PROHBTD Archives

AxisWireMay 29, 2019

Brands including Kiva Confections, PRØHBTD, Foria Wellness, Futurola USA and more will appear at the dedicated marketplace

New York – May 28, 2019 /AxisWire/ The Hemp & Cannabis Marketplace will make its debut at next month’s 2019 Licensing Expo and today curators announced the 12 consumer brands set to take cannabis further mainstream through licensing partnerships.

The exclusive marketplace will showcase the leading health and wellness brands spanning various categories of the hemp, CBD and cannabis space, including:

The trailblazing brands were curated by PRØHBTD, a global consumer goods and content company in the cannabis and hemp industry that creates and markets lifestyle and wellness brands.

“We are in the branded products phase of the hemp and CBD industry,” says Drake Sutton-Shearer, CEO of PRØHBTD. “Working alongside Licensing Expo, we can open up new revenue streams and brand category expansion through licensing. It’s exciting to have all of these brands in one place for mainstream brands, retailers and manufacturers to potentially partner with ”

The world’s largest and most influential licensing industry event, Licensing Expo, takes place June 4–6 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.

The Hemp & Cannabis Marketplace will be located at Booth A133.

About PRØHBTD

PRØHBTD is ahybrid consumer goods and content company recognized as the exclusive global cannabis partner of Licensing Expo, Advertising Week, All Def Media, Postmedia, and Entrepreneur Magazine.The company is venture-backed with $20M+ in funding and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and Vancouver.

With a mission to lead cannabis from the black market to the supermarket, PRØHBTD creates and markets lifestyle and wellness brands to global audiences, overturning the taboos and stereotypes of the status quo cannabis vernacular and continually pushing it toward the mainstream.

For more information visit www.prohbtdglobal.com.

Media Inquiries

Rosie Mattio

Mattio Communications

Rosie@mattio.com

917-583-6349

Anne-Marie FischerOctober 3, 2018

PRØworks brings new leadership that brings “cannabis from the black market to the supermarket”

PRØHBTD, which markets itself as the “premier online destination for modern cannabis enthusiasts” has just announced a new consulting arm PRØworks, that brings a heap of experience from the mainstream CPG and entertainment worlds to the table.

PRØHBTD has been recognized for producing digital and online content and representing over 60 of the cannabis industry’s most recognizable brands like Defonce.

“Our company’s mission is to bring cannabis from the black market to the supermarket,” said PRØHBTD CEO Drake Sutton-Shearer, “This requires enterprise-ready capabilities that business leaders can engage with to help them understand the complex and challenging world of cannabis”

This new arm of their company brings four notable executives to the consulting team of PRØworks, creating a wrap-around consulting strategy for brands they work with.

Craig Binkley, a veteran of Coca-Cola with a strong portfolio of global work will help companies understand the cannabis consumer, product, and market to inform and support their strategic initiatives. He specializes in transformational marketing that will undoubtedly bring an asset to PRØHBTD clients as they navigate how to reach the modern cannabis consumer among strict marketing regulations.

Leading PRØHBTD’s finance team and strategic mergers and acquisitions initiatives are Frank Carrère, former SVP of corporate development at 21st Century Fox and CFO/COO at Fun Technologies. His experience in scaling businesses has contributed to a 20x exit for its investors through a Canadian public listing and is motivated to bring this to PRØHBTD.

Glenn Frese is working with PRØHBTD to help brands build digital and physical marketing programs to connect cannabis brands to global audiences. He brings experience as a former executive at Sony, Maker Studios, and Disney where he has overseen digital and traditional marketing, social media, and direct to consumer initiatives. Frese will oversee all aspects of consumer and B2B marketing, social media, content marketing, events, strategy and lead generation for PRØHBTD and its PRØworks clients.

Stepping into the role of Executive Producer at PRØHBTD is Gary Bryman, who will produce on-demand videos through the PRØworks division called RØCKET. He brings over 20 years of Hollywood production experience, successfully executing of creative content including content for Disney, Universal, MTV, ABC, NBC, Netflix, and ads for Super Bowl XXXVII.

In June, PRØHBTD announced plans to go public in Canada after raising $12 million through fundraising, following acquiring seed funding totaling $4 million. The company planned to invest their funds into content creation and staffing, which includes this new announcement of hiring these notable executives to represent PRØworks and the PRØHBTD brand.

