Honeysuckle Media

Honeysuckle Media, Inc. is an American media company and publishing brand headquartered in New York City. Founded in 2013 by filmmaker, journalist, and publisher Ronit Pinto, the company began as a digital publication in Detroit focused on provocative arts, culture, and film. After moving its headquarters to New York, Honeysuckle expanded into print publishing in 2015 and developed a broader editorial and creative platform combining journalism, visual storytelling, cultural commentary, branded content, and public-facing campaigns. The publication became particularly associated with coverage of cannabis and hemp. Its editorial work has examined legalization, the commercial cannabis sector, cannabis culture, and the experiences of people affected by drug criminalization. Honeysuckle has also used outdoor advertising and creative partnerships to bring cannabis-related businesses and social-justice themes into mainstream media environments. The company says its print, digital, and creative work reaches both legal cannabis markets and traditional media audiences, with distribution extending nationally and internationally. Honeysuckle's editorial scope is broader than cannabis. Its coverage has featured prominent entertainers, filmmakers, artists, activists, entrepreneurs, and cultural figures, including Spike Lee, Leonardo DiCaprio, Alan Cumming, Kirsten Dunst, Holly Hunter, and Laganja Estranja. The publication has also carried reporting and first-person accounts from marginalized communities, incarcerated people, and formerly incarcerated people. Its criminal-justice reporting has included coverage of cannabis prisoners and cases involving severe sentencing, parole, racial bias, medical vulnerability, and capital punishment. A notable strand of the company's work has been its reporting on individual criminal cases. Coverage of Georgia defendant Matthew Baker Jr. examined allegations of racial bias and evidentiary weaknesses in a quadruple-homicide prosecution. Journalist Kalyn Womack reported on the case for Honeysuckle from 2021 through 2024; Baker was acquitted of all 30 counts on May 20, 2024. Other reporting has covered prisoners such as Michael Thompson, Richard DeLisi, and Corvain Cooper, who received lengthy sentences connected to cannabis offenses, as well as California inmate DaReta Gail Steverson, whose medical condition and parole eligibility were subjects of reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brand has pursued high-visibility campaigns in Times Square and elsewhere. In December 2018, it organized a campaign described as the first Times Square billboard presentation for cannabis brands, featuring 15 partners. Later initiatives promoted women-owned, BIPOC-owned, and Indigenous cannabis businesses, psychedelics and plant medicine, Indigenous Peoples Day, and cannabis entrepreneurs affected by New York's licensing system. These campaigns positioned Honeysuckle not only as a publisher but also as a creative and advocacy-oriented media partner. The company received industry recognition for its cannabis publishing, creative work, and social-justice reporting. In 2021, Green Market Report included it among leading cannabis print publications. Honeysuckle projects won or received shortlist recognition in the Clio Cannabis Awards, while the publication and its founder received additional industry and civic honors. The company has also faced institutional resistance to its cannabis editorial content: in 2021, the Washington State Department of Corrections reportedly blocked delivery of a Honeysuckle 420 issue to an incarcerated reader under its mail policy. In June 2024, founders Ronit Pinto and Sam Long were involved in a publicly circulated physical altercation on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The incident led cannabis businesses including Cannabiziac and The Travel Agency to distance themselves from Pinto or Honeysuckle. The episode became a significant reputational event for the company, although Honeysuckle remained an active media brand.

