Honeysuckle Media

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Honeysuckle Media
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryDigital content creation
Founded2013; 11 years ago (2013) in Detroit, Michigan
FounderRonit Pinto
HeadquartersNew York
Area served
Worldwide
Websitehttps://honeysucklemag.com/

Honeysuckle Media, Inc. is an American media company based in New York that publishes print and digital content. Its chief verticals are racial politics and social justice, gender and sexuality, culture, and cannabis. Honeysuckle is known for reportage on controversial subjects and personal testimony.[1]

History[edit]

Honeysuckle was founded in 2013 by filmmaker, journalist and publisher Ronit Pinto.[2] Then based in Detroit, the publication was digital-only and centered on provocative arts, culture, and film. After the relocation of its headquarters to New York, Honeysuckle began publishing print editions in 2015, the first featuring a Detroit punk artist. Subsequent print and digital platform expansion led to national and international distribution by 2018.[3] At the same time, the brand garnered attention for its coverage of the legal cannabis industry and legalization movements.[4][5][6]

In 2021, Green Market Report named Honeysuckle among the top Cannabis Print Publications.[7]

Notable features have included Spike Lee, Leonardo DiCaprio, Alan Cumming, Kirsten Dunst, Holly Hunter, Laganja Estranja, Congressman John Lewis, and veteran cannabis advocates Steve and Andrew DeAngelo, as well as the last interview of adult film performer Candida Royalle.[8][9]

Social justice[edit]

Honeysuckle regularly publishes first-person accounts from marginalized communities and incarcerated or formerly incarcerated citizens.[10] Several stories, many in partnership with prisoners’ rights activist Shawanna Vaughn, founder of the nonprofit Silent Cry Inc., have helped raise awareness of inhumane conditions in the American criminal justice system.[11][12]

In 2020, Honeysuckle published an article on the case of California inmate DaReta Gail Steverson, who suffered from leukemia and COVID-19 and was deemed ineligible for parole despite her need of medical treatment.[13] Public response to the Honeysuckle article generated a petition for Steverson’s release, ultimately garnering over 80,000 signatures. Steverson was given compassionate release from prison in November 2020.

A 2021 article on racial bias in the case of Matthew Baker, a 23-year-old Georgia man facing the death penalty for a quadruple homicide known as the “Bonfire Killings,” pointed to the lack of evidence tying Baker to the murders.[14] In response to the story, local politicians and activists began campaigning for Baker’s release. As of July 2021, the investigation into the murders is still ongoing.

In May 2021, the Washington State Department of Corrections banned a copy of Honeysuckle’s 420 print edition from being delivered to inmate Phillip Alvin Jones, on the grounds that the magazine’s cannabis content violated the institution’s mail policy. Further investigation into the case led to a debate in other media outlets regarding censorship in prisons.[15] Currently the Washington State Department of Corrections maintains its policy on banning cannabis publications.

Cannabis[edit]

Honeysuckle has spearheaded numerous initiatives to educate mainstream culture about the cannabis and hemp industries.[16] The company launched the first campaign to display cannabis brands on Times Square billboards for the first time in history on December 31, 2018.[17][18][19] Fifteen partner brands were featured, including Dasheeda Dawson of The WeedHead™, the first African American owner of a cannabis company to be showcased in that space.[20][21] In 2021, in partnership with rapper Lil Wayne’s cannabis brand GKUA, Honeysuckle highlighted six women-owned companies on Times Square’s Thomson Reuters board.[22][23] Featuring all-female and BIPOC brands and honoring the 50th anniversary of National Cannabis Day, the campaign included Idaho-based Tribal Hemp & Cannabis Magazine from the Indigenous Cannabis Coalition and Ontario-based Legacy 420, a First Nations retailer. This was the first Indigenous cannabis collaboration in Times Square history.[24]

Awards[edit]

