The Big Apple, here we come! Ronit Pinto, founder of the award-winning media company Honeysuckle Magazine is Season Two's first guest. She joins Scheril Murray-Powell, Esq. to talk about combining creativity and artistry with advocacy. She shares the inspiration that drove her to launch her magazine and what motivates her to consistently provide elevated content. Scheril also makes an exciting announcement; hint - read the title. Executive Producer: Scheril Murray-Powell Produced by PodConx Scheril Murray-Powell, Esq, - https://podconx.com/guests/scheril-murray-powell Ronit Pinto - https://podconx.com/guests/ronit-pinto Honeysuckle Magazine - https://honeysucklemag.com/
The Big Apple, here we come!
Ronit Pinto, founder of the award-winning media company Honeysuckle Magazine is Season Two's first guest. She joins Scheril Murray-Powell, Esq. to talk about combining creativity and artistry with advocacy. She shares the inspiration that drove her to launch her magazine and what motivates her to consistently provide elevated content. Scheril also makes an exciting announcement; hint - read the title.
Executive Producer: Scheril Murray-Powell
Scheril Murray-Powell, Esq, - https://podconx.com/guests/scheril-murray-powell
Ronit Pinto - https://podconx.com/guests/ronit-pinto
Honeysuckle Magazine - https://honeysucklemag.com/
[00:00:00]
Scheril Murray-Powell: Hi, my name is Cheryl Marie, pal Esquire. And I'm here to welcome you back to TURPs in the city. This is season two and season two has a lot to offer. Cause guess what? I'm moving back to New York. So excited about this New York move. Oh, there's so many people in New York that I've had long-term relationships with new people that I'm getting to know.
Now, as New York just rolled out their adult use cannabis policy there's draft policy that's out there that we'll be talking about. The Marta act has hit one year it's one year anniversary. So a lot to discuss a lot to talk about, but I have to have as my first. Romeo Pinto of Connie suckle magazine.
She is a longtime friend of mine, but she's so gifted and talented, always ready to travel for the cause. And her magazine is awesome. I'm not just saying that because I've been in there a couple a couple of times, but listen, when you go to time square and you see those. Billboards. You, [00:01:00] you might want to think about Romy because he is such a creative person and she has been the one to really bring those billboards to the forefront.
She's highlighted individuals like my sister to see the Dawson and, and others. So she's always about promoting other people. And I think it's about time. We gave her her flowers and, and celebrating her work in the end of the. A lot of people don't realize that when it comes to activism, there's the activists who are really important.
There are also the journalists that are really important. And if you look throughout history and the valuate change, it was the journalists who really had the, who were brave enough to run the stories so that people could know that whether inequity was happening, whether something was emerging and changing and.
Hours and hours of research and their passion into giving us an accurate story that enlightens the community. So with that said, Ronnie, I just want to walk into welcome you to season two of [00:02:00] TURPs.
Ronit Pinto: you so much for having me Cheryl excited to be here.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Awesome. Well, let's hear what's going on in your role. What's going on with you. Let's start with where I met you, which is being the editor creator, founder of Connie cell phone magazine. I know honeysuckle is one of your grades. So with that being said, tell us a little bit about the magazine and what do you intend to accomplish as you're releasing each, each issue?
Ronit Pinto: Yeah. I mean, honeysuckle began in Detroit actually in 2013, 14. I have a background in media and film and really wanted to merge the two into like a visual storytelling. Like for me, like you said, I'm really creative. So almost restless, if I'm not creating or doing stuff, I get very not even bored.
Restless like I have to be in, in constant flow. So, I loved working in media. I worked for a fashion and design publication in [00:03:00] Detroit and was able to kind of transfer a lot of the like photo shoot and creative and like high-end visual stuff to cannabis. So like, as my evolution, as the publisher grew, I kind of brought a lot of that into honeysuckle.
