David Korins of "Hamilton," "Beetlejuice" and More, Joins Cannabition as Creative Director: MJ Unpacked New York Hosts Cannabis-Culture Breakthrough

MJ Unpacked, the cannabis industry’s exclusive consumer packaged goods (CPG) conference, finished its first New York City show with a bang. We don’t just mean from the golden gong that attendees could hit to celebrate deals – although there was plenty of that – but the event also featured a special announcement to bring cannabis more mainstream than ever before. Merging Broadway/Hollywood production with the magical plant, let’s just say the Cannabition team is not throwing away their shot!

David Korins Is Cannabition's Creative Director: Broadway and Hollywood Meet Cannabis Culture

Cannabition Cannabis Museum, the world’s first multi-sensory art museum honoring the cannabis lifestyle, will have entertainment legend David Korins as its new Creative Director. An Emmy Award winner and three-time Tony Award nominee, Korins has evolved production design beyond an art form to a force of cultural shift. He’s designed over 20 Broadway shows including Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Beetlejuice; has worked as a creative director for musicians such as Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and Elton John among other A-list clients; and designed a multitude of live events from the Academy Awards to Bonnaroo. In 2021, Korins set New York alight with the virally popular Van Gogh NYC immersive exhibit. Korins’ expertise lies in “creating multidimensional experiences that bring to life the stories of the world’s most innovative brands and institutions.”

Cannabition at Planet 13 in Las Vegas

That energy is what Cannabition will capitalize on when they open in January 2023 at their new location at Las Vegas’s Planet 13. As the world’s largest adult-use dispensary, sometimes called “the Disneyland of cannabis,” Planet 13 welcomes over 100,000 visitors monthly and represents 9 percent of all cannabis sold within the state of Nevada. It’s the perfect site for the modern iteration of Cannabition, which previously operated at a space in downtown Vegas before the pandemic caused the museum to shutter its doors. The reimagined Cannabition will bring together education, history and activism in a visually stunning sensory experience that provides a unique opportunity for social equity partners and brand sponsors to educate and interact with cannabis consumers.

Now, Cannabition co-founder and CEO Alex Brough believes the future is exceptionally bright for the company’s experiential marketing venture. “Because of the lack of interstate commerce, it’s really hard to create brand recognition for cannabis brands,” he says. Explaining that social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok block most cannabis companies from digital marketing, Brough notes that Cannabition solves a huge industry problem by placing brands directly in front of consumers. The new museum space at Planet 13 will have 13,500 square feet of space and showcase eleven physical brand installations where the brands will work with David Korins to build a specific relationship with their customers.

Cannabition and David Korins: A Flashpoint Opportunity for Cannabis

When asked about the partnership with Korins, the leadership team at Cannabition asserted, "We are so are thrilled to have David on board. We wanted to make sure we produce a space that's fun and engaging, but that also connects with people on an emotional level, to open up this larger conversation about cannabis. It's a quickly growing industry and we want to give proper attention to the history of cannabis as well as the impact it's had on social equity. Given the gravity of the work, we knew we needed to find top talent that also aligned with our greater mission, and that was David Korins."

For his part, Korins commented: “What’s incredible about this opportunity is that we are going to be able to make a whole world, a constellation of events, in Las Vegas, and be able to amplify the brands that exist inside that [throughout] Las Vegas and other markets. Hamilton started with five people in a room talking about how they were going to bring the story of early America to the masses, and obviously they’ve done that successfully. Van Gogh started with [a few people] talking about how they were going to bring one of the most legendary top five visual artists of all time – how do we take that IP and bring it to the world? We did that… I think it’s important to remember that Cannabition is the same kind of flashpoint opportunity. There are a bunch of people in a room talking about incredibly, incredibly exciting IP, and how we pour gasoline on this burning ember. I’m humbled and honored about this partnership… I only want to work on things that can be top-shelf in this industry. That’s my goal – to bring premium experiences to life.”

MJ Unpacked and the Power of Community

As Brough presented Cannabition to a cheering room on MJ Unpacked’s Money Stage, the radiating enthusiasm exemplified what the conference, and to a greater extent the entire cannabis space, is really about. Through hands-on experiences with plant medicine and the benefits of cannabis, consumers can learn the best ways to improve their lives. They want to have adventures and emotional connection with brands in the sector, just like they would with any other industry. MJ Unpacked is unique in its approach to cannabis networking because its founders, George and Kim Jage, understand the power of those relationships. Community is everything. That’s why it means so much – for cannabis and the future of our culture – to be in the room where it happens.

Look out for Cannabition opening in January 2023, and stay tuned for more news from MJ Unpacked 2022!