Cannabis & berkeley
Starting in April 2016, I worked for family backed entrepreneur who wanted to create the future of cannabis. I became intoxicated by the cannabis industry (pun intended) and fundamentally believe it will change the world into a better and happier place. California is the largest cannabis market in the world so I moved my family from Brooklyn to Berkeley to set up the scientifically advanced, low dose brand called OLO that we believed was the future. Kin Slips beckoned in January 2018 and I spent 11 months working closely with the team to build it into California’s leading sublingual brand and growing revenue 3X from 2017. Despite surging demand, awards for innovation including NCIA and Entrepreneur Magazine, Kin Slips production and testing issues put all marketing on hold at the end of 2018. In the first 6 months of 2019 my focus was Himalaya, re-focusing the brand positioning and executing the marketing plan in combination with sales and production to expand the brand to over $1.2M in monthly retail sales.
My mission now is to combine my Brooklyn and Berkeley experience to partner with cannabis brands to remove the stigma, making the plant more relevant, enjoyable and acceptable to people all over the world.
460 Art Pop Up at Art Basel Miami. The 460 became the number one prestige luxury sedan (ahead of BMW 7-Series and Mercedez-Benz S Class).
Revlon 007 Promotion was one of the most successful in the brand’s history.
London & brooklyn
My career started in London working for an ad agency, I was then relocated to New York City to set up an integrated marketing division. I have had the good fortune to work for many of the world’s leading brands. Iconic names that you stumble across in books on branding and modern storytelling, from Coke to Pepsi; Revlon to MAC Cosmetics; Universal to HBO; Lexus to Mini; Ralph Lauren to Puma, Target to Walmart and Moet Hennessy to Diageo. I have been lucky to develop specialist skills across key areas, from social media, PR, branding, e-commerce, events, retail, media and mobile. However the most important thing I learned is that powerful brands make an emotional connection. They bypass the brain’s BS radar and go straight to the heart. The fondest memories from my pre-cannabis experience, are from my 3-year stint leading the marketing and e-commerce for Havaianas. This $1.5B flip flop brand transcended its rubber commodity status to become a global cult lifestyle brand.
I moved back to Brooklyn in the summer of 2019 to put my kids back into their local schools. I have been lucky enough to continue working with west coast clients and use my cannabis experience from California to help build multi-state and international brands. Highlights in 2020/2021 include Cloud Cannabis, one of Michigan’s fastest-growing vertically integrated retailers with 19+ licenses and counting! Brilliant craft cultivation & retailer MedCare Farms in Riverside County, California. And last but not least, the boundary-breaking, scientifically advanced team at Manna Molecular, helping to launch one of the fastest onset products I have ever experienced, the SpeedTab, in Massachusetts.
“Jim was the CMO for Kinstate from January 2018 to November 2018. During that time Jim was instrumental in growing the Kin Slips brand by setting up key marketing infrastructure, clarifying our brand positioning, and navigating difficult regulatory hurdles that demanded rapid brand iteration. Jim’s effort aided an increase in market share for the Kin Slips brand. Jim is focused, efficient, even-tempered, and an overall pleasure to work with.”
Fun with my kids in Brooklyn