Lights, Cameras, Action: Shavon Sullivan Wright

Before she opened the doors to The Grass Cab, Shavon Sullivan Wright was producing some of television's biggest live events around the world. Today, she's bringing that same level of leadership, creativity, and problem-solving to New Jersey's cannabis industry.

In this episode of the CashColorCannabis Podcast, Shavon shares her journey from Hollywood to cannabis, how the loss of her brother reshaped her outlook, and why she's building a dispensary that puts education, community, and compassion first. We also discuss the realities of launching a retail business, the transferable skills that prepared her for entrepreneurship, and what she hopes customers experience when they walk through The Grass Cab's doors.

Watch our full interview below

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to Catch Color Canvas Podcast, a high level of conversation. Today's guest is Siobhan Sullivan Wright, founder and CEO of the Grass Cab in Maywood, New Jersey. Before opening her dispensary, Siobhan spent more than 20 years as an enemy award-winning television producer managing productions around the world. But today she's into a new space. So we get to talk to her about her journey from studios to cannabis, the personal experiences that inspired this new chapter, and how she's building a dispensary focused on education, community, and making everyone feel welcome. Let's get into this conversation. Your boy Mecca. As you know, we are not at live hip hop daily studios. I'm in my house, which is aka Urban Girl Media Studios. And prior to me even hitting record, I actually got some really good advice on how to set up my background. And I've been having issues with this ever since I moved into this new place because the lighting is so much different than my old place. But Siobhan, thank you so much for that one. Thank you so much for that for helping me figure out my background so much. But um, without further ado, I do have an amazing guest on with me today. That's Siobhan Sullivan Wright. She is the CEO and founder of GrassCap. And she also has a background when, like I just said, helping me, helping people figure out how to make something really pop on screen. And uh, so Siobhan, thank you for stopping by. And for those who really don't know you or haven't met you before, just introduce yourself and tell us what you fully did.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Sure. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here. I am a former television producer. I worked in television production for over 20 years. So I was the person you would come to if you had an idea. So if you're like, I want to do a show about strawberries, you'd come to me. I would break down your strawberries into a realistic budget and schedule, figure out what cameras we need, put the crew together, and you know, make it happen. That was what I did.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

That's cool as hell. You know, and I I always wanted to be involved in the background, just like how you were when it comes to film. And it was just something that I was more into journalism, it was always gonna be my thing, no matter how much I wanted to do that other side. But what got you into doing that? Like when was this, when did you have that spark in your life where you say, you know what? I think I can make things come to life this way.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Yeah, I think I love journalism too. I was a broadcast journalist, a major, and I thought I was gonna be the next opera. I thought I was gonna be out here on a TV show changing people's lives, and I just fell in love with behind the scenes. I fell in love with, you know, just pulling everything together, the logistics. Um, what I loved about television is that every day was totally different. Even though you you had a crew, they were out filming, there were so many fires. There were so many things that would happen. Like I had a crew shooting in Vietnam and the cameras got hot, or I had a crew in Iceland that got stuck on the side of the road, or a crew flying to South America and their gear didn't arrive. So every day you'd walk into a different problem and you'd have to think quickly and come up with a solution. And I love that kind of environment. I love that kind of that kind of pace where it's just you just don't know. You stay on your toes for 12, 16 hours a day and just make it happen.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

You know what? And um, that's dope. And and this is a light flex. There's an Emmy behind you. Cheval got an Emmy sitting behind her, and that Emmy is for a reason. You talk about almost what talking about Oprah. That Emmy's for a reason. Talk to us about how you found yourself being an Emmy award winner.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

So it was for the Own Network, it's Owns only Emmy, and it's for a black woman on the conversation, and it was 2019, and it was a room filled with a hundred black women, just having really just girl talk. So it was talking about motherhood, talking about love, talking about our relationship with our hair. And we created four amazing episodes in Atlanta in 2019, and it really resonated.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

You know what? And being able to have the first Emmy, which is which sounds crazy for Owen. I would have thought Owen would have had at least a couple by that point, but to be the first Emmy winner, I'm sure that you had a chance to actually talk to the woman herself and say and give her her flowers and tell her how I wanted to be you so bad.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

You know, I wish I could say that were true. I think I dealt with her team a lot, but I did not get a chance, unfortunately, to meet Miss Oprah. That's still one of my life goals. So, Oprah, if you listen, girl.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

We gotta make this happen. Oprah, we gotta manifest this. Oprah, I hope you do listen to this because I would love to make that happen for her. I love how Oprah was your person. Like Ed Bradley was mine. I used to watch 60 Minutes, and Ed Bradley was my idol for the longest. But I did have a chance to meet him. I did that when I was in college, and uh, but I wish you could a chance to meet Oprah. That's so whack.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

Yeah. I heard you talking about Ed Bradley. I saw one of your interviews recently. So yeah, you were with Prussia News Media.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Yeah, yeah, I was in Oklahoma for that. But this ain't about me. This is not me. So let's talk about because you had a great career in entertainment. It sounds to me like you still can have a great career in entertainment. What would make you want to dip your toes in the world of cannabis?

