UP NEXT ON THE REVEL

LEADERS IN CANNABIS + BRANDS

We couldn’t be more honored to have some of the most interesting and innovative leaders with deep multi-disciplinary backgrounds in cannabis sharing their expertise at this event. Join us as they discuss what it means to create a brand that stands out.

JOY HOLLINGSWORTH

Co-Founder / The Hollingsworth Cannabis Company (WA)

Joy Hollingsworth is the Co-Founder of The Hollingsworth Cannabis Company (T.H.C. C.o.), a Black and family-owned and operated Tier III cannabis Producer and Processor located in Western Washington. Prior to getting involved in the cannabis industry Hollingsworth was a star collegiate athlete. She played basketball overseas in Greece before returning to the U.S. to receive her Masters in Education and become the assistant women’s basketball coach at Seattle University for three seasons.

Joy believes T.H.C. C.o. will leave a lasting impact and legacy in the Black community. “Creating generational wealth and giving back to the community is super important to us. Five to ten years from now we want the Hollingsworth company to be the foundation for other endeavors we’re passionate about and committed to; whether that’s a real estate development or a non-profit giving money to people of color,” says Hollingsworth,

RAELINA KRIKSON

Chief Creative / HAIIKUU Design (CA)

Raelina Krikston is the Chief Creative at Haiikuu Design, a design agency exclusive to the cannabis industry specializing in brand creation, packaging, and educational marketing. Haiikuu Design creates content for the industry’s leading brands in the US and internationally including Goldleaf, HCGA (Humboldt County Grower’s Alliance), Humboldt Legends, Kiskanu, LEVO, Wildflower, Toku, Alchemist Kitchen, and more. Haiikuu Design maintains the belief that by educating new users about the benefits of cannabis and presenting products in a way that speaks to mainstream customers, cannabis will have a place in everyone’s homes as a beneficial medicine and safe recreational activity.

THOMAS GIORDONELLO

Co-Founder / Hotline PR (CA/NY)

Thomas Giordonello is the Co-Founder of Hotline PR, a brand-new cannabis creative agency with offices in LA and NY. A seasoned PR agent with a decade of branding experience across multiple industries, his former clients and projects include Justin’s Peanut Butter, SodaStream, W Hotels, Aloft Hotels, Whisky Advocate, Outside Magazine, Lo-Fi Aperitifs, Prizefight Irish Whiskey and Tamworth Distilling. In early 2017 Thomas set out to work directly within the cannabis industry, quickly making a name for himself across the California market for his extreme attention to detail, his New York sense of urgency and his tell it like it is ethos. His small agency was acquired in late 2017 and became a part of RRPR Creative, a San Francisco based hospitality agency, with goals to pivot and service the cannabis industry. Today, Hotline PR represents and works directly with INDUS Holding Co., ACME Vapes, Original Pot Co., Moon Edibles, Altai Chocolates, House Weed, Cypress Cannabis, Sonder, Plant Magic and Pure Bloom. Thomas is a  graduate of Oswego State University and lives with his partner in Brooklyn where he can be found sipping overpriced coffee and thumbing the latest New York Times.

MATTHEW KITTAY

Partner, National Co-Chair M&A Team / Fox Rothschild LLP (NY)

Matthew is nationally recognized as an innovative leader who guides businesses, investors and entrepreneurs to achieve the corporate financing and structures that drive their success.

National Co-Chair of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group and Chair of the Firm’s New York Corporate team, Matthew has deep experience in structuring mergers and acquisitions and securing private equity and venture capital for a wide range of companies, particularly in the technology, software, cannabis, manufacturing and health care sectors.

He is ranked by Chambers USA as a leading corporate attorney for his transactional work with clients in the cannabis sector. In 2019, he was named by The National Law Journal as a Trailblazer in Cannabis Law in recognition of a string of major deals he closed in this nascent industry.

ARLENE PITTERSON

Strategic Partnerships Director / Cannaclusive (NY)

Arlene is an award winning experiential marketer, creating strategic events clients and customers remember. She has worked with Fortune 100 companies, creating and managing national events such as screenings with Fox TV’s The Passage, Netflix “Anne with an E” national screening tour, Procter & Gamble “My Black is Beautiful” tour, to local events in major markets such as NYC, Philly, and Los Angeles. Her various experiences in the music, fashion, alcohol, beer, automotive, and education space allow Arlene to have a unique voice that is not only relevant to current trends, but understand how to make each activation relevant to the client. Arlene is also an adjunct instructor of Marketing at Fashion Institute of Technology, instructing students on integrated marketing and event planning. The Brooklyn, NY native holds a degree in Marketing from Drexel University, currently getting her masters in international labor relations from Cornell University, and is an avid world traveler.