Episode 1

The Highest Xpectation with Jermaine Thompson

In this episode of the Thorn City Spotlight Show, host Na’eem Hall sits down with Jermaine Thompson, owner of The Highest Xpectation a Portland-grown, Black-owned cannabis dispensary that’s changing the game. With three OLCC licenses covering retail, production, and processing, Jermaine shares what it means to be a vertically integrated operator and how he uses his business to uplift the community.

We dive into his 13-year journey in the industry, discuss equitable pricing, and learn how The Highest Xpectation is more than just a brand — it’s a mission to serve, inspire, and elevate.

📍 Located at 4931 NE 33rd Avenue (corner of 33rd & Alberta)

📲 Follow them on IG: @THX33rd

🌐 Visit: TheHighestXpectation.com

🎙️ Topics Covered:

  • How Jermaine got started in cannabis
  • The value of owning multiple OLCC licenses
  • What vertical integration means in this space
  • The power of giving back and staying community-first
  • Summer deals, daily discounts & how to “Just say THX”


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🔖 Hashtags (comma-separated):

#JermaineThompson, #TheHighestXpectation, #PortlandDispensary, #BlackOwnedBusiness, #CannabisCommunity, #CannabisEntrepreneur, #VerticalIntegration, #TopShelfFlower, #OregonCannabis, #CannabisCulture, #EquityInCannabis, #THX33rd, #JustSayTHX, #ThornCitySpotlight, #NaeemHall, #PortlandBusiness, #SupportLocal, #SmallBusinessSpotlight, #CannabisPodcast, #PortlandPodcaster

Transcript

Yes, sir, it's your boy. Naeem Hall, the thorn city podcast guy. It's the spotlight show, Saturday

odcast studios, right here at:

Naeem Hall 00:13

It's the be seen, be heard. Podcast experience, sponsored by GMP podcast group. If you know,

you know. Man, before I get into it, this has always been my toughest part for YouTube. You got

to tell the people. Man, go, SUBSCRIBE, LIKE SUBSCRIBE. I hate begging for subscribers and

likes, but you got to do it. It's part of it. So y'all go smash that subscribe button, share with a

friend. When my guys season, say tap in on the tap in, man, and tell a friend to tell a friend.

Man, so I got my guy, Jermaine Thompson, in here today. Thx. On 33rd at Thx. 33rd the highest

expectations. How you doing, brother? Good man. Good, good man. Um, we're gonna get into

it. We're gonna get into his story, how he got into the cannabis industry and what he got going

on. Man, life

S

:

is hard. Man, God Bless the Child that can hold his own. Nothing. I'm just trying to make

something against the gun and trying

S

:

to be my son, falling back to pushing a hard line. I did what I had to, and honestly I was glad to

cause I do whatever it takes to add to my quality

Naeem Hall:

of life. I don't know if you know how I got into this, but I my guy, Roy, was doing really bad

man. He was on the pills and alcohol. Really bad. You know, he did music growing up. And

yeah, I selfishly wanted my own third twin album, and so I told him, man, let's get in the studio.

I got some studio time I paid for. I'm, let's get in the studio. Man, do some music. And so shortly

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after we got into that, I'm like, Man, this helped my boy get back, you know, get his life back

together. What's up, man? And so, like I said, we recorded some songs, we traveled, we did

some shows. Needed a music video. And my guy, Mike Harrison, over at complex, who signed

Roy when he was 14, I hit him up when I needed a music video, and he introduced me to Justin.

Okay, so we shot a couple videos. We did one video called honesty. We actually, you know, put

a budget together and hired a real crew, and, man, it was really dope. We entered that video

into some, some film festivals, and we won a few awards. So we got to travel in some, some

film festivals, and got to go to New York, the hip hop Film Festival. They played our video. They

cheated us out of the award, I think because I watched other videos, and I think ours was better

than but you know, politics is off. Political.

