Meet Rico Montañez | Creator | Entrepreneur | Story Alchemist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rico Montañez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rico, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
My co-founder, James Jordan and I created Emerald Market to elevate, educate, and sophisticate the Cannabis/CBD marketing and advertising industry. We kept seeing that Cannabis brands were struggling to find enough quality advertising tools/channels that specifically met their marketing goals with their target demographics and kept their brand within compliance. At the same time, quality advertising channels were struggling because they couldn’t consistently connect with brands that would speak to their rapidly growing communities. There wasn’t a central connecting point for both parties to find each other.

There had to be an easier more effective solution than just asking your connections and relying on word of mouth to find compliant best-in-class advertising channels for the cannabis & hemp industry. Thus, Emerald Market was born.

At its core, Emerald Market is striving to help brands authentically and creatively connect with cannabis and hemp consumers.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The goal of any strong marketing strategy is to create lasting impressions on consumers that they want to share with others and that, ultimately, lead to brand loyalty. My business partner James and I kept seeing Cannabis brands struggling to find enough quality advertising tools/channels that specifically met their marketing goals with their target demographics and kept their brand within compliance. At the same time, quality advertising channels were struggling because they couldn’t consistently connect with brands that would speak to their rapidly growing communities. There wasn’t a central connecting point for both parties to find each other.

There had to be an easier more effective solution than just asking your connections and relying on word of mouth to find compliant best-in-class advertising channels for the cannabis & hemp industry. Thus, Emerald Market was born.

At its core, Emerald Market is striving to help brands authentically and creatively connect with cannabis and hemp consumers. It’s the first creative marketing agency explicitly designed to bridge the gap between the traditional marketing world and the growing Cannabis industry.

Our mission is to change the focus by reaching outside of the current cannabis echo chamber and finding opportunities to connect with the emerging cannabis consumer (canna-curious). From OTT direct commercials and banner ads to in-dispensary and event activations Emerald Market is a genuinely innovative advertising marketplace for ALL marketers looking to engage with consumers interested and/or involved in the Cannabis/Hemp industries.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Los Angeles is really made up of a bunch of small cities that have their own culture, energy, and sites. You could spend days in each city discovering all their cool nooks and crannies. I recommend picking a few “target cities” and finding all your fun sites around those “target cities” rather than trying to see all of LA. Eat the elephant one bite at a time.

Favorite Restaurant: We have almost every cuisine on Earth in Los Angeles and its fusion. My advice is to pick a few “genres” of food you want to try (i.e. local burger joints, Ethiopian, Korean Fusion Tacos), and then I would be able to recommend 2-3 options in your “target cities”.

Favorite Activity: The Cannabis & Movies Club in Hollywood. Hilarious movies, incredible cannabis, and delicious food…you couldn’t ask for more!

Favorite Bar: Split between City: No Vacancy (Hollywood) Beach: Sangri-La (Santa Monica)

Favorite Site: Walk of Fame if it’s your first time, if not what do you like to do? I like to rock climb in Malibu

Favorite part of LA: The Beach

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
James Jordan (my co-founder) and Erica Calvo (my wife)

Website: www.emeraldmarket.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannabisandmovies/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricomontanez/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emeraldmarketco

Image Credits
David J Crewe