And for me, applying that to the cannabis space is exciting because. For whatever reason, like you said, people don't like equate cannabis and quality in a lot of like visual representation. I mean, it's changing now, but I think one of my primary goals is to elevate the conversation. Not only editorially, like, as you've participated in Sheryl and seeing like, as she said in the intro or before, when we were speaking, like honeysuckle has historically represented many different Many different communities in our original tag was actually from the high end to the underground.
So I think cannabis is a perfect environment to really incorporate that. And, and I think that as we go and moving forward, applying some of those more traditional mainstream visual elements that you would [00:04:00] find in a really cool video or film or magazine layout to the, the print publication is exciting and that's kind of the direction.
Scheril Murray-Powell: I really liked that from the high end to the underground. I think it really does capture the essence of hunting subtle magazine now w you've had quite a few iconic. can you tell me about some of the iconic covers you've had and how you go about that relationship building, which is really essential for capturing these creatives, these artists in their light, or even if it's a non persona cover, just really capturing the essence of a planet.
Ronit Pinto: Yeah. I mean, again, I think it's that intersection of culture and cannabis and normalizing it to such a degree that it's like, Cannabis publication in 2017, dedicated, exclusively to cannabis. If we started in 2016, featured Alan coming on a cover who is, an LGBTQ actor. And I [00:05:00] don't think a lot of people would equate him with cannabis, right.
It's not, we were considering like Snoop dog or just some of the more like, big figures and we landed on Allen and he was so cool. Like we got to shoot him. So Sam, my fiance's a creative director does a lot of the photography. So he did an iconic, shoot with Alan wearing weed sunglasses, and Alan shared with us his favorite thing about smoking weed.
His penis and sex. And like, you got really candid. And I think that's the fun part of cannabis content as well. Right. Being able to talk about that stuff. That, that was kind of like our segue into, and I had featured celebrities before that. So I had like Kiersten dunce. I used an Oregon yeah. Image too, for our hers issue, which was all about women.
So it was like, I always liked to have a celebrity because I feel like they, exemplify kind of like a meta macro kind of conversation around whatever it is that we're talking about. And since [00:06:00] then, The celebrity thing has become important. I mean, first of all, it's usually gorgeous. Cause it's, they're, they're iconic, so there's inherently fashion, charisma, personality.
When we get to shoot it, it's an advantage obviously. Cause we can bring our display, our own creative abilities to the shoe. And otherwise it's just like, as an artist myself, I want to highlight people who are at the pinnacle of their artistic career. So like little Wayne, you know what I mean?
That's the thing. And Wiz Khalifa. And we have been able to develop the relationships and like, as the industry grows, there's so much you can do. And a lot of that's unexpected. you know what I mean? Now little Wayne has a cannabis brand that's in all these different states, so we can kind of work with them in that regard or in the same for Wiz.
And, we were the print sponsors for the national cannabis festival and we had our Wiz cover, our wizard magazine there, and he was also the headliner of that festival and just how things are kind of intersecting. So I think having this celebrity presence for us as like [00:07:00] definitely ID.
Scheril Murray-Powell: And when you're meeting these celebrities, how do you give them comfort to be involved? How do you highlight the, the benefits of being in the mag?
Ronit Pinto: That's a good question because we're not mad at any fairs. I thank you
Scheril Murray-Powell: Yeah,
Ronit Pinto: with your help. We will get
Scheril Murray-Powell: absolutely. No doubt. That's why you're the first guest.
Ronit Pinto: Thank you. I love that birthday twins. I think that, we are, independent, I think kind of to what you were saying, the quality, the intention, the artistry, I think we have consistency. And I think that we've proven ourselves, time and time again, like for little Wayne, for example, our first four 20 edition was like gorgeous that we did with him last year or not this past.
His team confided in me after that, like they were, you know what I mean? They're like, not really that into it. Like, you know who we are, but not only did they like fall in love with the [00:08:00] issue. Cause it absolutely stunning and gorgeous. I also got them on NASDAQ for an advance of upward music festival. So they, at that point were like, okay, this chick is, I can get down with this girl.