:

Took the word it was tight to go into New York. We ran into he was talented,

Naeem Hall:

yeah, for sure. We ran into our guy, Mitchell, of course, yeah, he was out there. We mean

really, we randomly walked into a bar, and there's Mitchell sitting down. The chances of that in

New York. So that was tight man sortling, always finding a way to come together, yo, so we got

to meet a couple people out there. But, yeah, it was dope, man. And so from the beginning, I've

been filming, you know, just capturing stuff. And so I'm doing a documentary on third, okay, I'm

doing a document on so the wedding was really the end cap of the story. You know, I'm saying

he was doing bad. We did music, we did shows, and he got right, he went, got clean after the

honesty music video. He disappeared when got clean. Man, he's eight years clean now. Like I

said, he just got married. That was the end cap. So that's the end that's kind of the the end cap

to the documentary. So now I got a few more interviews to do, and then we don't really put it

together, man. And so it's coming, and I got a full album that I've been holding. We put an EP

out called honesty. It's on on all the streaming platforms. Y'all go check it out. But I will release

the full, full album along with the documentary, man. And so COVID Hit Music stopped. A guy

hit me up. He was living his roommate was this guy named Tim James, who's a health coach,

and he sells health supplements. His business wasn't doing good, so they started him a

podcast. And so he started marketing, advertising, you know, his coaching and his his his

products in the podcast. Man, talking about killing him. He took off skyrocketed. Man, he's on

200 probably about 250th probably about 250th episode. He ain't missed a week. And so shout

out to Tim James. Man, Assistant, see us. Yeah, that's the man, that's key.

04:50

Consistency is key. Man,

:

so what's going on with you, brother the THX. Man, how did, how did you get into the cannabis

industry?

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Man, it's a. Yeah, so long, but short story, my sister, my oldest sibling, Tammy Strickland.

Tammy Goldsby was

Naeem Hall:

crazy. I'm gonna stop real quick for the longest, I didn't know Strickland. Pat was your brother.

I'm looking for the longest. Are you both of y'all know the other bro? I knew everybody

separately,

:

yeah, but yeah, no, yeah, me and Jimmy, the only Thompsons, our whole family, striplings and

Sims. Sims is our family. We the only. I mean, we not. We're the only Thompson's in the

Strickland family, Sims family. But got some brothers, yeah,

Naeem Hall:

shout out to my guy, Strick he retired now he can't yell at me from the Skylines. No more.

:

Yeah, yeah, so, yeah. So I started growing basically for her, she became my first medical

patient, her husband and my mom and my big strict I became a medical patient. So I had a I

turned my house in Southwest Portland into a medical grow. Bam. Started, started with my

guy. I mean, then just kind of learn, you know, kind of learn the how to grow, you know, I'm

saying because, you know, we were, we were, we were in the game a little bit, you know, I'm

saying, so we were trying to figure out what's the best, what's the best routes to take. And then

when Oregon hit recreational, I had an opportunity to jump into it. Just my how, I know it's

cliche, man, but literally is my the whole story is like a movie. Yeah, it's like a movie, man, just

from the if I, if I gave you the real, yes, yeah, I'm saying it's a real it's a real situation. But how

everything came together? I've always believed that, you know, everything happened for a

reason. I'm that type of person, and I know a lot of people ain't that way, but I think a lot of that

comes from my experiences in life. You know, only my experience, my experiences Tell me a

different story. So

Naeem Hall:

you were, you were already in the medical field growing before it even became rec room. So

you started, and did you have any idea that it was going to be going recreational at some

:

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point? As you know, you hear rumblings. So we and then being close to Colorado, and then

Washington, you know, Colorado was first in Washington. So being, you know, being Oregon,

we figured it was go come at some point. Yeah, saying because medical been around for a

minute. We had a couple medical only dispensaries, you know, early on. So we figured it was go

hit, you know, saying that at some point. So, I mean, I just got an opportunity. I was actually

growing hemp out in Newburgh, Oregon, hemp. I was growing hemp in Newburgh, Oregon. I

was growing, I was growing weed at the same time at a new place in Salem, Oregon that we

rented out, and was doing our medical grow there. And then I ended up in Newburgh somehow

growing hemp. And then I had a young dude working for me, and he drove by this property one

day, you know, and said, man, he text me and said, I think I found what you're looking for. You

know, I'm saying, as far as, like recreational getting into the industry in the in the rec world, it

