.440 You guys are are aligned uh in concept and as 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:35.240 far as you know how you execute um. You know again, 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:38.200 you know, being that I've been able to manage some 0:15:38.200 --> 0:15:40.560 of the biggest artists in hip hop, you know you're right. 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:42.600 I mean I get approached all the time with different 0:15:42.640 --> 0:15:46.680 companies and brands and opportunities you know, to to to 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:50.040 to build brand extensions for artists. But again, you've got 0:15:50.040 --> 0:15:52.000 to really make sure that you're getting in bed with 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:54.960 the right people and that you uh, that you've done 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:57.600 your research and that and that it's the right kind 0:15:57.640 --> 0:16:00.560 of partnership, you know. And in case of me starting 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:03.280 to work with Dan and Allen at Village. You know, 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:05.760 everything was aligned. You know, I've known them both for 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:09.880 for many years. They built a very strong brand with Viola, 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:13.360 and it just all made sense. So I'm really I'm 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:16.600 really blessed to be involved now. Wilson, I asked out 0:16:16.600 --> 0:16:18.120 this question. I kind of want to ask it to 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:20.840 you in a different way, however, and we talked a 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:24.000 lot about how one of OL's missions is to make 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:27.480 sure that his businesses are seen as a model business 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:30.040 in community. And I'm interested in you know, when we 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:32.920 take our families two shows in the park or whatever, 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:35.480 and this may be sponsored by a beer company or 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:37.680 you know, a liquor company, we don't think anything of it. 0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:39.720 We got kids there and you know, the whole thing, 0:16:39.720 --> 0:16:42.000 and we have we think nothing of it. Are we 0:16:42.080 --> 0:16:44.960 out of place yet in your perspective that we could 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:47.400 take our kids to the park and go to this 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:51.560 free concert like you're putting on and instead of a 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:54.960 beer company being there, it's it's a cannabis label putting 0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:57.200 this on. Are we there yet in our communities or 0:16:57.200 --> 0:17:00.560 what will it take to get there to destigmatize that? Um? 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:03.680 I don't think we're there yet, you know, just from 0:17:03.760 --> 0:17:06.480 experience with doing this festival. But I think it's heading 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:08.960 in that that direction. I think the more education we uh 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:12.080 we promote you know, to the masses, I think, you know, 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:14.399 the quickly we get there. You know, a lot of 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:17.920 you guys efforts are to change the statistic that's as 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:21.280 three percent, only three percent of companies in the cannabis 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:24.680 space are black owned. And starting with you out with this, 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:26.560 I would love to get all of you guys input. 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:29.840 Starting with you out, there may be an opportunity for 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:35.080 Village specifically to be supportive formally, you know, to be 0:17:35.160 --> 0:17:37.760 like the Amazon for other businesses who want to you know, 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:41.800 ride on those train tracks. Right, and so, how how 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:44.680 can black owned businesses across the country or how can 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:47.199 you guys leverage the work that you're doing to be 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:53.080 formally supportive even and economically involved in other black dispensaries 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:55.439 across the country to where you're not just you know, 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:58.720 championing championing in as a mission to make sure that 0:17:58.760 --> 0:18:01.679 other people are in, but also maybe providing some of 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:04.760 the back office support, Maybe you assist with branding, maybe 0:18:04.760 --> 0:18:08.479 you're integrated in some other way to where you become 0:18:08.520 --> 0:18:13.880 integral to black dispensaries and perhaps manufacturers all across the country, 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:19.480 even though they're not wearing your label on the only outside. Yeah, 0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:22.600 I mean, I feel like we're doing that already. We 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:26.040 have you know, definitely put our money where our mouth is. 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:31.320 We've definitely helped incubate certain businesses people, you know, trying 0:18:31.359 --> 0:18:36.359 to win retail locations here in California. But I think 0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:39.639 that you know, with Village moving forward, you know, we 0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:43.000 are a platform. You know, we're a platform that we 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:46.119 can actually be able to bring in other brands. And 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:49.280 then when you talk about retailers, you know, with these brands, 0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:51.760 we'll be able to stock their shelves right, be able 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:56.760 to do strategic partnerships to be able to bring Viola Greenstone, 0:18:56.880 --> 0:18:59.160 you know, with other new designer drugs, with other new 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:01.919 brands that we're gonna start, because you know, that's what 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:05.200 drives traffic into dispensaries. People like variety and they want 0:19:05.240 --> 0:19:06.760 to make sure that they're going to get to you know, 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:09.479 we have access to the best product on the market, 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:12.119 and that's something that we feel like we're gonna be 0:19:12.160 --> 0:19:14.679 able to accomplish. And I think that that's one of 0:19:14.680 --> 0:19:17.480 the one of the ways that we can help some 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:20.760 of the younger entrepreneurs and some of the younger retail owners. 0:19:21.160 --> 0:19:23.320 And then from an economic side, you know, we have 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:25.520 to just continue to be successful on what we're doing. 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:27.919 We gotta sell more products, we gotta make more money. 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:29.359 You know, that's the only way that we're gonna be 0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:31.760 able to you know, be able to have that effect 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:34.199 and be able to make these strategic investments into the 0:19:34.200 --> 0:19:37.160 companies that will need it as well. So so, John, 0:19:37.160 --> 0:19:39.280 when you hear something like that that you know, there's 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:44.160 an opportunity here, not just for this particular these particular dispensaries, 0:19:44.160 --> 0:19:46.719 but we want to be you know, across the whole 0:19:46.880 --> 0:19:52.400 spectrum of black owned cannabis dispensaries and manufacturers. How does 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:55.680 your brain think about, you know, what the real opportunity 0:19:55.720 --> 0:19:59.120 is as far as us being integrated um into these 0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:02.400 other opportunities. Well, you know, I just think it's important 0:20:02.400 --> 0:20:05.560 that as business people in this space were aggressive because 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:09.159 you know, quite honestly, our white counterparts are moving fast. 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:11.800 You know, I think it's really unfortunate that we only 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:14.479 make up three percent of the space as far as 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:17.560 being black owned, you know, in cannabis, and we just 0:20:17.600 --> 0:20:22.800 gotta be you know, uh, aggressive and intelligent around you know, 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:24.840 how we grow and who we are, who we align 0:20:24.880 --> 0:20:28.920 ourselves with. You've got this festival to nobody's home festival 0:20:29.000 --> 0:20:31.480 that is I wanted. Is it it the official launch 0:20:31.560 --> 0:20:34.960 of the dispensary or is it's just uh know, it's 0:20:35.119 --> 0:20:38.320 just uh it's in celebration of the dispensory, but not 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:41.680 the official launch, okay, because I'm interested because I think 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:48.840