The favored weed podcast First Smoke of the Day lately placed on a “Household Reunion” in Los Angeles, inviting supporters of the present and everybody who has appeared on it. A whole lot gathered, coming from throughout California and all around the nation, giving tangible proof to the passionate neighborhood that has been constructed across the podcast.
The podcast is the work of its two hosts, Cody and Lance. When First Smoke of the Day first appeared in 2021 it was audio-only. That’s as a result of the subject needed to do with the actual underground tradition of rising and promoting weed. The first company had been well-known on the underground scene however would by no means present their face.
From the beginning it was clear that the podcast was all about offering a platform for these within the hashish trade to inform their tales.
As soon as the podcast turned the cameras on and commenced to function huge gamers within the weed recreation in California and past, its viewership skyrocketed. 2022 proved to be a 12 months of huge progress for the pair. The present has up to now featured interviews with high-profile model homeowners together with manufacturers like Doja Unique, Insane, Fidel’s, Fiore, Ball Household Farms, Viola, B Eazy Buds, Cookies, the Backpack Boyz, Jungle Boys, Runtz, Related, Sherbinskis, Alien Labs, Squintz, Blueprint, and lots of others. The present supplies a who’s-who of California weed, plus nationwide and worldwide company.
With each new episode, there may be hype and pleasure on-line. Contained in the weed trade, everybody desires to get their spot on First Smoke of the Day. To be a visitor confers on the spot clout.
The present options Cody and Lance, two weed insiders, chopping it up with trade legends. Episodes often run effectively over an hour and the unscripted dialog is allowed to move with out constraints. The result’s a way of spending time chatting and listening to tales from huge gamers like Berner, Kenji Fujishima, Ryan Bartholomew, Ray Bama, and Juan Quesada.
The Origins of First Smoke of the Day
What would seem like the podcast’s nearly on the spot success was the truth is a protracted course of that started years earlier, when Cody and Lance turned associates of their house state of Florida. Cody approached Lance when he noticed that Lance had tried to enter the authorized weed market in Colorado, however returned to Florida when he discovered solely corruption and onerous bills within the leisure market.
“I used to be simply compelled by his drive and his ardour, his calling,” Cody mentioned of Lance. “That simply spoke to me. And I like good weed. And I might see he had performed with so much, in his thoughts, he stopped believing within the dream on the time, I might see that. However I used to be like, I’m a dreamer. I simply can’t assist it,” Cody mentioned.
Round 2014 the 2 would often meet within the mornings and have conversations whereas having fun with Lance’s freshly-cured weed.
“The entire time having that first smoke of the day, this goes again to even earlier than we moved to LA, we’d have these 5 to 6 hour conversations that will lead into manifesting enterprise and desires. What are you attempting to do? Speaking by way of these motions that then develop into actuality 10 years later, 15 years later,” Cody mentioned.
The 2 determined first to launch a clothes and life-style model in Florida, which made them really feel like a giant fish in a small pond. They felt like they wished to go someplace the place they had been “celebrated, not simply tolerated.” The approach to life they had been focusing on with their model made extra sense in California. So, they moved.
Lance was impressed by Cody’s imaginative and prescient and was able to comply with his lead.
“There are two issues we knew,” Lance mentioned. “I knew for a truth, he’s an awesome businessman, and his branding and advertising and marketing is 100% on level. I knew I grew nice weed. So, collectively we’re a very good staff,” Lance mentioned.
The 2 got here to California round 2015 in the course of the Prop 215 period of medicinal marijuana and began Blackleaf as a weed and clothes model. They went all in with advertising and marketing and pushing their model, making connections all all through the trade.
“The entire motive that First Smoke of the Day is popping proper now’s as a result of we hit the periods laborious and began popping up on the scene and assembly all people. Actually assembly all people,” Cody mentioned.
They entered their weed into competitions just like the Cannabis Cup, and acquired an awesome reception.
“It turned out to be an actual factor. We felt like we had been actually chasing legalization and we’re fucking placing out our personal shit. He’s rising it, we labored with a number of breeders, I don’t need to say to create a pressure however put a number of strains on the map,” Cody mentioned. That they had success with strains like Soiled Sprite and Fruity Pebbles.
“We had been simply letting shit occur organically. I didn’t actually plan for any of it,” Cody mentioned.