was the license actually was attached to the property. So early on when you got into the

industry, early on when you got a production license. It was attached to a property. You

couldn't move it. Ah, gotcha. So it was placed there. So you have to stay there. You have to

stay there. Um, so when I bought the property, it was a production license attached to it. Oh,

you bought the property with it already? Yes. Oh, damn nice. Bought the property with the

production license already attached. Say, he had what you're looking for. He really had what

you was looking for. Man, like bro, I'm telling you how everything came together. Yeah, it was,

it was meant to be. I'm just say it like that, bro. And even ended up with our retail store on 33rd

in Alberta. I initially put an offering on one in Southwest Portland. Pretty much gave the owner

what he was looking for. Then he disappeared. I mean, for like, a year, what

09:03

would you say? You gave him what he was looking for,

:

his offer. You paid him. No, we was he was about to okay, I was ready to go into, you know

what he told us, what he wanted for we, we put in the offer, ready to go, and he kind of just

disappeared. And then somehow I get a call and they tell me, it's one that's the opportunity on

33rd in Alberta. And I initially think it's a lie, because that's my, you know, we from there, that's

there in Alberta. Like, man, but they talking about it because it was already said. It was a

license there, and I was already a shop there. That's what they were saying in the in the

advertisement. So I made the call and ended up meeting the guy over there. So it was cameras

and everything already established, but it wasn't open yet. There was no, you know, wasn't no,

so he did the proper work to get the license established. But so when I walked out, I knew it

was the right space. Place, I'm saying it was 33rd in Alberta. Man, like, are you so? So how that

happened? You know, it was just, it was just everything was kind of falling into place, you know,

I'm saying, so, yeah, production, license, processing license, both of those is in Newburgh, and

then we got our retail shop on 33rd in Alberta. Man, and kind of, in the heart of the city, you

know, Alberta is cracking with black owned businesses. So a lot of good energy, yeah, you

know, I'm saying a lot of new energy. Come in, they're building, you know, I'm saying, so it's,

it's a good situation. Man, like it is, it's dope. Man, just to man, how everything happened. Man,

I'm, you know, I'm, I'm blessed. You know, you know these, these things, how, how it ended up.

Man, it's just, is this trips me out, because if you it's just life lessons, and it's just life lessons,

J

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bro, life be life and bro. So if you you know, you older you get, the more experience you get to

obtain. And you know you do good, you do right. Things go happen. And if you build it, you

build it at the you know they will come. Eventually it will

11:13

come. Well, I'm building it, man, they still ain't came. Enough.

Jermaine Thompson:

100 100 but you got to be patient. Patience is virtue. Man, yes, the grind. The grind is real. Who

is tough and you and, you know, Portland small, so the support ain't always gonna be there.

You know, I'm saying it's always gonna be a little envy, little jealousy out there, instead of just

understanding that, you know, if we come together, we gonna be so much better, yeah, so it's

just, but Portland, small, and it's in the fat, it's in the fabric of Portland. I'm saying, So, but, but

if we understand it, yeah, if we understand it, we can, we can keep pushing for the right thing.

Because, you know, I support you as much as I can, I'm saying, and it, it just those, you know,

you got, you're, you're starting to, you know, the right people starting to, you know, yeah, I'm

around. So you got my guy, Sam Thompson, involved, so you that's good energy, you know,

saying it's all about positive energy, but just keep that energy around and, uh, things are

because, bro, listen, I'm the master grower. I'm never at the retail store, because I got to be

growing the product. Yeah, I'm saying it and it's a grind. I'm saying it is a grind, man, just the

end is the industry itself is brutal, right? Because it's federally, is still cloudy. Yeah, we get

taxed like we criminals, you know? I'm saying so it's like, in the in the game is just dirty

anyway, yeah, it's marijuana. So it's like, yeah, until it's, you know, and it's just, that's just what

it is, it'll be like that until we figure out, you know, have a better understanding of it. I'm saying

because they just the way they treat it. It's, it's, it's a brutal industry, but only, you know,

should only the strong survive. You gotta survive. That's, that's what I say. We build different

bro. So they, I'm, you know, I fight the fight. You know, I'm saying I didn't, I didn't. I'm into it.