  • New York State Assembly Citation Award (2019)
  • New York State Senate Certificate of Recognition (2019)
  • GlobalGiving Grant (The Red Backpack Fund, made possible by the Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation) (2020)
  • Global Good Foundation nomination (2021)
  • IndustryWired, Top 10 Most Successful Women Leaders to Follow in 2021 (Ronit Pinto)[25]
  • Industry Era Women Leaders, 10 Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs in 2021 (Ronit Pinto)[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Meet Ronit Pinto, the woman behind the media powerhouse Honeysuckle". Aspioneer. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  2. ^ "Ronit Pinto, Founder, Honeysuckle Magazine". Thinking Outside The Bud. 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  3. ^ Now We Rise Episode 05 with Honeysuckle Magazine, retrieved 2023-05-17
  4. ^ 33 HoneyPot-Heads, Interview with Honeysuckle Magazine founder Ronit Pinto | New Hemp Times, 2019-11-01, retrieved 2023-05-17
  5. ^ "8 Women Leading the Charge in Cannabis Innovation." Cannabis Maven.
  6. ^ Ogles, Jacob (2019-01-27). "Selling cannabis or hemp on Times Square? Florida company makes marketing history". Florida Politics. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  7. ^ Borchardt, Debra (2021-06-08). "The Top Print Publications In the Cannabis Industry". Green Market Report. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  8. ^ "Honeysuckle Magazine Billboard Ad Spotlights Women in Cannabis". mg Magazine – Cannabis Industry News & Information. 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  9. ^ "Candida: Cumming Full Circle." Le Sexx, Honeysuckle Magazine. 2015.
  10. ^ "Winona LaDuke y Activistas de Honor The Earth Arrestadas por Protesta Pacífica". El Planteo. 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  11. ^ "COPING WITH COVID-19 IN MICHIGAN PRISONS: RALLY BY 'SILENT CRY' FRI. DEC. 11 AT GUS HARRISON CF IN ADRIAN | VOICE OF DETROIT: The city's independent newspaper, unbossed and unbought". Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  12. ^ "DO PRISONERS LIVES MATTER? 125 NOW DEAD, HALF IN MICH. DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS INFECTED WITH COVID-19 | VOICE OF DETROIT: The city's independent newspaper, unbossed and unbought". Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  13. ^ "On the Need for Health Justice in the Prison System". Honeysuckle Magazine. 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  14. ^ "Racial Bias Could Send an Innocent Man to Death Row". Honeysuckle Magazine. 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  15. ^ "Honeysuckle's Blockage By Washington State Penitentiary Sheds Light On Phillip Alvin Jones And Prison Censorship". Benzinga. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  16. ^ Alice. "Honeysuckle Panel Discussion on Women Entrepreneurs and Social Justice in the Cannabis Room." Cannabis Business News. March 10, 2021. http://thecannabisbusinessnews.com/honeysuckle-panel-discussion-on-women-entrepreneurs-and-social-justice-in-the-cannabis-room/
  17. ^ Stahl, Michael (2019-01-28). "Cannabis ads in Times Square signal banner year for hemp, CBD industry says | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  18. ^ "Historic Times Square Billboard Puts Cannabis & Honeysuckle Mag On High For NYE - MJNews Network". 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  19. ^ "Cannabis ads will appear in Times Square for the first time ever on NYE. See this Colorado company's display". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  20. ^ Grove, Rashad (2018-12-31). "First Black Owned Cannabis Company To Be Featured In Times Square On NYE". The Source. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  21. ^ Kaiserman, Beth. "Super Bowl LIII Will Feature CBD Coffee Ads In Stadium". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  22. ^ "Diversity in Cannabis: Lil Wayne, Honeysuckle Rock Times Square with Powerful Message". TheBluntness. 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  23. ^ Provisions, Canna (2021-04-28). "PRESS ROOM: HONEYSUCKLE MAGAZINE HAS CHEMDOG, LIL' WAYNE, AND NUMBERS FOR YOU". Canna Provisions. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  24. ^ Bluntness, The. "Diversity In Cannabis: Lil Wayne, Honeysuckle Rock Times Square With Powerful Message". Benzinga. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  25. ^ Wired, Industry (2021-01-25). "Ronit Pinto: Powering the Value of Diverse Voices through Impactful Journalism". Industry Wired. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  26. ^ Era, Industry. "Ronit Pinto Founder of HoneySuckle, Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs of 2021 | IERA Women Leaders". IEra WomenLeaders. Retrieved 2023-05-17.

External links[edit]

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