“We are honored to have these fantastic new folks join us in our journey as we continue to accelerate the mainstreaming of cannabis through audience, content, and products,” says Sutton-Shearer.

Content from PRØHBTD is syndicated across 15 different networks, including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon, Android TV, Dailymotion, allowing cannabis brands to reach 100 million consumers.

Debra BorchardtOctober 2, 2018

Media company Prohbtd owns the cannabis space in Advertising Week New York. Last year, the company sparked the entrance of the cannabis industry into the world of New York advertising. A place that has many challenges for cannabis companies. This year, Prohbtd CEO and Founder Drake Sutton-Shearer repeated his appearance and educated the New York audience on the latest goings-on in the cannabis industry.

The first panel tackled the Emergence of the Cannabis Consumer. David Bell, Founding Partner of the Idea Farm Ventures told the audience that cannabis consumers would want what other consumers want right now and that is authenticity. Bell mentioned brands like Dollar Shave Club and how everyone could name that company’s CEO, but they couldn’t name Gillette’s. He said that it was more about bonding than branding.

Bell believes that cannabis companies will need to imbue sincerity and confidence. Bell also thinks that cannabis companies will need to educate consumers since the products are so new. With regards to dispensaries, he thinks they will be great places to engage consumers. “These experiential spaces can explain what cannabis is,” he said. “It will be the reengagement of the physical space.”

Shannon Belisario, Director of Brand Development at Prohbtd said that she thinks hemp will be the next “flax seed”. “It’s a high source of protein,” she said. The panel also discussed hemp fabric’s ability to not retain bacteria and the implications that held for clothing and medical products. Sheldon Croome, President and CEO Atlas Growers, which is a Prohbtd client, is a Canadian cannabis company that noted it can white label a variety of cannabis products depending on what the consumer trends pointed to.

The second panel was “Adapting Cannabis to Mainstream Brands.” Jeffrey Gossain, Vice President of Operations at Atlas Growers noted that it is looking at ways to convert its cannabis waste material and convert it into electricity. While he didn’t go into great detail, this is certainly a great way to adopt cannabis to our everyday lives. In addition to electricity, Atlas said it was also researching the ability to use cannabis to treat raw sewage. Both fascinating ways to think outside the box for cannabis.

Justin Koenigsberger, the Chief Revenue Officer of Entrepreneur Media discussed how it was adapting to the cannabis industry by creating the Green Entrepreneur and Women Cannabis Entrepreneurs. (Full disclosure – I was recently featured in the series.) He even suggested they may go even further with a Women in Weed. (Sorry Justin, it already exists as the Wonder Women in Weed.) While the men all agreed it was wonderful to help women and give them support, there was only one woman represented out of the two panels and she was a Prohbtd employee.

Michael Christopher, the Chief Mood Officer at cannabis beverage company Mood 33 said that he thinks if New York legalizes adult use cannabis it would push the banks to open up more to the cannabis industry. His advice was that cannabis companies should remain hyper-focused and he believes beverages will be the main cannabis product to become mainstream.

Co-Founder of Rock A Fella Records, Kareem Burke said he basically plans to replicate his formula for success for his cannabis interests. “I’ll tie it into content and celebrities and influencers,” he said. The most exciting announcement from Burke was a plan to award scholarships to students at FAMU to study cannabis cultivation. He believes more education among people of color will go a long way to creating more diversity. He noted that many people of color struggle with past convictions, like himself, and it keeps many people from joining the industry. Burke also sees a lot of promise for cannabis in fitness beverages and clothing.

Debra BorchardtApril 18, 2018

Several cannabis media companies have completed deals with valuations rising in the category making the group a hot ticket.

Canopy Growth Invests In Civilized

Civilized Worldwide Inc. announced that it executed a strategic investment and collaboration agreement with Canopy Rivers Corporation which is an affiliated strategic investment partner of Canopy Growth Corporation (TWMJF). According to the statement, Canopy Rivers will invest C$5 million in Civilized via a convertible debenture and the companies will work together on various online, media and event mandates relating to the cannabis industry.