Like they obviously. Seemed to know what they're doing. And we built that relationship to where now, we featured the young money artists in our last one and little Wayne was really, and I believe McMain the president of, of young money. They shared it on Wayne's grid. He did multiple stories.
He had our Lincoln, his bio and like with Khalifa too, was like reposting our stuff. So what was the original question? Oh, how did it have faith? I think proving ourselves, we all, we also had Damien morally on a cover the freedom issue that highlighted prisoner. Yeah.
Scheril Murray-Powell: That was a great line. That was a great, I'm a huge fan. So like, I, I do love, I love the covers, but I love the content as well. Yeah, the freedom issue is really, really important for our community. I really value how it's an inclusionary [00:09:00] magazine too. So, you mentioned your, the LGBTQ community, a huge interest in Rastafar.
I use interest in hip hop culture. Huge interest in making sure women are represented in, in very ways and not the same cookie cutter woman. Not even talking about ethnicity, but really talking about what are you into as a woman and what you know. So I think all of those things make honeysuckle very unique and I'm really interested in seeing where you're going to go in the future.
Just talking about stories. So we talk about the covers, which I think at first glance, that's a key strength for honeysuckle magazine, but what are your favorite stories that you've been able to tell through the magazine?
Ronit Pinto: A lot. Off off the top of my head, honestly. The black issue. Well, the black farmer story that you did was amazing like that. Yeah. Black.
Yeah. That's resurface time and time again. And. [00:10:00] Even at like bending in Miami, they had like the one black four for speaking. And immediately I knew that history and like how important that conversation is and how little still it gets talked about, And just how, oh, since you wrote that over the years, like not even cannabis related, like the 40 acres and a mule, the fact that like when Trump was president it really came to light.
How, how, who owns the land? You know what I mean? And when, where people were riding and burning down stuff, it's like that you realize like a huge amount of our population does not feel connected to the United States because they don't own anything, and where that. So that article, pointing to like a historical sort of wrong that hasn't been corrected yet.
Also a lot of our stories on people who are formerly incarcerated is huge. Like. Yeah, cannabis. And non-cannabis like, we want them on who is worth the silent crying. Nonprofit was born in [00:11:00] prison, she returned there. And then, we've met people who are incarcerated for 60 years, 25 years, like, and hearing their stories and understanding how they feel so neglected and that they truly almost feel like they don't have a voice that no one's listening, you know?
Scheril Murray-Powell: Yes, it's so amazing to me that there are still parts of the community. When they hear incarcerated, they're just like, oh, these are just criminal. And they don't really think about that. The fact that they're three dimensional people, that they have people who love them, that it made the process. They went through may not have been fair that their race or their upbringing played such a huge role in one criminality.
If that was a choice. And, and to how they went through the system and really didn't have that opportunity for appeal or to raise grievances or even understanding that, there's a whole part of the process that we don't see, which is post-conviction as far as the treatment in our jail [00:12:00] system. We kind of just forget about it once we hear the, the result of, that that is a conviction or not a conviction, we kind of stopped paying attention, like, okay, did they got their.
They, they got what they were, they deserved, or they had a jury of their peers, not so much, a lot of times it's not a jury of your peers. A lot of times it's a biased judge. And then they're just put away in this hole and we forget about them on solar time was done. And then with the re-entry activity what are they coming home to?
What, how are we going to ensure that they can choose a life besides criminality by allowing there to be resources? So thank you for telling. Those stories because we don't find that everywhere. So like for honeysuckle, for me, it's way more than a cannabis magazine. I think it's, it's way more than just a lifestyle magazine because you don't, you're not narrowly focused on a lifestyle best hip and famous people, but you really care about the, the layers of our society and the [00:13:00] tapestry of our society and how How we all are interconnected, whether we choose to be or not, and how we all have a responsibility, whether we want to acknowledge that or not.
What are you looking forward to as far as like upcoming events what's coming up for honeysuckle things that you can share. And I also want to go back to that relationship building that you mentioned with little Wayne, because I think that's very unique. So I want to talk about that a little bit.
