Six-Part Series Airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET
Special Sneak Peek Beginning on November 28
This Thanksgiving weekend, MSNBC will premiere “Pot Barons of Colorado.” The six-part documentary series will air Sundays at 10pm ET/PT beginning November 30th, with a special Sneak Peek airing Friday, November 28th. Produced by MSNBC’s Longform Unit and Triple Threat TV, the series follows the stories of Colorado-based ‘pot barons’ who will risk everything to secure a foothold in the rapidly expanding world of recreational marijuana use.
On New Year’s Day 2014, the nation’s first legal recreational marijuana dispensaries opened in Colorado. The demand for legal weed stunned the experts, effectively launching a 21st century “green rush.” From dispensaries to grow houses, “Pot Barons of Colorado” delves into the thrilling and suspenseful world of Colorado’s recreational marijuana businesses as they race to cash in on this unprecedented boom.
In the six-part series, audiences will meet a handful of the state’s leading Pot Barons, including: Jamie Perino, owner of Euflora, a high tech pot parlor which she calls “the Apple Store of Weed.” Andy Williams, who co-owns a family business, Medicine Man, with his brother Pete, runs one of the largest single-store marijuana dispensaries in the world and hopes it will soon become the “Costco of marijuana.” Tripp Keber, the President and CEO of Dixie Brands, hopes to build an empire out of his marijuana soda that comes in fancy brushed-aluminum bottles. The documentary explores how each pot baron broke into the industry, the risks they are taking, the dreams they’re pursuing, and the setbacks they must overcome.
The series takes viewers deep inside this budding industry filled with financial opportunity, but also fraught with danger. At the Federal level, marijuana remains an illegal substance, so banks are shunning the business, creating a cash-only world and a climate of armed guards, locked vaults, and constant concerns about security.
Another branch of the industry looked at in the series is edibles. Products such as marijuana cookies, brownies, or beverages, have provided hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue, but they have also been connected to two deaths and a number of children’s visits to emergency rooms. As state regulators consider possible changes in the laws, some of the pot barons must choose whether to support a costly compromise or stand their ground and face potential ruin.
From MSNBC’s Longform Unit, Michael Rubin, Vice President, Scott Hooker, Senior Executive Producer, Vicki Sufian, Senior Producer and Carrie Wysocki, Director of Production, worked on this project. For Triple Threat, Gary Cohen was Executive Producer, Writer and Narrator, with Niki Usbay McDonald as Director and Matt McDonald as Senior Producer. Rasha Drachkovitch was Co-Executive Producer from 44 Blue Productions.
Join us as these smart, savvy pioneers risk it all to cash in Sunday, November 30th at 10pm ET/PT. For more information about the show, check out the trailer and visit: https://www.ms.now/pot-barons, Twitter: @potbaronsmsnbc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/potbarons
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