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Um, I think the it, you know, COVID happened and I think the world was changing, and entertainment has changed a lot in the last few years. Like I, again, was involved for over 20 years, and I think 2022 it went legal here in New Jersey, and um, it was just this great mix of things that was happening in my life. Um, unfortunately, my brother passed away in 2020. He passed away from a drug overdose. So that was sort of front and center of my life. And then the entertainment industry was changing, and it was, you know, really looking at how cannabis can help people kind of just deal with their problems, deal with their issues, and and really be a positive influence in people's lives. And really, um it's important to know where you're getting your like your products from. And and my brother, again, it was a drug overdose, it was laced with fentanyl. He had no idea it was laced with fentanyl, and that proved fatal for him. Um, but being in a place where you know people can walk in and I can say, hey, I know where this came from, I know what you're taking, and I know I can't say medically I know how this is gonna help you, but I know this is gonna provide you some relief. That's important to me.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

That's an amazing that's an amazing story. But prior to that, have you ever experienced cannabis? Or this just your first or your first time getting involved in the plant was getting involved in the business side?

SPEAKER_01 6:17

No, I was late to the plant. Um, again, I saw the struggles my brother was having. My father also had his own struggles with substance abuse. So I was late to it. I was a little nervous, to be honest, because again, I saw what was happening in my family and I was late to it. I think, you know, I was a wife, I was a mother, and I was working lots of hours, and I just wanted to feel lighter. Um, and so I I had my first edible and I just remember just dancing, just dancing and just moving and just and it was great. Like I I remember being, you know, in the clubs when I was in my 20s and shut the clubs down and stuff, and I just I haven't moved like that in a long time. And when I I had that edible, I was like, just felt like me. Um, and I think you know, for me, it's important for other women to feel that way. So I know here at the Grass Cat we have an emphasis on products for women and making sure that you know you can kind of reconnect to yourself because women change a lot as we age. We change a lot as we go through life, and it's just that's really important to me.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

Yeah, yeah. You know, so running a television production um definitely requires creativity, it requires leadership, a certain level of time management, all those things. What uh how does those skill set translate from where you were at on the creative side to the cannabis side?

SPEAKER_01 7:32

I mean, I think it's a direct translation. I think, I mean, right now I'm we're 29 days, so we've been open for 29 days. And then that 29 days, I am uh processing payroll, I'm the general manager, I'm the inventory manager, I am looking at our budget and like who we're paying and how we're paying those people. Like I am juggling all of those things. And had it not been for my TV experience, I would be lost because it's it's a lot. It's a lot to carry, it's a lot to put on your shoulders. And I mean, from my design of my space to everything, like it's all just out of my head, and it's it's wonderful just seeing it all come to life.

SPEAKER_00 8:12

That's what's up. You know, you sounded like um the Desmonds from In Living Color. You was doing so many jobs. Like Woo! Hey, but being an entrepreneur is not for the weak. And this is definitely one of those entrepreneurial um ventures that's that's not like any other. You know, you're in a space where you're saying it's still not federally legal, you're dealing with a lot of um um stigma that still lacks, that's still around, and probably a lot of that came at you. Um speak to us about anybody who well, speak to us about the overall vibe from people once you told them you was gonna get into this. And was there like a stigma or was there any fear that people try to put on you about opening up a store?

SPEAKER_01 8:47

I mean, I think the only fear and the only stigma sort of came from um a few pastors in my church. Um, the the senior pastor was very supportive. He actually came in and he blessed the business, but some of the junior pastors were really, they wanted no parts of it. Uh, one pastor told me she had seen what has happened in our communities and how, you know, parents of who smoke weed and their kids, and I was like, hey, but this is a chance for us to really do education. This is a chance for us to really go into the community, this is a chance for us to do it differently, and she wanted no parts of it. So I was I was a little surprised, but like I said, the senior pastor has been supportive. He was here, he's blessed our business, and um I feel like I have a good support team behind me.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

Yeah, and I'm sorry you went through that fight. You know, I often talk about how generationally, how generations look at cannabis in the black community. And there's always gonna be a generation, like I say, my mom's generation is the anti-drug, we don't do nothing kind of generation. When I came up with Snoop Dogg, I watched Snoop Dogg roll a blind smoke joints and videos when I was in middle school. It was nothing to me. And then I got my nieces and nephews, and they know illegal space. You know what I mean? Like it's just three different conversations that we have. And I feel like in the church, we have that generation that's really stuck on the this is a drug, they all are drugs, we should all step away from this without thinking about medically or how even wellness-wise, just overall, this plant can kind of help you versus some of the things you're allowing yourself to take, like pills. Um, people heavy, heavily promote alcohol, like alcohol has been a day, a danger to our community for for forever.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Yeah. So I'm gonna give you a random snoop fact. Um, when I was on The Apprentice, I did a rewards with him, uh, one of the special sort of uh rewards events, and then also I forget what it's called, but it was a show on MTV that kind of did his life story.