“Civilized lives at the intersection of modern media and cannabis,” said Mark Zekulin, President of Canopy Growth. “They have a premium digital audience throughout North America and have established an events platform where individuals and industry can communicate and work together as we continue to educate stakeholders and evolve the global perception of cannabis.”

Civilized is aggressively implementing its monetization strategy across its three platforms: Civilized.life: a sophisticated news and entertainment website that reaches 2 million unique visitors per month throughout North America. Civilized Studios: a multi-platform video content network curating, publishing and producing broadcast-quality video and original content pertaining to the all things cannabis. Civilized Events: a platform to provide exclusive branded experiences for both the cannabis industry and consumers – from intimate dinner parties with industry executives and opinion leaders, to large-scale events such as the first-ever World Cannabis Congress to take place in Saint John, New Brunswick June 10-12, 2018 (worldcannabiscongress.com).

High Times Acquires Green Rush Daily

Long-time cannabis lifestyle publisher High Times announced the acquisition of Green Rush Daily. Terms of the deal were not released, but it was previously noted that it was an all-stock transaction. High Times said that Green Rush Daily would continue to operate independently, but would be considered part of the High Times stable of brands like the Cannabis Cup.

According to the High Times Preliminary Prospectus, on August 31, 2017, THC entered into an online sales representative agreement with Green Rush Daily Inc. “Under the terms of the agreement Green Rush appointed Trans-High as Green Rush’s exclusive sales representative with respect to (a) all advertisements to be sold or otherwise offered to third-party advertisers on the Green Rush websites, and (b) all advertisements for display to retail and wholesale channels on the websites. All fees received from advertisers on the Green Rush website are to be split 70% to THC and 30% to Green Rush. In a related development, THC entered into a three-year employment agreement with Scott McGovern, the owner of Green Rush, under which Mr. McGovern became Senior Vice President of Publishing of the THC Group. In partial consideration for obtaining the online sales representative agreement, Hightimes Holding issued to Scott McGovern an aggregate of 577,651 shares of Class A Common Stock.”

Javier Hasse reported that the deal was valued at $7 million. Hasse said that McGovern received $500,000 in cash and suggested if the IPO goes through at $11 a share then his shares would be worth $6.4 million.

PROHBTD Values Itself At $25 Million

Video media company PROHBTD launched in 2015 and raised $2 million in 2017. The company announced it was raising $5 million in Series A equity round with a valuation in excess of $25m.

“We’ve raised $2 million in private, outside capital from a group of investors, including actor Donald Glover. We were able to connect with people who all believed in what we are doing and saw this as a valuable opportunity. We’re also working with Ackrell Capital out of San Francisco so right now is a great time in terms of creation and job opportunity. We have 30 full-time employees and numerous contractors.”

Dope Magazine

Dope Magazine based in Seattle has been rumored to have also raised additional money from investors but it hasn’t been announced yet as to the amount or who the investors are. Dope Media is a cultural cannabis magazine that was founded in 2011 by David Tran, Trek Hollnagel, Evan Carter, James Zachodni and Nathan Chrysler. The company is backed by Hypur Ventures and Poseidon Asset Management.

StaffApril 17, 2018

Here is your Daily Hit of cannabis financial news for April 17, 2018:

On The Site

MPX Bioceutical Corporation

MPX Bioceutical Corporation (MPXEF) signed a letter of intent to acquire all the issued and outstanding shares of private company Canveda Inc., a Licensed Producer under Health Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. The Ontario-based Canveda operates a fully built-out facility that is about to begin its first production run and is capable of producing approximately 1,000-1,200 kilograms of high-quality cannabis flower annually.

GW Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Shares of GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) jumped on positive news in a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) report issued on Tuesday. The stock jumped 11% to trade at $134.14. The FDA briefing document said that GW’s drugs had positive results in treating patients with the rare Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome (DS).

In Other News

Livewell Foods Canada Inc.

Livewell Foods Canada announced that it entered into a C$10 million private placement deal. It was led by Canaccord Genuity Corp. and included Beacon Securities Ltd., Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. and GMP Securities L.P. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to complete the 108,000 sq. ft Phase 1 retrofit (of a total planned 540,000 sq. ft) of the Artiva Greenhouse Facility in Ottawa, advance construction of the initial 100,000 sqft (of a total planned 1,000,000 sq. ft) of the Pontiac Project in Quebec and for general working capital purposes.