However with the approaching of leisure legalization in 2018, Blackleaf started to battle. Their develop operation was damaged into greater than as soon as, at one level placing the 2 in a really harmful scenario. The competitors within the trade was fierce. Cody considered taking one other route in enterprise, and handed Blackleaf off to Lance to keep up.
“Our dream took successful,” Lance mentioned. “The dream that we had collectively.”
“You set to work by way of these laborious occasions,” Cody mentioned. “However we by no means crossed one another. We by no means betrayed one another, by no means fucked with one another. None of that,” he mentioned.
They stored their connection even by way of this significantly rocky interval.
“That’s what means so much to me about our friendship is that like, we’ve been by way of a whole lot of shit. We’ve been by way of a whole lot of checks. And neither of us ever buckled. So, that’s actually uncommon, for my part,” Cody mentioned.
It was 2018 when a “first draft” of a podcast between the 2 had a false begin. They recorded a number of episodes that they weren’t proud of, after which shelved it.
However in 2020, Coronavirus modified issues. Cody discovered himself caught at house consuming all the net streaming content material he might discover. He realized there wasn’t sufficient content material for the weed neighborhood. He began to hatch an thought for a podcast that will develop into First Smoke of the Day.
“We got here again round, and we went by way of COVID. And I do know that modified a whole lot of issues. After which I noticed the necessity for media and the necessity for content material,” Cody mentioned.
He turned decided on the thought.
“That is like my child proper right here. This concept might be one of many first occasions the place I’m like, now, let me determine it out. Let me have the thought. Let me come off and let me create. Let’s see what I can do,” Cody mentioned.
He noticed that there was a chance within the media panorama.
“What there was on the market for us may be very little. I adore it, although. Marijuana Mania. Shout out to Berner, I like that shit. Shout out to Pressure Hunters. I like that. All these reveals extremely influenced me,” Cody mentioned.
He wished it to be for insiders but additionally for a large viewers.
“I didn’t need to make it a develop present. I didn’t need to make it a fucking hustle present. And I wished to make it for the people who smoke. If you’re on any degree, in case you smoke weed, you possibly can fuck with our present, you’ll prefer it,” Cody mentioned.
He introduced Lance again in to the image. Between the 2 of them, they thought they might recreate the extraordinary conversations they used to have way back to Florida over the first smoke of the day, however with folks which might be really within the weed scene.
The 2 had a robust thought of making neighborhood and connections by way of the podcast.
“I informed him, we now have to only go into folks’s tales, everybody loves a narrative. So, deal with the story. That’s the factor, all people loves a narrative as a result of you’ll be able to relate, you’ll be able to join, you could have that compatibility that you just’re searching for. On the finish of the day, folks simply need to join, and so they can solely join by way of a neighborhood of like-minded folks,” Cody mentioned.
As soon as they created a platform for folks in weed to inform their story, it appeared that everybody wished their likelihood to seem on the present. After years of hustling within the trade, Cody and Lance had constructed up a fame that was reliable.
“They actually fuck with us now. We put our stamp on shit. We take that shit severe. We will’t play video games. My face card is 100 within the streets. It’s gold. So, I don’t waver on that shit for nothing. Which means so much to me. It’s been a whole lot of years now,” Cody mentioned.
For Lance, it’s a chance to present the highlight to trade veterans.
“We simply need to shine a light-weight on their journey and let folks hear it as a result of folks don’t know what a whole lot of these guys or women have been by way of to get the place they’re right here. ‘Oh, he simply began a weed model.’ No, it’s like, 15 or 20 years or 30 years within the making, the man had life in jail, wherever their journey began, it’s relatable to any person,” Lance mentioned.
Cody says {that a} bond is shaped when somebody tells their story by way of dialog.
“When folks sit down in that seat and inform me their entire life story, it means so much. You simply gained a relationship with them as a result of who have you learnt that meets for the first time that they inform one another their life story?” Cody mentioned.
“You are feeling it. You construct a deep relationship and a deep respect. This comes with nice duty, what we’re coping with. Folks actually depend on us to maintain it actual and stay that manner. And we’re blessed too as a result of, we get to maintain good relationships as a result of folks trusted us. We belief them and it’s to not be damaged,” Cody mentioned.
Cody realized that with the podcast, he might strategy media content material his personal manner, with a imaginative and prescient that he shared with Lance. Past that, he lets the episodes occur organically.
