Member Since July 2021
Skills
About
Evan Nison has helped reform cannabis laws since 2008 and is the youngest member of the NORML National Board of Directors. He was included in Marijuana Venture’s 40 under 40 and High Time’s 100 Most Influential People in Cannabis. He also received a pen used to sign the New York medical marijuana law and New York 911 Good Samaritan Law, both of which he was heavily involved with in the early stages of development. In 2012, he founded NisonCo PR, one of the largest cannabis PR firms, which Business Insider called “the imminent PR agency in cannabis” in 2021. In 2018 NisonCo also launched an SEO agency, which has become a leader in cannabis SEO. With about 25 employees, the cannabis PR and SEO agency works with dozens of industry leaders in cannabis and other cutting-edge industries across the globe. They’ve represented viral celebrity brands, leading MSOs, NASDAQ and billion-dollar IPOs, national voter-registration drives, and some of the largest vaporizer and CBD brands in the country. The Observer listed NisonCo at the top of their Cannabis PR Power List in 2019. Evan has also been featured in major news outlets, including Good Morning America, the NY Times, CNN, Politico, USA Today, NBC New York, Bloomberg TV, Forbes, and has been profiled in The Cannabist, Civilized, Ithaca Times, Home News Tribune, The Marijuana Times, and the Sun Times.
Evan Nison
Published content

expert panel
Bettering your employees is the first step to bettering your company. Culture is ever-changing. Customer preferences and values surrounding hospitality, fashion, food, art, cannabis or any other sector of the culture space can seemingly shift at the drop of a hat — meaning those who work within those areas need to be ready to adapt just as quickly. One way business leaders can prepare their employees for such a need is to encourage them to learn and grow as professionals. With the right growth mindset, employees will be ready to tackle whatever challenge customers throw at them. But how should leaders go about it? Here, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer seven ways employers can encourage their employees to learn and grow in their careers, and discuss why it’s so important to do so for the betterment of themselves and the company.

expert panel
Generative AI might be just the tool you need to improve your business operations. Thanks to recent advancements in technology, businesses can access a myriad of tools and strategies to reach new realms of growth and efficiency. Among these transformative technologies, generative AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming increasingly commonplace, helping users quickly gather information and generate content. However, as with any emerging technology, users may not always understand the best way to leverage generative AI. Below, Rolling Stone Culture Council members share how they've used generative AI to assist in their business endeavors and how they recommend other leaders follow suit.

expert panel
Sep 12, 2023
Mastering the art of storytelling can increase your odds of overall success. The story a company tells to its audience has a direct impact on the way its potential customers think and feel about its brand. Whether you want to inspire trust, encourage a feeling of camaraderie or build subject matter authority, the way you communicate your message will often determine how successful you are as a business. In this way, your ability to weave a narrative into your brand messaging should be a skill you are always looking to improve upon. As business leaders themselves, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council have experience sharing the stories of their own brands. Here, they offer their help by recommending their top tips for how to improve your storytelling to better communicate your brand’s message to your intended audience.

expert panel
AI in the workplace could have some definite benefits — as well as some downfalls. In an era marked by the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), businesses are increasingly presented with both unprecedented opportunities and ethical dilemmas. As organizations consider integrating AI technologies into their operations, the intricate web of challenges surrounding their creation and implementation continues to spark controversy. Before taking the plunge into the realm of AI, prudent business leaders find themselves standing at a crossroads, grappling not only with the promise of innovation but also with the potential pitfalls that lie ahead. To offer their insights, Rolling Stone Culture Council members share the critical questions business leaders should ask before making AI a part of their business in any meaningful way.

expert panel
Getting your team to work together often starts with you. In creative industries, an agile work culture helps create an environment which encourages the teamwork and collaboration necessary to come up with new and innovative ideas or thoughtfully expand on existing ones. Part of creating an agile work culture, however, is ensuring your team has what they need to collaborate effectively. To do so, you’ll need to take stock of your current work environment to find areas for improvement. Whether it’s leading by example, offering full autonomy on projects or defining clear roles and expectations, there are a number of approaches you can take to nurture a collaborative environment — with some approaches less obvious than others. Here, the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their best tips for building an agile, collaborative work environment for your employees and why it’s so key to do so.

expert panel
Nailing down your niche may require looking inward first. In order for a brand to succeed, it has to be more than a clever idea. A successful brand must meet customer needs, separate itself from the competition and last beyond a passing trend. All of these characteristics combined contribute to a brand’s niche — or a comfortable place in the market. Without this well-defined niche, a brand can struggle to maintain its customers’ interest and, as a result, its rising sales. Whether you’re just thinking about starting a business or you’re trying to get your current endeavor off the ground, consider the following advice for those struggling to find their brand’s place in the market. Here, seven business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council offer their best tips for what uncertain entrepreneurs can do to really nail down their niche.
Company details
NisonCo
Company bio
Public relations is about more than just generating media coverage. It is about generating the right kinds of media coverage in the right places. NisonCo works with cannabis industry leaders to develop a customized approach to public relations that will focus on generating media coverage in the outlets that reach the audiences they need to reach. With a proprietary database of over 10,000 reporters working for everything from local newspapers to national TV, NisonCo helps cannabis industry leaders find the right outlets and reporters that align with their strategic goals and objectives. Through strategic public relations and access to an unmatched network, NisonCo helps position cannabis industry players as experts and thought leader. NisonCo also helps to identify and to secure speaking engagements at premier conferences and industry events and provide assistance in applying for awards.