Ronit Pinto: Okay. Yeah, so for events, we so we're, we're definitely at a point of pivot where I feel like we have several actual lies. Strange of revenue, like you said, the billboards, the print issue, the digital, the events. And then we have a very pretty robust creative side of film and video and photography.
So we're trying to, I'm allowing, we just got back from trailblazer lasers, which is in Sedona with, with a wonderful group of people. And it was like this [00:14:00] exclusive kind of thing, but it was also kind of a spiritual experience because just being there.
Scheril Murray-Powell: You can't be in Sedona and not have a spiritual experience. That's like one of my favorite places on the planet and I've been once time and I felt like an awakening happening. So I can just imagine being around like-minded people in that space about.
Ronit Pinto: Yeah, exactly. And then what was even more interesting? Actually, it was that we ended up in Phoenix for the last night and I felt this almost like weird droney kind of presence while I was there. I like a cool kind of vibe. And I found, I learned there's like an Aztec history, like a strong one. And like they felt, I don't know, ancestors or.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Yeah. Is there ever present? They are ever present. And until you've had that experience, you don't understand it. But it sounds like trailblazers was really, really critical for, kind of developing your path from a spiritual level, but also as far as what's next. So, yeah. What are you, what are you [00:15:00] thinking for the future?
Ronit Pinto: So that's the thing I've been really processing. Like it was kind of like a download of information. So I've been taking a couple of days to process. Cause I think either we're going to go big on all of the things and figure out we need to raise or have strategic partner, business partner, strategic partnerships.
We definitely need to scale. So we need to very deliberately we're consulting with some people, figure out what exactly that looks like. I think before making any huge moves. Everything that we're doing takes a lot of effort. And with our size team, we have to figure out exactly what we're doing, but I'm very excited for everything, but it's kind of time to be strategic.
Whereas until now we've been able to really explore, spread our wings and just try to move so time to get really practical. We are having an event Wednesday after the first day of MJ unpacked. Everyone's excited. Yeah. No name bar. I can send you the
Scheril Murray-Powell: Please send me, I, I'll be there. Then we can do a part two where we kind of talk about it and [00:16:00] maybe share some, some photos on socials and things like that.
Ronit Pinto: yeah, nothing really matters bar. So it's a gritty bar under the one train, right by MJ unpack. We're going to be partnering with Steelo. We've been working with them more and more on different events. so that's this Wednesday, and then we have,
Scheril Murray-Powell: I'll be there.
Ronit Pinto: okay, great, awesome. A couple events planned and then the fall, we want to do a big kind of like, fashion issue that I'm like a September issue for cannabis and lifestyle that I'm starting production.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Excellent. So you're you're planning, future issues themed. You are building relationships and coordinating with these mega stars expanding their footprint, their brands through, through relationships. You're putting billboards in times square. Let's talk about how amazing it is to have New York as the backdrop for your work.
Ronit Pinto: Right. And [00:17:00] like, we couldn't really anticipate in necessarily when we started like we didn't expect the MRTA to pass last year. I think you probably agree. New York is fascinating, right? It's like,
Scheril Murray-Powell: beautiful. I've never looked. I've never lived in the city and I've always hungered. So live in this. I'm a, I'm a great net girl. I'm a long island, great neck, Uniondale, Hemstead. That's where I was raised. But there's always been this intrigued. I have an aunt who's very, very close to me. And Jen ginger and she was a model.
So she would always go into her life was very dual. So she had her great neck life and then she always had this fabulous, like international model life. So I got. Bits and pieces of it. Like, I grew up listening to a lot of British pop because of her influence and things like that. And then you take into account the Harlem Renaissance and what that means for black people.
The, what it means for literature, what it means for art and culture. And I was like, people are like, where are you moving? So I'm like, [00:18:00] I'm moving to Harlem. Never lived there. I'm moving to Harlem.
Ronit Pinto: Oh, wow.
