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LOS ANGELES and PORTLAND, Ore. – October 4, 2017 – Today three marketing and communications leaders announced the formation of a new public relations agency: The Cannabis Story Lab. As the name implies, the new agency is focused exclusively on providing businesses across the legal cannabis market with unmatched public relations counsel and delivering communications results that matter, according to a press release. Industry analyst firm New Frontier Data forecasts the legal cannabis market will exceed $24 billion by 2025 and create nearly 300,000 new jobs over the next two years. Currently, 29 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis to some degree, and that number continues to grow.
Celeste Miranda, CEO of The Cannabis Marketing Lab, the oldest and largest cannabis-specific marketing agency, formed The Cannabis Story Lab as a sister PR agency to complement her company's Marcom services with first-rate public relations. Miranda selected PR veterans John Sideline and Karen Blondell as co-founders of the new agency, bringing with them years of award-winning PR achievements. Sideline and Blondell, who began working together in 1996, have directed PR from the front lines of major technology revolutions, including the earliest days of the commercial internet, mobile technology, cloud computing, and digital gaming. Their experience spans a wide range of B2B and consumer technology industries, as well as healthcare, consumer packaged goods, and beauty products. All three founders have hands-on knowledge of the legal cannabis market, ranging from growing operations to medical marijuana products, and a host of products and services in between.
“John and Karen have been in PR long enough to understand that their job isn’t about the PR tactics they use, but about the results, they need to achieve,” said Miranda, CEO of The Cannabis Marketing Lab and a principal of The Cannabis Story Lab. “They are strategic and creative thinkers, who are laser-focused on the outcome they want to deliver to our clients, making The Cannabis Story Lab a great counterpart to the work we’ve been doing for years at The Cannabis Marketing Lab.”
The cannabis market is often referred to as the “green rush” as new entrepreneurs and investors flood the market with new ideas, products, and services. This young market skews heavily toward startups, with scores of new businesses entering the market monthly. Many of these “ganjapreneurs” are leading a company for the first time, and while they may have a winning idea for the marketplace, they struggle to find the best way to get their message to prospective customers, investors, partners, and employees. That’s where The Cannabis Story Lab comes in.
“The cannabis market is maturing and becoming increasingly competitive; companies in this space need to stand out to succeed,” added Karen Blondell, principal of The Cannabis Story Lab. “John and I spent years in the trenches during the internet and mobile tech booms - we know what it takes to build out new markets, and how to be nimble, goal-oriented, and get results. This is the perfect time to bring our experience to the explosive cannabis market, and Celeste's knowledge, creativity, and connections provide the Story Lab with an excellent foundation.”
“’ The Cannabis Story Lab’ is a great name for the kind of agency we are,” said John Sideline, principal of the new agency. “With a market as new and dynamic as cannabis, it’s critical to focus on the results that clients need to achieve, not the best practices for achieving them. At the Story Lab, we encourage experimentation so that we can find the perfect formula for each of our client's unique communications needs.”
To schedule a meeting with The Cannabis Story Lab, contact [email protected].
