Meet Mark Kaz | The Oscars of Cannabis

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

Hi Mark, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I want to help people bring cannabis into their lives in whichever way they choose, if they choose, in the best way possible. Most people in America are uneducated when it comes to the wide varieties of cannabis products, cannabinoids, quality & price ranges, and consumption methods when it comes to the plant. Our goal with Best in Grass is to educate and bring more people from all walks of life into this exciting space. Join us.

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?
After some bad actors took the company into the ground, I left High Times Magazine and started a company called Best in Grass. We are the Oscars of Cannabis. We operate legal, licensed cannabis competitions around the country where growers and producers of flower, edibles, vape pens, concentrates, lotions, sexual lubricants and more submit their products to my team and I for judging. We build 2,000-3,000 of these amazing Judge Kits, or sample platters of cannabis, per State and pass along the judging opportunity to the People of each State. Consumers buy one of our Judge Kits, which by the way is 25-50% off of what the Judge Kit is actually worth, and they take that home to review and rate the products to determine what they like best. We take that honest, anonymous consumer data to determine the winners and share the feedback with the brands so they can get better every year. My favorite part: we host a cocktail-attire, red carpet awards show to celebrate the winners and the community where everyone who submitted products or judged our kits gets free tickets. Grab a Judge Kit, find your favorite suit, and join us. BestinGrass.io

None of this is easy. Calling people and telling them our story is fun but it’s a non-stop hustle of introducing yourself to everyone in the industry and hoping they care, read your emails, or respond in any way. The cannabis industry is TOUGH. Our Instagram accounts get deleted out of the blue because too many cannabis brands followed us or someone tagged us in a photo with cannabis. We are not a real business industry in so many people’s eyes. We work against this daily.

I’m learning to be persistent yet patient. I’m learning to take No’s without any reason. I’m learning how to delegate and not get burnt out. I’m learning how to be an entrepreneur. I’m also learning how much skateboarding, one of my biggest passions in my personal life, helps to relieve my work stress and get more creative at my desk. I love it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If a friend is coming to visit Los Angeles, I’m inviting them to stay with me because nothing is more fun than a slumber party with friends. We’d wake up, I’d cook an amazing egg breakfast with sausage or lox, Cuban coffee, berries, and guava nectar to start the day right. I put love into my cooking, so even if I buy from Vons, it tastes like Erewhon. Maybe we’d pop into Bluey’s Cafe on Venice Blvd for a Chaggachino if my cafecito wasn’t enough. More daytime activities could include Mar Vista’s farmers market, a drive on PCH to see the beauty of the coastline, or visiting The Broad museum downtown. My Fujifilm Instax 90 is often attached at the hip, so we’re capturing one-of-one moments to keep forever. Depending on the appetite of my friend, we could go thrift store hunting at Crossroads Trading or hit Abbott Kinney for a stroll through the scene of upscale vendors. Salt & Straw would likely be melting on my spoon unless I’m gulping down a unique slice of Za from Gjelina TakeAway. I’ve been skateboarding for 23 years and counting, so if my friend skateboards, we’re hitting up Stoner Skatepark for some kickflip backtails and noseblunts. If not, maybe we’ll do a hike where possible or go see a hilarious Morgan Jay live show. Food and friends are some of the most important things in my life, so whoever is coming to visit me is going to try a lot of good food, whether out or in my kitchen, and they’ll meet my broad community of friends in the cannabis, music, comedy, wellness, skateboarding, and other spaces.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe a lot of my success to the Hollywood talent agencies who beat an incredible amount of work ethic into me. From UTA to CAA, these agencies expected only the best from its workforce. I still use protocols, and have lifelong friends, from those days. From the hustle and bustle of agency life, I left and entered the wild west of Cannabis with High Times Magazine, one of the most globally recognized brands in cannabis. I came up under the legendary grower and author, Danny Danko, with whom I hosted Cannabis Cup awards shows around the country and met incredible people through. We just had breakfast in NYC recently and it was a flashback. That said, the person with the most positive influence on my career is a multi-talented event producer, business manager, and sustainability enthusiast named Sameen Ahmad. Sameen also expected the best work and in a timely manner. She mentored me like I was the most special person in the world, then gave me more responsibility than I thought I could handle, but she knew I could, and I did. We worked hard and we played hard, managing multi-faceted projects and events together and leading small to large crews with efficiency. Lastly, I have incredible friends, such as the one who recommended me for this, Andre Herd, who lift me up and make me feel more powerful than I see myself. It’s important to have friends who genuinely get excited when you share your little wins.

Website: https://bestingrass.io

Instagram: @mayor_mark

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-kazinec-3148b82b/