Scheril Murray-Powell: So, yeah, and again, I'm going to be really honest on this show. I'm about my journey and it's like, I have an Airbnb booked for two, for 70 days and that's it.
That's where I am in my move right now. So I got to get rid of everything and I'm just really. By by the seat of my pants have a little bit of stability for my son, cause he's starting a new school there. But really I want to explore that ancestral side of what Harlem means to not only the African-American community, but also the immigrant community and also New York itself the legacy operator part of the industry and understand that.
The, the gangsters from the Harlem side back in the day and things like that, and really bring that forward into our, our, our modern work. So I'm super excited about partnering with you and all of that. I know we [00:19:00] talked, we've spoken about a couple of stories that I'd like to write for honeysuckle cause as a writer as a journalist.
So I, a lot of people don't think of me as a journalist in the industry. Well, I'm a lawyer and I do a lot of lawyering and I, I'm also a lobbyist advocate. I do a lot of that, but I really take my creative work seriously. And I, I I'm very particular about which spaces I will trust with my work, because usually.
Someone like a Benzinger or another, they'll ask for a quote and I'll be, I'll get them like three quarters of a page. And they're like, all right, we're going to try to use that. They've been so fantastic about my quotes. But like with, when I, when you asked me to do work or if I come to you with a story I definitely appreciate the level of care that you take with my words.
Especially in, in the revision process. I say what? I mean, I knew what I say. That's Cheryl. However, the [00:20:00] editorial process should be left to the experts. And let me with you when I invest in my work, because my work is so personal to me and I go through layers and like bringing the historical context, you treat that with such a level of respect.
That it makes it easy for me. I can, I like when you do edits, I don't even have to really review them. I'm I know that, my voice and that you were, you won't betray my voice for, for numbers, for it, for money or anything. You really want to tell those two stories. And that's what I really value and appreciate about you and your work.
So thank you for doing that. Just talking about New York is a backdrop. I went on a little, I took a little journey into the side, but New York is such a special place and you've had the opportunity to live, to live and work there for many years as an artist, as a creative. So let's talk about.
Ronit Pinto: Yeah. I mean, I think that traveling around, like you do, and then coming back here, every [00:21:00] time I come back, it's just the artistic sort of like levels are so dense here that it's never ending stimulus. Like, I love it. You know what I mean? It's just like, where else is art treated like a VIP activity?
Like it is, usually. Sorry, there's a siren. I'm usually, artists are disrespected or undervalued or devalued, not here, maybe in Europe. Right. There are more, it's like more of a, like a valued thing. But
in America it's just sort of like, oh, if you're not a business person or, whatever and accountant, like you don't matter.
And I feel like, yeah, as an artist, I mean, There's photo studios, there's architecture, every restaurant, every other restaurant is customized and lighting is beautiful. And so for it's very inspiring, very dense. And I also feel like this guy's like, there's no limit, you could keep going and doing things for us.
Scheril Murray-Powell: I really like what you said about like every restaurant is [00:22:00] customized. Every place has their own personal. And that made me think of, even with the, the draft regulations for retail that have been revealed by the office of cannabis management or the the CCB. There's been some indication that the fond will be used to purchase these location retail locations throughout the throughout the.
And they will have like certain lending requirements. But there'll be very much modeled, very similar or just have the same requirements. How do you think that will fit into like the New York state of mind, the New York way of life having, the dispensing organizations is that limiting creativity or even within a cookie cutter space there's with new Yorkers, there's always going to be that opportunity to, to bring in that creative.
So.
Ronit Pinto: I mean, we'll see a lot of New York is becoming more kind of Cheney and gentrified, and like the dispensary's and weed, a lot of them [00:23:00] are just, they are what they are, even though legal dispensaries that we all know are open Right, now.
Scheril Murray-Powell: right, right.
right.
Ronit Pinto: So, so in terms of, hopefully there'll be able to. Yeah, it's funny.