Honeysuckle Media was established in 2013 by Ronit Pinto, a filmmaker, journalist, and publisher. The publication initially operated from Detroit as a digital-only outlet dedicated to arts, culture, film, and provocative social commentary. Its early identity combined editorial journalism with visually driven cultural coverage and a willingness to focus on subjects that were underrepresented in conventional media. After relocating its headquarters to New York, Honeysuckle entered print publishing in 2015. The first print edition featured a Detroit punk artist, reflecting the publication's continuing connection to independent music and countercultural communities. Subsequent print issues and digital expansion broadened its audience. By 2018, the brand had developed national and international distribution and was operating across print, digital, and creative formats. During this expansion, cannabis became one of Honeysuckle's defining editorial and commercial areas. The publication covered the developing legal cannabis industry, legalization campaigns, cannabis culture, hemp, and the social consequences of prohibition. It also reported on people serving long prison sentences for cannabis-related offenses, including Michael Thompson, Richard DeLisi, and Corvain Cooper. This work linked industry reporting with criminal-justice advocacy and highlighted the unequal effects of drug enforcement. Honeysuckle's social-justice journalism has included first-person narratives from marginalized, incarcerated, and formerly incarcerated people. In 2020, it covered the case of California inmate DaReta Gail Steverson, who had leukemia and COVID-19 and was reportedly denied parole despite her medical needs. From 2021 through 2024, journalist Kalyn Womack regularly reported on Matthew Baker Jr., a 23-year-old Georgia man facing the death penalty in the case known as the Bonfire Killings. The reporting raised questions about racial bias and the evidence against Baker. He was found not guilty on all 30 counts on May 20, 2024. The company also developed a public-facing campaign business. On December 31, 2018, Honeysuckle organized a Times Square billboard campaign featuring cannabis brands, described by the company and reference sources as the first campaign of its kind in that location. Fifteen partner brands participated, including The WeedHead, associated with Dasheeda Dawson. Later activations emphasized representation and inclusion, featuring women-owned, BIPOC-owned, Indigenous, and international cannabis businesses. Campaigns in 2021 and 2022 expanded the brand's themes beyond commercial cannabis. Honeysuckle worked with Lil Wayne's GKUA on a campaign recognizing women-owned and BIPOC-led cannabis companies and participated in a plant-medicine billboard initiative with women-owned organizations. Other projects honored Indigenous Peoples Day, including a statewide multimedia effort in New York and what was described as the first cannabis-themed cab-topper campaign. In 2022, an Indigenous cannabis collaboration brought together five tribal nations in activations across New York State. In 2023, the Epic 420 New York program included Times Square activity with Cannabis Now and Royal Queen Seeds, reportedly marking the first appearance of a European-owned cannabis brand on that platform. The publication received recognition for both its editorial and creative work. Green Market Report listed Honeysuckle among leading cannabis print publications in 2021. Its campaigns received Bronze honors and shortlist recognition in the Clio Cannabis Awards, including projects titled The Empress State, Girls Are Playas Too, and The Limitless Dreams of New York's CAURD Licensees. Other reported distinctions included Publication of the Year from CelebStoner, a Women's Leadership Award for Pinto from Green Market Report, and cannabis-industry recognition for the magazine and its founder. Honeysuckle's social-justice reporting also received citations from New York state legislators. The brand's cannabis focus produced challenges as well as visibility. In May 2021, the Washington State Department of Corrections blocked delivery of a Honeysuckle 420 issue to an inmate under its mail policy, illustrating the restrictions that cannabis-related publications could encounter in correctional institutions. In June 2024, a physical altercation involving Pinto and Sam Long on Manhattan's Upper West Side became a public controversy after footage circulated online. Cannabiziac removed Pinto from its advisory board, while The Travel Agency announced that it had ended its relationship with Honeysuckle. Despite the controversy, the company continued to be described as an active print, digital, and creative media organization.

• 2024

  Baker acquitted after multi-year coverage

  [1]Honeysuckle Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  Matthew Baker Jr. was found not guilty on all 30 counts in the case covered by Honeysuckle reporter Kalyn Womack.

• 2021

  Recognized as a leading cannabis print publication

  [1]Honeysuckle Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  Green Market Report included Honeysuckle among notable cannabis print publications.

• 2018

  National and international distribution develops

  [1]Honeysuckle Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  The brand expanded its print and digital reach beyond its original local market.

• 2018

  First reported Times Square cannabis billboard campaign

  [1]Honeysuckle Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  Honeysuckle presented 15 cannabis-related partner brands in a Times Square campaign.

• 2015

  Print publishing begins

  [1]Honeysuckle Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  Following its move to New York, Honeysuckle began issuing print editions.

• 2013

  Honeysuckle founded

  [1]Honeysuckle Mediaen.wikipedia.org

  Ronit Pinto founded Honeysuckle as a Detroit-based digital publication covering arts, culture, film, and provocative social issues.

An independent, progressive media and creative platform connecting culture, cannabis, social justice, identity, and emerging industries through print, digital journalism, branded storytelling, and public campaigns.

