About Us: Press & Awards | Digital Publication

Organization History

Honeysuckle Media is a Clio and culture award-winning, media house and state of the art end to end creative studio. We reflect cannabis, gender and sexuality, the environment, cannabis and pop culture, through cultural vectors.

Founded in Detroit in 2013 by Ronit Pinto, Honeysuckle was created to merge the crafts of journalism and film into an educational platform with a soul. The mission was to give voice to those not heard in traditional media, and to shed light on social issues such as prison reform and systemic oppression. Beginning first as a digitally-exclusive platform, Honeysuckle started expanding to print editions in 2015 when the company relocated its headquarters to New York. As our reportage of the cannabis sector increased from 2016 onward, we identified an audience and community need that had never been done before – bridging gaps between cannabis and mainstream issues, allowing the industry to form a lens through which other social questions could be explored. Embracing this idea, Honeysuckle scaled quickly, exponentially growing our readership and innovating new media avenues for stakeholders in the nascent space.

In 2018, Honeysuckle was the first to put cannabis and hemp brands on Times Square billboards for New Year’s Eve, a campaign that broke barriers and disrupted 80 years of prohibitive practice. Through subsequent years, we have achieved many other milestones, among them:

Awards

Best Cannabis Magazine, New York Cannabis Music Awards, August 2024,

Cannabis Industry Power Players AMNY + PoliticsNY, 2023 and 2024

Women’s Leadership Award Media, Green Market Report

3 x Clio Awards, 2022, (2) 2023 x 2 + short list for our CUARD shoot

Honeysuckle received the highest honors from NYS government. The New York State Assembly’s Citation Award from Assemblywoman Inez E. Dickens of the 70th district for “significant contribution to the culture and community of New York City,” and another from State Senator Brian Benjamin (30^th District) for “a progressive stance on the social and economic issues that plague our society.”

Honeysuckle was recipient of the GlobalGiving Red Backpack by The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation. “We’re proud to announce the grantees of The Red Backpack Fund. They have successfully undergone GlobalGiving’s rigorous vetting process, and we believe this grant will help them continue to thrive, despite the shifting economic circumstances brought on by this crisis,” said GlobalGiving CEO Alix Guerrier. “The world needs more women-led organizations who are a key force in overcoming COVID-19 and establishing a better normal.”

Advocacy

Our work with journalist Kaylyn Womack influenced the trial of wrongfully convected Matthew Baker resulting in his release and from death row.

Honeysuckle has been an advocate for social and cannabis justice since it's inception. Our extensive coverage on former cannabis inmates including some of the longest serving prisoners such as, Michael Thompson and, Richard DeLisi, and the owners of the 40 Tons brand, as well as board members Fab 5 Freddy, M1 of Dead Prez and Damian Marley of Last Prisoner Project.

Honeysuckle’s journalism aided in the compassionate release of DaReta Gail Stevenson, who was incarcerated for 22 years. In need of a life-saving bone marrow transplant for leukemia and positive for COVID, DeReta Steverson, incarcerated at the California Institution for Women (CIW), was still not eligible for compassionate release in California, even under the state’s much-hyped release program, and was instead accruing medical debt and traumatized by the healthcare she does receive; from denial of treatment to being shackled while receiving chemotherapy

“Due to the publication in Honeysuckle magazine approximately 8000 signatures were able to be collected with the hyperlink being added. The power of Journalism is vital and telling the story changes the narrative. Medical Release for DaReta Gail Steverson W81914,” Shawanna Vaughn, founder of Silent Cry.

Honeysuckle has worked with numerous others in the carceral system including Arthur Rambert, James Litkett, Shawanna Vaughn, and Sherron Edwards and others. Our magazines were distributed to prisons until the publication became censored in the system for cannabis and sexuality. With Shawanna Vaughn of Silent Cry, we have helped put forward proposals for state-by-state legislation on Post Traumatic Prison Disorder treatment plans, and to spotlight ongoing quality-of-life issues in correctional facilities across the country.

Billboard Campaigns

See videos of our groundbreaking campaigns here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsvjIf2UiNHFY4LaSHQhG7BkzZ6oKfDCx&si=vWeFhMWwNU2z_Ysq

In 2018, Honeysuckle was the first to put cannabis and hemp brands on Times Square billboards for New Year’s Eve, a campaign that broke barriers and disrupted 80 years of prohibitive practice.

Epic 420 New York (2023), multiple NY activations during the 420 week, including the launch of NYC’s first immersive cannabis museum THC NYC and a Times Square campaign with Cannabis Now and Royal Queen Seeds, marking the first time a European-owned cannabis brand has been featured on the platform.
420/2023 Epic 420 New York (2023), multiple NY activations during the 420 week, including the launch of NYC’s first immersive cannabis museum THC NYC and a Times Square campaign with Cannabis Now and Royal Queen Seeds, marking the first time a European-owned cannabis brand has been featured on the platform.
Indigenous Cannabis 420 (2022), the second international Indigenous cannabis collaboration and the first campaign uniting five tribal nations in activations across New York State
Indigenous Peoples Day (2022), the first multimedia blitz across NYS to honor Governor Hochul’s formal recognition of IPD, including the first cannabis-themed cab toppers
Indigenous Peoples Day (2021), the first Times Square campaign to officially honor IPD as President Biden formally recognized the holiday.
Diversity in Cannabis with Lil Wayne (2021), a salute to women and BIPOC-owned brands that featured the first international Indigenous cannabis collaboration.
Celebrate Plant Medicine (2021), the first psychedelics-themed billboard initiative in Times Square’s history, a collaboration with four women-owned brands including DoubleBlind Magazine, Susan Rockefeller’s Musings Magazine, and Rainbo Mushrooms.
Indigenous Peoples Day (2021), the first Times Square campaign to officially honor IPD as President Biden formally recognized the holiday.
NYE 2021 “Drop The Balls” (2021/2022): NYE Times Square “The Future Is Female” campaign featuring The Stone Age and Etain Health.
Women In Cannabis Spotlight (2020): First “Women in Cannabis” news ticker featuring My Bud Vase’s “The Bong Song,” High Herstory, and other partners: https://mgmagazine.com/press-releases/honeysuckle-magazine-billboard-ad-spotlights-women-in-cannabis/

Today Honeysuckle is a nationally-distributed publication available in 500+ retailers with focus on eight major legal cannabis markets. Our print editions have also been spotlighted at events in Europe, Israel, and Japan, and at forums ranging from Cannes Film Festival to MJBizCon, the world’s largest international cannabis business conference. Our founder Ronit Pinto has spoken on global-facing platforms such as SXSW, Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo,and Microsoft’s Disruptive Startups Summit; among other honors, she received Green Market Report’s 2022 Women in Media Leadership Award and was named a 2023 AMNY Cannabis Power Player.

Honey Studios

Our creative agency, Honey Studios offers innovative and ROI driven services in creative branding, print, digital, photography, video, OOH and events. Since its inception in 2103, Honeysuckle has pioneered many initiatives in plant medicine in NYC across their multi-platform offerings. Visit our creative agency @honeymagstudios for corporate and creative work in corporate photography, videography, events coverage and film.