Like, I don't know if people are going to a retail canvas places for creativity. I think they kind of go there for product, and so is that what you're talking about? Like dispensary?
Scheril Murray-Powell: Yes, absolutely. In retail spots and what you're expecting as a new Yorker, which is very different than, than I think approaching other markets.
Ronit Pinto: I bet, I guess I always envisioned it the same as like Florida or Arizona or everywhere else. Like, do you think it actually might be.
Scheril Murray-Powell: I think it'll be different. I think it'll have a different spirit, different essence. And I think, especially with the first hundred licenses for retail going to be justice involved organizations, non-profits that support the justice involved individual. I think those individuals really want to tell their story.
So it'll be interesting to see, like as again, there's going to be thousands and [00:24:00] thousands of licenses. So there is a conversation now about why them aren't, they criminals that kind of thing. This is just a hundred out of thousands that will be in existence. But with that said, I think we will be able to tell the difference.
I think they will have more of a. It's hell. And it depends on who they're partnered with. Where the money's coming from for these individual enterprises, how, how free they are, how liberated they are as far as telling their story of wrongful incarceration and, and also, what is the premium.
To someone who's been involved in the industry possibly for decades, or it was brought in as a young person understand, one thing that the legacy industry understands is supply and demand. So I really cannot wait and it will be paying close attention to that distinction between. These retail locations that come from the fund the people who are in ownership as justice involved in how they tell their stories [00:25:00] and then that other layer of it's New York.
So are we going to have like murals, the subway trains or, it's just, I can't wait. I'm like super amped about it.
Ronit Pinto: Wow. What a great time to be here.
Scheril Murray-Powell: It really is. It really is something special is happening in New York and New York is, again, New Yorkers can be cannabis snobs, because they're used to high quality. There's another debate happening does high quality mean indoor or just high quality extend to, sun-grown so you know, that's going to have to play out and it will come down to what it always comes down to, which is supply and demand what the, what the customers want.
Well, so with that conversation about. Is there opportunity for sun-grown versus indoor. I'd like to get your perspective on that.
Ronit Pinto: I know there's a trend. Although some people say it's more of a niche trend where like organic sungrown, low THC high Turk kind of thing, which is a more of a new, [00:26:00] new user, new consumer. I guess I prefer grown. I know Sam, my fiance does, but like, I guess aside from ups, there's not that.
much opportunity in New York, right.
To do sun-grown. I mean, you can do an upstate or.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Upstate and even Hudson valley. There's a lot of, there's a lot of farm activity out there. Yeah.
Ronit Pinto: the hemp farmers too. Right. They also got the first license.
Scheril Murray-Powell: Absolutely the hemp farmers were brought on with the first cultivation licenses. I think we're up to that a hundred now over, over a hundred licenses that have been issued to hemp farmers and they are traditionally from that Sungrow door, greenhouse environments. It will be interesting there, the naysayers say, this has gotta be trash products.
But then, we have to look back at, and you and I, we both have an affinity with Jamaica. I'm from Macon and you've traveled there quite a bit. Jamaican gums is what some grown
Ronit Pinto: Yeah.
Scheril Murray-Powell: and we're known and we're known for it. So, that's the interesting perspective [00:27:00] is people like.
And if you listen to the narrative, so think that something's right or something's wrong, but I think what new Yorkers want and deserve is variety. They're going to want the hydroponic girl. They're going to want the aeroponically problem. They're gonna want the the, at the indoor grown with the sensors and optimizing certain cannabinoids, optimizing flavonoids.
And, and terpenoids, and they're, they're going to want the Sungrow just like, ocean from OGI is, is very popular in its own. Right. So very, very very, very interesting as far as what we're going to do.
Ronit Pinto: Yeah.
Scheril Murray-Powell: So, like, let's say let's do like a 5, 10, 15 year strategy without giving out free secrets, a leader, your true strategic strategic plan, but like five years from now for honeysuckle and.
