“We Call Ourselves One Big Family and It Really is True” Brittany Hallett, Director of Marketing at Organa Brands

‍I had the pleasure of interviewing Brittany Hallett, the Director of Marketing at Organa Brands. Brittany oversees the brand development, product launch and go-to-market strategy for five of the largest brands in cannabis. Organa Brands is the largest cannabis distributor in the U.S.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! What is your “backstory”? How did you first get into this business or get interested in the business?
Iguess you could say I’ve been a cannabis ‘advocate’ since my high school days. Right after college, I had a few gigs–ranging from an ad agency to a dead-end software sales job. A good friend of mine was working at Organa Brands (then known as O.penVAPE) and let me know a position was opening up for an Executive Assistant. It wasn’t what I was classically trained in (Marketing) but I decided to jump ship because it sounded a hell of a lot more exciting than what I was doing at that time. Ever since, I’ve been learning the ins and outs of the company and industry to get me where I am now.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your company?
One that always sticks out in my mind was back in 2014, I had been with the company for about a month and a half and we ended up getting white envelopes filled with cash one Friday. At the time I was in the role of Executive Assistant and we had just moved in the California market and had to send pay to our employees out there. I remember going to FedEx to send the team their money and the FedEx employee asked me what was in the box and I innocently said cash. He very quickly let me know that wasn’t legal. I guess I’m not a very good ‘drug dealer’!
That moment reminded me that we still work in a federally illegal industry and still have a long road ahead to full acceptance. We’re working in a normal office, doing business like any other–we just happen to be talking about weed all day as opposed to copy machines.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
At Organa Brands we call ourselves one big family and it really is true. Everyone at the company supports each other–from celebrating their success to supporting them through hardships, and it’s when the hardships strike that I’m always reminded we’ve got a pretty great thing going on. I remember one event in particular–an employee’s house burned down in the middle of the night and they lost everything. The way our family at Organa Brands came together to support that family was really special.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
It’s tough to name just one. I’m a young leader at this company and my path to a leadership position has been an interesting one. I’ve been with the company through two Marketing leaders (aside from myself) and when I was asked to step into this position in March of 2016 I was a little apprehensive. The owners at our company saw something in me and wanted to give me the chance to take my career to the next level. Ever since, they’ve been great mentors and have pushed me to take my skills and leadership to the next level. If I could give one piece of advice to any aspiring young business leaders it’s to not let fear stop you from taking a chance or seizing an opportunity. If you want it and have the ability, then there’s nothing that should stop you.
Are you working on any exciting projects now?
Yes! There’s never a shortage of exciting projects to work on at Organa Brands. I can’t say too much about it yet but we’ll just say we have 2 new brands launching this year and our first outside brand endorsement deal that we’re bringing on.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the Cannabis industry? Can you share 3 things that most concern you?
– I love that the cannabis industry as a whole is still largely unexplored. There’s still a lot of growth to come in this industry and a lot of room to leave your mark every day. That gets me excited to go to work.
– The medicinal benefits of the plant. Aside from being enjoyable to consume recreationally, I truly believe cannabis has medicinal benefits and I can’t wait for research to expand so we can see what this plant is really capable of.
– The opportunity to educate. We’ve been misinformed about cannabis for so long and I love sharing my knowledge of the cannabis plant with others.
– I’m not sure if I have three concerns about the cannabis industry, but my biggest would be any reversals in legislation that go against the progress we’ve made. I don’t think it will happen but there’s always that lingering concern.
Can you share your top “5 things you need to know in order to succeed in the Cannabis industry”? Please share a story or example for each.
– Determination: Working in the cannabis industry isn’t easy. It’s a heavily regulated industry and there is a lot of competition so you have to really want it to make it in this space.
– Hard work: Building off the above. This industry isn’t for people who want a normal 9–5 job, you have to be ready to give a large part of your life to this dream–and it really is a dream, but you don’t do a lot of sleeping. There are no massive companies with 10,000+ employees in the industry yet, instead it’s a lot of entrepreneurial people trying to make their dreams come true and that can be a competitive space work in.
– Adaptability: This is probably the biggest one. Working in the cannabis industry is like riding a roller-coaster. You have to be able to roll with the punches in this industry and be okay with a constantly changing, evolving landscape.
– Willingness to Learn: There is so much to learn about the cannabis industry as a whole and so many people that have been fighting for our rights for a long time. You really have to be a sponge and try to absorb as much information as you can.
– Creativity: This is an unconventional industry in a lot of ways, and it’s one that’s burdened by regulations that are not only unseen in other spaces but that also change overnight and vary from state to state. It means that, if you’re serious about your work in cannabis, you’re gonna have to get creative with everything from your business structure to your advertising.
In our experience when people are passionate about what they do they are more successful, where does your cannabis passion come from?
As I mentioned before, cannabis has been a part of my life since early adulthood. I’ve made some amazing memories because of cannabis and that’s only gotten better since getting into the industry. Cannabis is responsible for a lot of my friendships, both work-related and beyond. I also see a lot of people genuinely benefit from the use of this plant. They aren’t lying when they say this plant is magical–you can’t help but be motivated by it.
Where do you see your business going in the next 5 years? Where do you see the cannabis industry going in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years Organa Brands hopes to have further built out a robust cannabis distribution network that spans legal markets around the globe. With that reach, we plan to bring cannabis enthusiasts a wide-range of high-quality, trusted brands and products. We’re doing pretty well on that front, we currently sell our products in 11 states and three countries.
I hope in the next five years that we’ll see US federal legalization opening up doors to interstate commerce, banking, and expanded marketing and advertising opportunities.

Are you able to identify any rising stars at your company or in your industry that people need to keep an eye on?
Our Director of Public Relations and my good friend, Jackson Tilley is definitely one of them. Jackson is one of the most personable people you’ll meet in your life, and he really does wonders sharing the company’s mission with the world.
What growth sectors should most people be paying attention to that they might not be currently?
I think the cannabis industry as a whole is a bit of a tough place to compete in right now–we’re seeing large price compression across the board–on top of the cost of working in a heavily-regulated industry. I think the best opportunities right now are for companies servicing the cannabis industry but not directly touching the plant. Distribution is also a huge business, and we are proud to lead that space. We’re open for business, so to speak, and are always looking for new product to roll into our pipeline.
Do you have an opinion on full adult use vs. medical and the political back and forth? We’d love to hear your thoughts on how that will affect the industry in the near future.
I think we will see the full legalization of adult-use cannabis in the next 5–10 years. Right now in America, people are more unified on their stance on cannabis than they are on politics. The genie is out of the bottle–it’s not going back in.
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
Gary Vaynerchuck. I saw him speak at a keynote once and found his energy, confidence and story captivating. I’d love to pick his brain.