• Print and digital magazine · 2013

  Honeysuckle Magazine

  The company's core editorial publication combines cultural journalism, film and entertainment coverage, cannabis reporting, social commentary, and first-person accounts. It has featured public figures alongside marginalized communities, incarcerated people, and formerly incarcerated people. The magazine is distributed in print and online and has developed a particularly visible role in cannabis media.

• Editorial vertical

  Cannabis and hemp coverage

  Honeysuckle reports on cannabis legalization, cannabis culture, hemp, emerging businesses, diversity in the industry, and the relationship between cannabis policy and criminal justice. This editorial area became one of the brand's principal points of recognition and supported its work with cannabis companies and advocacy initiatives.

• Media and creative services · 2018

  Creative and out-of-home campaigns

  The company develops branded storytelling and public advertising activations, including Times Square billboards, New York State campaigns, and partnerships with cannabis, plant-medicine, media, and social-impact organizations. Its projects often emphasize women-owned, BIPOC-owned, Indigenous, or otherwise underrepresented businesses and communities.

• 2024

  Upper West Side altercation involving founders

  On June 16, 2024, Ronit Pinto and Sam Long were involved in a physical altercation with three women on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Footage circulated on social media, after which Cannabiziac removed Pinto from its advisory board and The Travel Agency said it had ended ties with Honeysuckle.

  Source

Read more

• 2023Epic 420 New York

  New York City · New York State

  During 420 week, Honeysuckle coordinated multiple New York activations, including a Times Square campaign with Cannabis Now and Royal Queen Seeds.

  Outcome. The campaign was described as the first time a European-owned cannabis brand appeared on the relevant Times Square platform.

  Source
• 2022Indigenous Cannabis 420

  New York State

  The second international Indigenous cannabis collaboration brought together five tribal nations for coordinated activations across New York State.

  Outcome. The campaign expanded Honeysuckle's representation-focused cannabis work and connected Indigenous businesses across jurisdictions.

  Source
• 2021Diversity in Cannabis with Lil Wayne

  New York City · United States · Canada

  With Lil Wayne's GKUA, Honeysuckle highlighted six women-owned cannabis companies, including BIPOC and Indigenous-led organizations.

  Outcome. The campaign promoted diversity in cannabis and marked an international Indigenous cannabis collaboration.

  Source
• 2021Celebrate Plant Medicine

  New York City

  Honeysuckle joined DoubleBlind Magazine, Musings Magazine, and Rainbo Mushrooms in a Times Square initiative centered on psychedelics and plant medicine.

  Outcome. The initiative was described as the first psychedelics-themed billboard effort in Times Square.

  Source
• 2021Indigenous Peoples Day

  New York State

  Honeysuckle produced a multimedia campaign honoring Indigenous Peoples Day after its formal recognition by the United States government and New York authorities.

  Outcome. The campaign included Times Square activity and was described as the first cannabis-themed cab-topper activation of its kind.

  Source
• 2018Times Square Cannabis Brand Campaign

  New York City · United States

  Honeysuckle organized a Times Square billboard campaign featuring 15 cannabis brands and advocates, including Dasheeda Dawson's The WeedHead.

  Outcome. The campaign established Honeysuckle as a visible cannabis-media and creative platform and was described as the first Times Square campaign of its type.

  Source

• 2018

  Bring cannabis brands to Times SquareOther

  Background

  Cannabis companies and legalization advocates were seeking mainstream visibility while advertising rules and social attitudes were evolving.

  Action taken

  Honeysuckle organized a Times Square billboard campaign featuring 15 cannabis-related partners.

  Aftermath

  The campaign became a foundation for subsequent cannabis, Indigenous, diversity, and plant-medicine activations.

  Source

• 2015

  Expansion from digital publishing into printStrategy

  Background

  After beginning as a digital-only Detroit publication, Honeysuckle relocated its headquarters to New York and broadened its publishing model.

  Action taken

  The company launched print editions while continuing its digital editorial operation.

  Aftermath

  The move supported wider distribution and the development of a national and international media presence.

  Source

1. 1Honeysuckle Mediaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Honeysuckle Magazinehoneysucklemag.com