SPEAKER_00 10:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:35

I'm gonna take you way back. So it was the election of Bill Clinton, and I stood up and I asked if he thought if Gangster Rat was contributing to the violence in today's youth. I was like 15 at the time. So somehow that made it into Snoop's bio rhythm. And so if you've ever if you ever saw that show on MTV, I am randomly in that show as a 15-year-old, like, is Snoop contributing to violence?

SPEAKER_00 10:59

They use you, they use you as a yo, get the kid as an example, make a smile. Oh man, you know what? Throughout your career, you have um you have created spaces that amplified underrepresented voices. And it seems like to me you're definitely doing that with a with a highlight on women, if I'm not, if I'm if I'm mistaken, correct me. Um talk to us about that, like making sure that your mission that the mission for your place is super intentional in what it does when it comes to giving a space for an unrepresented group.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

Yeah, I mean, I have gone into lots of dispensaries, I've done a lot of research, and I feel like I've gone into places that feel like parties I wasn't invited to. So I really wanted to create a very, very welcoming space, a place where, you know, if you had to ask questions, you want to ask questions, you want to have a conversation, you can do that here. There's butt tenders who are very, very knowledgeable and really want to help you find the right products for you. And, you know, I wanted to, again, because I I remember what it felt like to be in the clubs dancing. So we have like that 90s, 2000s hip hop playing in the background. So you walk in and like you're immediately hit with that. We've got a cab in the front that's different and unique. You're not expecting it to be right there, but it's right there. And there's all these little details that just kind of grab you in and just make you feel at home and welcome.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

That's dope, man. You know, and speaking of the name, grass cab, like what made you come up with the name?

SPEAKER_01 12:23

So my husband is uh what we call a recovering attorney. Uh so when we were going into cannabis, we're like, we should just ease in. Um, so we thought we'd do delivery and that the grass cab was a great delivery name. And you know, I started doing I like to do research. So I started calling companies, started reaching out to companies, and um, we made a pivot. We pivoted into a dispensary. But what's really great about that is keeping the whole cab theme helps sets us apart from everybody else. So I found an old cab. We cut it in half, we turned it into our front desk. The back part of the cab we're gonna turn into a centerpiece with a seat. So you can come, you could take pictures, you could do um lots of different things. But yeah, it's it's really playing up those cab themes. And people walk through the door, and the first thing they say is, wow, because you're just not expecting it.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Wow. So now that you've been on the retail side of the of cannabis, uh, what do you think has surprised you the most about the industry or even some of the customers you met?

SPEAKER_01 13:23

Oh, so I love the customers. The customers are amazing. Like I said, I I love to just hear their feedback. I, you know, I kind of write down the fun uh quota of the day, and it's like I like the vibe in here, I love this place. Like, and the women especially, they notice the detail, they notice the tile that's running along the side of the wall, and they're like, it all just comes together. Like the women are very happy when they come in. So I love that. I think the most surprising thing and the most the hardest and most challenging thing is the number of men that I feel like are waiting for me to fail. Um, I feel like there's uh uh, you know, from your partners to all those people, they don't really want you to succeed and they just kind of want you to just move on so they can take your location or take your space or take what you're trying to build.

SPEAKER_00 14:08

Oh, that's whack. But you know, it's it's it's not a it's not a real consolation, but I'm pretty sure some of them dudes are waiting for me to fall too.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

It's just a same ones in the industry.

SPEAKER_00 14:21

You know how it is. People, it's not even that they want to be friends, it's just a group of negative people who found each other, they found a community, found a community not liking you. So move forward. You have a success, you have a business that's on the verge of being successful, even though it is in a turbulent market. Like you're watching people in New Jersey, like you had mentioned, some people are losing stores and people are losing their their opportunities. You know, as far as looking at from that, from looking at the scene from where you're standing, what's what makes you optimistic about breaking these kind of storms?

