None can refute cannabis’ power to bring people together. Granted, not everyone is a social smoker, but for those who are, there’s nothing better than a smoke sesh with other like-minded people. The ability to gather stoners in a safe, friendly space to learn about and experience cannabis is more than a virtue nowadays. Indeed, you’ll see a good handful of professional weed event hosts in Los Angeles, but none champion the gatherings curated by Secret Sesh.
In 2019, the last pre-pandemic Secret Sesh event amassed nearly 10,000 attendees. What started essentially as private curated smoke sessions has snowballed year after year into one of California’s biggest and most unforgettable weed festivals around. And after over a year without live events, the Secret Sesh team is finally bringing the vibes back this October.
The Founder and CEO of Secret Sesh, Tim Brown, showed us how adapting and grabbing opportunities pushed him and his brand forward, even during a year without live events. He took some time last weekend to tell us about the return of Secret Sesh, as well as his grind hosting private and public cannabis events.
On October 23rd, members are invited to Wisdome LA for this monumental return of Secret Sesh. On top of tons of food vendors and cannabis brand sponsors, Tim also told us about the interactive art exhibits his team will be able to pull off at Wisdome. This will be a sesh to remember, and you can hit the website link at the bottom of the article to get your Secret Sesh membership and learn more about the festivities.
Tim Brown – CEO of Secret Sesh
Tim Brown Exclusive Interview
RMR: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get started in cannabis, and how did you get to where you are now?
Tim: So I’ve been working in cannabis for about a decade now. I started as a budtender volunteer at 18, literally working for free, but being able to smoke as much weed as I wanted. From there, I just worked my butt off and showed value, going above and beyond, just grinding and trying to advance.
Years pass and I eventually get an opportunity to manage a store. When you manage a dispensary, network opportunities just start flowing too. Soon I found my way into a hash bar, which really allowed me to grow Secret Sesh.
Headroom Gallery was the name; a speakeasy-style consumption lounge. By that, I mean this was literally like a backroom in a dispensary. The owners of brands and other dispensaries from around the area would hang out there a lot too, and so I just got to meet, well, everybody. Years pass, and you know, all things do come to an end. More access was given to more people to get in, and eventually, the place did close down.
That created a problem too. When it closed it left a void for regulars who now didn’t have a place to go smoke together. That sparked the idea of getting a place for people to get together. Now I wasn’t able to afford the best, nor could I rent a venue every day. The first place was a friend’s old, grimy glassblowing shop. Only like ten regulars showed up that first night, but after a few more sesh’s, it got bigger.
It eventually moved to friends’ houses, to Airbnbs, to mansions later. Then we got set up with a nightclub and festival grounds later on. It went from 15 people that very first night to 9,640 people in the latest event. We had 100+ sponsors at that last event, compared to none to start. It’s been a real trip this last decade and it’s something special that I really think will become the cannabis event company that takes over in the long term.
RMR: What should people expect going into a Secret Sesh event?
Tim: There’s a couple of different types of events. Our festivals are free and open to the public who are 21+. There are over 100 different brands retailing cannabis on-site. It’s a large-scale festival, a big community gathering for everybody, not just smokers. Fireworks, food trucks, and entertainment fill the grounds.
In October we’re doing a newer private event, and it’s members only. Events like this are a little smaller, maybe 20 brands tops. Great food and community vibes are what we’re bringing. I’m happy to say that one of the most state-of-the-art venues in LA, Wisdome, is also the location for October.
Wisdome creates such an immersive experience with the art we’re displaying. We want to provide more than a regular weed experience… memories you will be talking about for the next five years. That’s the goal with the event in October and I’m positive we’ll accomplish it.
It’s almost an art experience first with the essence of cannabis throughout. I’m a big fan of NFT, and on top of that I’m a huge fan of augmented reality, virtual reality… the whole idea of the metaverse. I think it’s the future, and we learned that during the pandemic. Secret Sesh livestreamed on Twitch everyday and it’s amazing. We found new ways to interact with people and we won’t forget what we learned during that time. At the October event we’re gonna have augmented reality activities like a scavenger hunt and interactive art.
RMR: How do you go about picking weed brands for Secret Sesh events? What elements come first?
Tim: With brands, man, it’s tough. When it comes to the festivals, on one hand, everyone’s welcome because we got space for everyone. With this private event for example, I can literally fit 20. Some of the brands this coming October include The Cure Company, Bear Labs, Greenwolf LA, Ember Valley, Buddies, and STIIIZY.