VANC Pharmaceuticals Inc.

VANC Pharmaceuticals said that it has entered into a supply and distribution agreement with an affiliate of Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (EMHTF) in which VANC was granted rights to sell and distribute certain proprietary endocannabinoid-supporting products in Canada to licensed pharmacies. In addition to that, VANC entered into an arrangement with a different affiliate of Emerald to work together to distribute medical cannabis to Canadian pharmacies if the pharmacies become authorized to do so by Health Canada.

True Leaf Medicine International Ltd.

Cannabis pet company True Leaf (TRLFF) announced key leadership appointments. Don Chisholm has been appointed True Leaf’s Chief Marketing Officer. His creative agency, Dossier, has been named the company’s branding partner. Hill+Knowlton Strategies (Hill+Knowlton) will be True Leaf’s government relations advisors.

PRØHBTD

Cannabis media company PRØHBTD said it is raising $5m in a Series A equity round at a valuation of $25m. The company is a media platform that focuses on the cannabis industry. It creates, builds and markets brands to global audiences and operates a creative studio and multi-platform video network.

Debra BorchardtJanuary 29, 2018

Advertising Week and PRØHBTD MEDIA have extended their exclusive strategic partnership to further develop content and consulting services for brands in the cannabis space and beyond. The two companies first teamed up last year at Advertising Week in New York where PROHBTD impressed the New York crowd with its video stories on emerging cannabis brands like the chocolatier Defonce.

The partnership is starting strong with a video docuseries called “Branding Bud,” along with an editorial platform and a podcast series that will examine cannabis brands. There will be a special focus on what goes on behind the scenes of building a brand in the cannabis world and how that effects design, marketing, and diversity.

PRØHBTD MEDIA CEO and founder, Drake Sutton-Shearer, said, “We’re honored that Advertising Week has chosen to continue working with us. With the cannabis industry positioned to exponentially grow beyond $40 billion within the next five years, cannabis brands need help telling their stories to mainstream audiences and potential acquirers. Mainstream brands also need guidance to communicate with cannabis consumers in genuine and brand-safe ways. This partnership enables PRØHBTD to continue our mission of connecting brands with consumers via the Advertising Week platform.”

Advertising Week APAC, which takes place from 30 July and 2 August 2018, will see the debut of the “Cannabis in Australia” sessions to help educate and introduce leading cannabis brands to the Australian market, before returning to the United States for Advertising Week in New York in October 2018.

“The Advertising Week platform has always been about helping brands and marketers navigate what’s coming next in the technology and marketing space,” said Lance Pillersdorf, Advertising Week co-founder, and COO. “We’re excited to expand our partnership with PRØHBTD MEDIA to ensure the Week continues to bring a fresh perspective and provocative global conversations to delegates all around the world.”

Advertising for cannabis companies is a huge challenge since many of the traditional outlets are off limits. Cannabis companies are finding that building a brand name is harder than normal since even social media outlets reject the most innocuous ads. Last year’s cannabis sessions at Ad Week in New York were heavily attended as there was a large desire to learn more about cannabis branding.

DEA Warns Georgia Pharmacies Against Selling Medical Marijuana

New York Regulators Greenlight Rec Market Entrance of Six Medical Cannabis Behemoths

In other news

Slow Rollout of Connecticut’s Adult-Use Cannabis Program Starting to Spook Entrepreneurs

Martin Luther King III Calls for Inclusion in Cannabis

The Daily Hit: December 7, 2023

PROHBTD Archives - Green Market Report

The First Ever Hemp & Cannabis Marketplace to Showcase at Licensing Expo Announces Exhibitor Lineup

PROHBTD Looks To Consumer Goods World For New Hires

Advertising Week New York Welcomes Cannabis

Cannabis Media Properties Becoming The Hot Ticket

The Daily Hit: April 17, 2018

Advertising Week, PROHBTD Media Extend Partnership

DEA Warns Georgia Pharmacies Against Selling Medical Marijuana

New York Regulators Greenlight Rec Market Entrance of Six Medical Cannabis Behemoths

Slow Rollout of Connecticut's Adult-Use Cannabis Program Starting to Spook Entrepreneurs

Get the latest cannabis news delivered right to your inbox

Get the latest cannabis news delivered right to your inbox