“We don’t ever know. At eighty 5 episodes, I’m proud to say we didn’t premeditate any of these. It occurs week by week, month by month, we simply do the work. It’s been all natural. There’s no manner you possibly can actually redo it this manner or plan it this manner,” Cody mentioned.
Lastly by 2021 the 2 had been again collectively, producing content material and going absolutely ahead in a recent route, but harkening again to concepts that they percolated nearly ten years prior.
For the 2, it was a second of revelation.
“We will do it our manner,” Cody mentioned. “I don’t have to only be one other model and attempt to chase the retailers and do all that, as a result of I used to be exhausted with that. And I used to be like, let me let me do that instantly, I’ll do content material and hopefully it’ll work out as a result of folks fuck with it, then it might be huge.”
The Way forward for First Smoke of the Day
Cody says that what First Smoke of the Day is and represents remains to be in its infancy. He and Lance plan to proceed to construct it up, broadening their scope, doing extra worldwide content material, staging occasions, and constructing a web based digital platform.
“I do know inside a few years, there received’t be one place on this globe we couldn’t go to and get love from people who find themselves doing this shit,” Cody mentioned. “It simply reveals you the way many individuals world wide reside this life too. And so they wanted a house. So, we’re avenue household,” he mentioned.
Cody says he can’t assist however really feel that he’s simply getting began. He’s pumped concerning the progress and success of the present over the previous two years.
“With all of the shit I’ve been dealing with by way of this previous 12 months, I’m like, man, the expansion is loopy and I really feel unstoppable at this level. I’m on the level the place I really feel like, I acquired nothing to lose. I’m all in, that is it. I’m all in with this imaginative and prescient. The shit acquired to pop,” he mentioned.
“We acquired the wheels rolling, now it’s like to essentially begin with the ability to hit the gasoline,” Cody mentioned.
Whereas they’ve been applauded by trade greats, they’re not at all accomplished with what they began. They’ve a lot additional to go, Cody says.
“If folks actually knew just like the battle, that is not at all a hit story proper now, we’re nonetheless within the trenches, we’re digging, we’re marching,” Cody mentioned.
At January’s Household Reunion occasion, Cody recieved tons of congratulations. He wasn’t able to relaxation on his laurels.
“I informed all people coming as much as me saying congratulations, I informed them, it’s a begin. It’s a begin. It’s a begin. That’s the place we’re at,” Cody mentioned.
Even the Household Reunion occasion is one which the fellows see changing into a daily occasion. They see it rising past what was certainly a profitable night time.
“I feel that by subsequent 12 months it is going to be actually one thing particular, it’d be one thing nobody desires to overlook if you’re on this recreation. If you happen to’re within the weed world, you’ll need to be there,” Cody mentioned.
Cody desires to broaden the matters of the present to incorporate different associated content material, bringing company from the world of enterprise or leisure or sports activities.
To that finish, the crew is ramping as much as publish not one however three episodes per week, with a plan to finally add seven days per week.
“That’s what will likely be a community. That consistency is simply going to compound. Content material is loopy,” Cody mentioned.
The neighborhood being constructed across the podcast is what Cody and Lance are most keen about. By gathering folks of a like thoughts, alternatives are created that, the fellows say, might have broad influence.
“There’ll be manufacturers constructed, there’ll be collaborations accomplished, there’ll be folks partnering, there’ll be folks funding different folks’s stuff, there’s going to be actual friendships and bonds made out of this neighborhood,” Cody mentioned. “It’s going to form the tradition of hashish, finally.”
Financially, it’s a tough enterprise. “However,” Cody says, “so long as we are able to create freely within the course of, we’re successful. We received. We’re paid. That’s the cash.”
Cody has no doubts concerning the power and resilience of the weed neighborhood that he’s part of, that the present places the highlight on.
”This neighborhood is robust. I don’t suppose folks notice how sturdy this neighborhood is. We’re all freedom fighters. We’ve all been by way of a whole lot of shit. Even in case you simply smoke weed you’ve been by way of so much. Once we come collectively, we’re sturdy sufficient to not be fucked with, we’re resourceful. We’ve acquired actual movement out right here, actual energy, for actual and it’s excessive up, it’s a lot larger up than you suppose,” Cody mentioned.