And I, I want to say for you, because it may be honeysuckle 10 years may not be [00:28:00] honeysuckle or maybe a spin offer, whatever. So, or multiple brands, or I'm no longer a media powerhouse, I'm a communications powerhouse, which includes media, but includes a lot of other things. So, maybe television and maybe podcasts like this.
But what are you thinking five years from now? Looks at,
Ronit Pinto: Wow. So I think, okay, thanks for asking those. Cause I probably need to be thinking about this delivery.
Scheril Murray-Powell: it's not, it's not school does not an assignment. So feel for me, feel free to use your judgment or say, I'm not there yet. And I'm not
Ronit Pinto: You're like my Yoda right now. I love it.
Scheril Murray-Powell: anytime you want. I love this stuff.
Ronit Pinto: So yeah, I mean five years, I think in a perfect situation, I would be first And foremost a communicator. And, and I also think that there's a, the desire motivation for a lot of what I do is to educate, even though I'm not a traditional teacher, I think. [00:29:00] Education. And then also, like in terms of the media, I'd like to see that adopt or go in more of a film route eventually like feature films, but kind of bringing it back to the communication education aspect.
I would be talking about the future health wellness, the evolution of plant medicine, I think in how that affects consciousness. Yeah.
Scheril Murray-Powell: And is that five years or is that.
Consciousness.
Ronit Pinto: Five to 10. I mean, a lot of that. is also informed by our society. Right? How much can you share, tell, you know what I mean? Like what are people interested in or even ready for?
So I think it will be interesting to track the evolution of human Consciousness.
in regards to plant medicine. Cause I think they're inextricably linked. Right. And hopefully just with like the climate crisis. I'm an animal rights person. So like the evolution of our understanding of earth is a sentience being, like how will that affect our, our ways of consuming media, our abilities to tell stories.
And I would love, always love to be on the forefront of, of [00:30:00] just sharing new information in different ways.
Scheril Murray-Powell: I love that. I love that. And then for, for people listening how's the, what's the best, what's the type of support you would like to have. Like, even for me, how can I support you in achieving.
Ronit Pinto: Thank you I mean, certainly sharing, like how, the fact that you trust us to share your story. I mean, you are such an expert, so people like yourself, yeah. We have a
Scheril Murray-Powell: Thank you so much.
Ronit Pinto: Add so much.
to it's like our family basically is what it feels like. I think strategic partnerships probably overall, like I think at honey, honey suckle, myself, Sam and our editors and writers, Jamie and everyone, very, a lot of ability, creative talent.
So it's not like the raw materials aren't there. We, we know how to produce and create valuable content. So I think the partners that know how to scale, want to see it in certain [00:31:00] environments, whether that's dispensary's or airports, or basically helping scale the magazine that, with people who also want to see like this shared vision kind of grown out into the world.
Scheril Murray-Powell: love it. And my final question is if you could meet. One person that you think wants your energy and their energy collides, or once you're in their space, or once they, they know about hunting supplements, they know about really that it'll be a catalyst for change. It's going to be clear. It would be in, in your perfect world.
It would be a game changer for everything that you want to do. Who would that person be? That if I could call them up right now and introduce you to them, who would that person be? That you'd love to meet, to take your game to the next level?
Ronit Pinto: Wow. Well it's funny cause it's like, I want to say Elon Musk until he like, wants to back on Twitter.
Scheril Murray-Powell: right. There's so many great things about the guy. And then he's like, [00:32:00] I'm going to buy you. That's it. Then I can do whatever I want. Yeah.
Ronit Pinto: I'm sorry, like, I don't believe in censorship either, but when Trump got kicked off Twitter, I was so happy. No offense to any,
Scheril Murray-Powell: Same, same. Personally critical and important as a lawyer. I know, but there's some people that are, are, are destructive and some conversations that can be disruptive. So not the PR I'm, I try to stay away from the person and make it more about issues specific. What I think you're doing the same thing where, you know, again, we see the value of Elon Musk and some people may be Trump supporters, but some of that messaging is extremely destructive to our constitutional rights.