The problem with this is that Secret Sesh is devoted to the small brands. We were one and now we’re a big brand, so I’m always for the small-time growers. I have an issue with choosing only the best and biggest brands. At the same time, though, if a consumer sees a bunch of unknown brands, they won’t get that same excitement as that of a familiar name. So it’s definitely a balancing act between bringing up new brands and having popular, reputable ones.
RMR: Those mansion parties you guys used to do sounded pretty intense. Any crazy moments or appearances at those that stand out to you?
Tim: We haven’t done mansion shows in a long time. They were eventually a step towards the night club. I would absolutely do another mansion event again though, but it would probably be really small for like a brand or private party. They can be fun, but certainly a little more challenging to coordinate with all the people parking up and down neighborhood streets and cranky neighbors.
One of the biggest names that pops up the most from those days is Action Bronson. One time he came through and just started cooking with our chefs. On that note, big shoutout to West Coast Cure and Garrett, because they brought all these guys here too. All the celebrities we saw at parties pulled up because they were there.
B-Real and Dizzy Wright shot music videos at our events. Xzibit is the funniest story to me because he refused to cut in line. He waited like everyone else. Rae Sremmurd, the No Flex Zone guys, also showed up once and performed for everybody.
RMR: What’s it like being the CEO of a cannabis event company? Would you say you have fun at your job?
Tim: Good question. It’s very fun. It’s exciting, extremely stressful at times. I knew I wanted to work in cannabis from a young age, but I thought I would be cultivating or something. That said, I didn’t think I would be curating events for the cannabis market, or a license holder at that.
I feel I have pressure on me to keep these events going because there aren’t many licensed ones. There’s been faults with larger ones in the past, so there is definitely a bit of a pressure for sure. I just want to make sure I represent the community well. That’s definitely something always on my mind.
In all reality, it’s an amazing time. Like, I get to throw cannabis parties. At the end of the day, it’s a blessing, man. I get to use my imagination a lot and come up with ideas people would like. I get to interact with like-minded people in cannabis too. And I get a lot of love from people as well; recognition for the hard work. I really feel the love from people on a regular basis. The little DMs I get from people thanking me, those little things really make my day. I love doing it and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
RMR: What’s next for Secret Sesh LA?
Tim: The next step for Secret Sesh really is just developing a new plan for consistency and getting back in front of the consumers on a regular basis. We’ve only been streaming for the last two years, so we’re ready to get back on the real-world events. I got no problem scaling them down either if that’s what it takes.
Keeping it going, that’s what’s next really. We’re in a rebuilding phase in my mind, so we gotta kick the rust off, blow this October event out of the water, and start next year like we were gonna do in 2020 and prepare for our next big festival. I’d like to get two big festivals every year, summer and winter. I’d also like to do smaller private events every month.
RMR: What’s your favorite strain at the moment? What’s your favorite way to use cannabis?
Tim: Right now I’m a dabber for sure. I’m smoking live hash rosin, my personal choice. I can’t really pick a favorite strain honestly, because I’ve found quality varies between growers. I’ve had shitty Blue Dream, and I’ve had amazing Blue Dream.
Brand-wise I’ve been smoking Punch Extracts and Hash and Flowers. They both make fire concentrated cannabis. I’m always weird about the strain thing, though; I’m more of a favorite grower type. My favorite grower right now is The Cannabis Brothers, because I think they do it best in the cannabis world right now.
RMR: If you had one piece of advice for rookies who want in on the weed business, what would it be?
Tim: Lose your fucking ego. Lose your ego, let go of pride. I literally worked for free for a year. I got to smoke weed for free and they’d buy my lunch, but I didn’t get paid. Still, I got to meet so many people, and in doing so – in not having an ego – I got my foot in the door.
Once you get your foot in the door and you have value, all you need to do is show it. Some people want to be at the top right away. People will come in saying shit like “I’m the best grower, I’m the best at this or that-” man, show me. Check the ego.
RMR: How do you become a member of Secret Sesh?
Tim: To be a member you just have to apply on the site. The upcoming October event is for members only. At the moment there’s only trial versions while we flesh out the system, so you’re buying for just a day entry anyway. You gotta be 21+ and agree to the terms of service.
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