SPEAKER_01 14:54

Um, I I think cannabis likes to say a lot of the times that we need lots of unique voices and lots of unique perspectives. I don't know if cannabis is opening to a lot of those unique perspectives, um, but I know I have unique ideas. I know I'm bringing a whole different lens to what I'm building. And I don't just want it to be a place where like I'm just gonna get my weed. I want it to be a place where it's a community place. Like for our grand opening, I'm inviting uh small vendors, vendors who are making jewelry, who make art, who have photos that they want to sell, glass blowing. I'm gonna have those vendors in my parking lot. I'm gonna have those vendors next to the brands in the parking lot. So it's gonna feel more of uh street fair versus look, we're just open because I want the community to feel welcome here. I want people to have more than just like, hey, we're just gonna get this right here. Like, I want you to come to our classes that we're gonna offer. Like we're gonna do an edible making class, we're gonna do um the glass blowing class, we're gonna do education, we're gonna do all these things that I just think are missing right now from the space. And I think I have a unique opportunity to bring it.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

You know, let's pivot back to your to your to the Hollywood side of everything. Have you pitched yourself an idea about doing a show about yourself running a dispensary?

SPEAKER_01 16:08

So okay, I am so awkward. So doing interviews and being on camera is just not my happy place. Like it's just not where I felt the most comfortable. So I think if I could be behind the scenes doing all those things, I would be better, better suited for that. But I again, I don't think that's a good place for me. Not not me. Nope, not no.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

No, and also you worked on the apprentice. Now, was this Trump Apprentice or Schwarzenegger Apprentice?

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Um, I worked on Trump's Apprentice and Martha Stewart's Apprentice. So I did six seasons with Trump and partial season with Martha.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Martha Stewart had an apprentice. How about that's how far off the apprentice I was. I didn't know she had a apprentice.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Yeah, nope. It was when she got out of prison. She had a season, it was just a season. Um, but I had a unique role on The Apprentice where I would do voiceover sessions with Donald Trump. So I would be in a room with Donald Trump and an audio mixer. And the same with Martha Stewart, I would be in a room with Martha and an audio mixer, and they would record their wild lines. And I will just say the person that I was in a room with, you know, all those years ago, and the person that's in the White House, those are two different people right now.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

So let Barack Obama tell it, you won't say it to my face. This is what you do behind the screen. That's crazy, though. You know, I did want to ask you about that because I'm like, if she works for me, I mean there was a couple I never remember, but I wonder if she works for Trump. That's okay. All right, yeah. I bet you he is a different person. I've never met him. I I'm I don't plan on it, but I'm sure he is a different person when he's just a person a person.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

Yeah, I think it was it was a different person and different personalities. I mean, I'm gonna leave it at that.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and full disclaimer, we're not supporting anything. Just in case somebody even wants to read between the lines any a little bit. No, no, no, no, no. I was just curious, and I don't want to meet this man.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

So I'm not manifesting that.

SPEAKER_00 18:02

No, I'm not manifesting that. I'm not manifesting that. But I am manifesting for you total success with grass cab. And um, when you look back on everything that you have accomplished, you know, you have an Emmy Award behind you, you now have an amazing retail space that you're about to try to guide into the next, the next, uh, the next part of your life. Um, what would you what would you tell somebody, what kind of advice would you give to somebody who's trying to figure out where they want to go in their career? Say like they was in a position like you and trying to think to themselves, what would be my next pivot? What would your advice be to that person?

SPEAKER_01 18:33

I mean, I think you already know. I think if you're sitting there thinking about like, should I do, you already know the thing that you're debating. And I think if you're at that point where you're debating it, you should do it. Um, I think you just never know where the opportunities are gonna come from. Like my mother always told me, if the door opens, you find a way through it and you you make it your own. So that's just my philosophy is like you just don't know where those opportunities are gonna take you and just be open to it and don't think about it, just do it.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

I love that. I love that. So, grass cap, it's not open just yet. You're waiting is your grand opening happening?

SPEAKER_01 19:08

We are at 29 days. The grand.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

You did say that. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Look at me. I just got off a I just got off a plane not too long ago. You should have seen me racing to this house to make sure I was sitting in front of this microphone. I apologize about that. Um, for those who do want to stop by the store, who they who who happen to be listening and they're in the New Jersey area, if somebody just wants to find out more about you in general, like how can they do that?

SPEAKER_01 19:30

It's thegrasscap.com and we are in Maywood. So we're 949 Spring Valley Road in Maywood, and we're across from the Bergen Town Center.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

Okay, turn up, man. Sabon, I um much, much success to you. Uh, thank you so much for sitting down with me, Emmy Award winner of future mega millionaire out of cannabis. Like I'm I'm manifesting that for you.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

All right, I'm gonna take all that too.

SPEAKER_00 19:56

Siobon, thank you so much for giving me your time today. And that is Cash Color Cannabis, a high level of conversation. Let me just thank you so much, Mecca. And that's Cash Color Cannabis, a high level of conversation. To support the show, please join our Patreon. For just a dollar a month, you can get access to exclusive interviews, previews to new issues in the magazine, discounts on merch, and more. So find Cash Color Cannabis on Patreon and subscribe. You can also support us by subscribing to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you stream podcasts. This is Cash ColorCanvas on the podcast.