Ronit Pinto is the founder and publisher of Honeysuckle Media, an award-winning media company that explores global perspectives in cannabis and culture. Unique in many ways, Honeysuckle’s innovation and risk-taking have led its small but mighty team to create beautiful and meaningful editorial and visual content, curate amazing events, and cultivate strong partnerships. Having won multiple Clio Awards among other plaudits, Honeysuckle has spearheaded landmark campaigns such as putting the first cannabis and hemp brands on Times Square billboards, and has helped formerly incarcerated citizens to reentry on both coasts.
An omnichannel company, Honeysuckle showcases content in print, digital, out-of-home, live events, and other platforms. Ronit originally started the publication in Detroit, inspired by the city’s intersecting narratives and nuanced aspects. Though Honeysuckle is now based in New York City, this initial combination of darkness and captivating beauty continues to influence some of the company’s aesthetic choices. Celebrities who dot the print magazine’s covers (many of which are shot in-house) run the gamut, including Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, Erykah Badu, Alan Cumming, Damian Marley, Spike Lee, Kirsten Dunst, and Mobb Deep’s Havoc.
One of Honeysuckle’s greatest strengths is its holistic approach to bettering the world. The company leads by example, by operating with environmentally low-impact practices and covering, hiring and mentoring people from diverse ethnicities and backgrounds. They have sizable networks across various sectors of their industry, including politics, art and entertainment, science, agriculture, regulation and compliance, and retail. They connect with experts in New York and cultivate relationships in diverse major markets across the U.S. and internationally in countries like Germany, Spain, and Japan. Through professional trust, great networking opportunities, live events, and social media aggregation, they manage to update their audience on important stories moment-to-moment with their boots-on-the ground reportage.
This includes the company’s accomplishments in prison reform. While Ronit is extremely proud of Honeysuckle’s awards, particularly the Clios, she takes even more pride in her impactful collaborations with humanitarian activist Shawanna Vaughn, founder of the nonprofit Silent Cry Inc., and journalist Kalyn Womack to aid in compassionate release efforts. Georgia inmate Matthew Baker Jr. received a full acquittal of charges this year, thanks largely to Kalyn’s three-year coverage of the case for Honeysuckle.
In a divided world, Ronit aims to bring people together with positive messaging through Honeysuckle’s editorial and visual styles. Despite facing numerous challenges – such as dealing with censorship in the cannabis space, self-funding an independent media company, producing highly-crafted print magazines in the current economic climate, and negotiating with billboard companies on daring content – she has learned to persevere in service of her vision. Innovation and originality are top priorities at Honeysuckle Media. Each aspect, from articles and designs to partnerships and ideas, is always fresh, new, and evolving to the next level. Ronit and her team evaluate opportunities as they come in, and once they decide to pursue something, they go “all in, 1000 percent.”
For them, the medium determines the content approach. Because Ronit believes that “every company is now a tech company,” Honeysuckle leverages social media and its own digital platform, along with advertising on all internet-connected devices. The team has been performing fascinating experiments with AI in different stages of their operations, leading to an intriguing mix of art and information to share with their audience.
Ronit and her team are laser focused, occasionally instituting an “all-work, no-play” method. However, they maintain close personal relationships which help them grow beyond the work environment, coaching and encouraging each other through difficult times. Under Ronit’s leadership, they see the positive in achieving nearly impossible goals, bonding intellectually, spiritually, and creatively.
Though Ronit often needs to make hard decisions as a CEO, she does so by weighing the potential outcomes and staying focused on the company’s objectives. She advises aspiring entrepreneurs to have a tough internal conversation with themselves about what they want and why. Once they understand what drives them, she suggests, they can make the best decisions.
“There’s a saying: ‘Man makes plans and God laughs,’” Ronit says. She emphasizes that being able to pivot and think on one’s feet is key to being an effective leader.
In the short term, Ronit usually goes with what interests her when it comes to content and editorial choices, particularly in the international cannabis industry. Right now she is seeking to form partnerships that support her vision and provide high ROI. As a creative person, her
short-term goals feed into her long-term ones by expanding her creativity and skill sets into her next evolution.
With a long history of acclaimed work as a filmmaker, Ronit looks forward to doing more in the cinematic arena, with two horror scripts and a documentary currently in the works. She is excited to continue creating innovative, revolutionary content in various mediums, working with great people, traveling a lot, and enjoying ocean sunsets and good wine along the way.
For more information, visit honeysucklemag.com