So. But it, is it Ilan? Are you going to kind of hang your hat on that one or is there someone else that you think that if we can get you an introduction or someone listening can get you an introduction that would change the game?
Ronit Pinto: I mean, I'd have to think. I think someone forward thinking with resources and the desire to really like expand on what we're up to, which is an [00:33:00] idealist kind of like inclusive. Beautiful platform, that wants to see media. So, I think that person would have to be very forward thinking. Maybe I don't know who that is.
Like I'd love to be working with little Wayne and their team for sure. What do you think, who do you think would be a good match? I love the Marley family too, by the way, if I could do Damian, which I met, I saw him for the first time at Clara Fest where we were and fell in love with the whole thing.
So what who do you think would be a good fit for honeysuckle?
Scheril Murray-Powell: I there's one magazine that I've always liked and I think honeysuckles and I don't know who the publishers are or anything like that. I need to do my research, but the magazine George, which I think the younger John Kennedy. What's involved in before his untimely death. Like, I love how that has how that came together.
I loved how iconic their covers were. And I think I see so many similarities especially for the timing of when it came out. So I would say, I'd love to see a [00:34:00] connection between honeysuckle and that publishing team. For George magazine and then really do like a creative issue or a collaborative issue.
And I think that would be a key game changer, but again, I asked the question, but I hadn't thought about the answer if you asked me, but for me that like, that's what comes to mind when I think about publishing and being really unique and not please say, or narrowly focused, like I love what George does to the political.
And I love what honeysuckle does to the cannabis dialogue. And in the fact that I don't open a honeysuckle magazine and get cannabis 1 0 1, how do you choose a good vape cartridge? How do I don't get that with honeysuckle? And I think that just respects the intellect of the viewership, the readership, I think.
And that's why I'm really passionate about the magazine. I'm passionate about your work. And I'm really, I was naturally curious as [00:35:00] to where you were in your Headspace about next steps, because again, I've been watching you all these years. You've included me without failing in your work. But all of us like to be challenged, especially as creatives and again, as a lawyer, people don't think of me as a creative, but I was a house poet.
Like I've always been a. You know what I mean? So I admire that so much. And long story short, I think a George honeysuckle collaboration, I think that would be something that the world hasn't seen and I would love, I would love, like, I w that issue is going to be like vintage, like collector.
Something that's in a museum and that's how I feel about it. But I'll give you some time to think about your answer because this isn't the last time you're going to be on TURPs in the city. Thank you for being willing to be my first guests for season two of church in Sydney.
We're going to explore New York as a backdrop. We're going to explore the legislation, the regulations, we're going to explore all levels of the cannabis [00:36:00] industry. Our legacy operators are justice involved. People are very wealthy entrepreneurs from other business types are our, our regulators.
And we're really gonna understand what makes New York tick without typecasting. Beautiful city is as a New York city or even a state. I need to expand beyond thinking New York city, just because I'm moving there. But you know, the state of New York and the terrain variance and the cannabis output variance, and the creativity that happens in a, in a state like New York.
So we're only thank you so much for being so very generous with your time and thank you for your commitment to. And your commitment to the cannabis industry and always been a supporter of me and my initiatives. And I always perk up when I go to an event and I see you there, you're walking around and you're, you have a magazine, you're taking pictures of people with the magazine and, and it's, it's just a [00:37:00] beautiful thing to see.
A woman led media company. A media ecosystem is it's so much more than, than the wonderful magazine that she creates. Keep growing, he keep flowing and I look forward to seeing you next time and to our, our, our our listeners really appreciate the support all these years. Thanks you so much to podcast next and their support.
Dan Thomason, I gotta give you a shout out and we're going to bring some really elevated content to our, our community over the next few months. Buckle up. I have another new talk show that I'm launching called fire fem fanatics. And that one is going to be audio as well as video and it's about interviewing women.
So it's all about women focused on women and you'll see that coming out soon. So thank you everyone. Keep it flowing, keep it going. Take care. Okay.