Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

3:00 PM - 3:45 PM - Herscher Hall, Guerin B

Craft Cannabis - Family Farms - The Art and Science of the Cannabis Experience

Justin Calvino, co-founder, Emerald Exchange

Michael Katz, co-founder, Emerald Exchange

Richard Tran, Director of Retail Operations, Growth Network Holdings

Tim Blake, Founder and Producer, The Emerald Cup

Shawn Gold, CEO, Pilgrim Soul, Moderator

Michael Katz, Co-Founder, The Emerald Exchange: Michael Katz, co-founder of The Emerald Exchange and President of Evoxe Laboratories, entered the cannabis community from a 15+ year career in the entertainment industry. He has worked with some of the most recognizable brands in the world, including Apple, the NFL, Hewlett Packard, Tylenol and many others. For several years he ran the Design, Motion Graphics and VFX departments at Ant Farm, one of the most-awarded entertainment marketing agencies in Los Angeles, producing branded content for Google, YouTube, Activision titles including Call of Duty, and theatrical trailer campaigns for every major motion picture studio. Katz is a member of the Producers Guild of America, ASCAP and serves on the Board of Directors of the California Growers Association.

Justin Calvino is the founder of The Mendocino Appellations Project and the Emerald Exchange. Justin serves on the board of directors for The California Growers Association and the Mendocino Cannabis Industry Association. He is a regenerative economist who believes in the creative genius and local sovereignty of Mendocino. Justin works to shift public perception of cannabis, honor Mendocino’s unique cannabis heritage, and support farms, families and his local community.

Tim Blake, Founder and Producer, TheEmeraldCup.com: Tim Blake earned his real estate license at the age of nineteen. He was one of the founders and the CEO of several productions companies in the 1980’s. This included an audio/video production company, a music label, an original children’s program called “Eco, You, and Simon too”, and a line of “New Age” video releases. Tim is blessed to have three daughters, six grandkids, and one great granddaughter. He has owned property in Mendocino County since the early eighties. In 1998 he bought an old campground ten miles north of Laytonville on highway 101 and renamed it “ Area 101”. Tim created The Emerald Cup, the worlds largest outdoor cannabis competition thirteen years ago. Tim sponsored and helped produce the first gathering of law enforcement and cannabis farmers to openly discuss how they would work together. This helped lead to the creation of the original 9.31 program, whereby cannabis farmers could grow up to ninety nine plants legally with a permit from the county. Tim was one of the first cannabis farmers to join the program. He was the co-founder of the Mendocino Farmers Collective and also Healing Harvest Farms, both local cannabis dispensaries designed to help facilitate getting outdoor cannabis into the dispensaries across the state. He was a founding member of California Cannabis Reform Policy (CCPR), which evolved in CA Reform, and was also a founding member of the Mendocino Cannabis Policy Council ( MCPC). Tim was on the steering committee for the Heritage Initiative ( Measure AF), which was on the Mendocino County ballot in November, and is on the board of directors of The Mendocino Cannabis Industry Association ( MCIA). Tims personal goal is to help the world integrate spirituality, cannabis, organic food and living into a holistic lifestyle.

Shawn Gold is CEO of Pilgrim Soul, a brand focussed on cannabis for creativity. Previously, he was CMO at Lowell Herb Co., one of the fastest growing, most talked about cannabis companies in North America. He has been an advisor to other leading cannabis brands including MedMen and Charlottes Web. Before coming to Lowell, he was CMO at TechStyle Fashion Group which launched the subscription fashion category with Fabletics, JustFab, ShoeDazzle, FabKids and Rihanna’s SavageXFenty Before TechStyle he was head of entertainment brand partnerships at Wattpad.com, the world’s largest storytelling platform and one of the fastest growing mobile content sites in the world. Previously he oversaw sales, marketing, and content development as CMO of Inside Studios, a video and mobile app company creating shows with over 1 billion views on YouTube and MSN. Until 2007, he was CMO, head of marketing & content for MySpace. At MySpace Shawn spearheaded the development and implementation of marketing initiatives and campaigns for MySpace during its growth from 25 to 110 million users worldwide. Prior to MySpace he was a partner and the founding publisher of Weblogs, Inc., a network of popular blogs that included Engadget, Joystiq and Autoblog, now part of Verizon. As head of communications planning for Rare Medium, Shawn helped launch digital communications strategies for brands at P&G, General Mills, Nestle, Mattel and other international brand marketing companies.