Yeah,

Naeem Hall:

right, so hard man, I'm still fighting. I'm gonna keep fighting. Yeah? They're gonna take me out

on the stretcher and in the Bucha bag.

:

Yeah, I mean, you provide, and you're providing something positive. Yes, it is, uh, listen,

Naeem Hall:

we could get there together. Yeah, we gonna do Man, I ain't gonna we get I'm gonna keep

getting there together. Bro, I had a chance opportunity recently to sit down. You know, Jamal

Lane got the champions Barber

13:44

Institute. I know you got

Naeem Hall:

champions. So, yeah, man, that's on Alberta or the song, kennels work. Okay, okay, okay,

where blockbuster used to be up, yeah, yeah, right there. So they got the champions Barber

Institute. So in inside their their barbering program, because this is a school, they have a

business program. So now they're launching their business program separately from that. So

they're doing a strictly business program, Barbara or barber No, no, just for business now for

business. And they have the barber school the bar Okay, there, but I'm saying inside that

they're teaching their their students about business as well. Got you. So they're taking that

business program and doing it separately, and they're offering it to different entrepreneurs.

And so I linked up with them, and I got to sit down with them. I'm going through their program,

see what it's about. And so I got to sit down with them, and I got some, some really good

feedback from them on some stuff I should I'm gonna start doing. They're gonna send me, like I

said, through their program. And so we're gonna see, see what happens. So I'm rebranding

myself. I just, like I said, we recently rebranded the show into the live show. So man, like I said,

it's gonna just gotta, just gotta find something and find a way to keep moving and keep

pushing forward. And so that's. What I'm doing? Man, yeah, um, the highest expectation. How'd

you come up with the name? Man,

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I was on the phone with one of my cousins just years ago. Because we always, man, we, so we,

you know, I'm saying we've been in the fight a long time. You'll say, as far as you know,

growing weed and trying to sell it. Man, yeah. So we, you know, we talking about business, you

know, one day, man, and and then we just on the phone, just coming up with all kind of names,

you know, I'm saying. And then he say, he say, Man, high, highest expectation, like, man, that's

kind of, yeah, that's kind of nice, man. And then at that time I was, I was living in San Francisco

rancisco for, you know, since:

always traveling back, back and forth, doing, doing the grow. So I was like, Man, how can I, how

can I put my little, my little flip on that, you know, I'm saying so, I mean, literally, one morning I

woke up, man, and it was just like, thanks. I'm saying, like, thanks. Like, I was like, How do I

want people, when they do come to the store, when they do purchase our product anywhere,

you know, I'm saying, because we're in other dispensaries now, so we're trying to brand and,

you know, just get out there. And I was like, man, what you know, how do I want them to feel,

you know, what do I want them to say when they leave in the door, you know, just say thanks.

I'm saying so, I kind of added the highest expectation to it, and I did the expectation without

the E, just the x, just, you know, so we can get a thanks, you know, I'm saying so, literally, I just

woke up, man, like, three, four in the morning. Was like, thanks. Yeah, sounds like, at the time I

was, I was an athletic director and varsity coach in San Francisco when I'm saying so I was

always, I was still working full time and still trying to do the grow, the Grow thing, um, so I

wanted to put, uh, my little mix on it a little bit. He was like, he wanted highest, highest

expectation. And I kind of threw the to make it. Thanks. Yeah. So just, just, just through

conversation with fam man, and just now, that's tight. It's, uh, his catch brainstorming. It

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rolls off the tongue, yeah, you know, I'm saying, yeah, just say things,

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you know, syllables, yeah, you know, we from Oregon, you know, Nike just do it, you know. Just,

just trying to, you know, just trying to find something to, um, to make the brand stick out. You

know, saying, he's like, be a little different. Man, yeah. And as far as retail store, our retail

store, we try to, we try to have all the staff members wear THX gear. Wear THX gear. Just to be

a little different. We don't put THC numbers on any of our flour, you know, just to be a little

different. We don't. We don't have the jar. Jar it up product, saying to kind of, we kind of pre

package all of our stuff. So as you order it, it's kind of ready to go, yeah? So we just try to be a

little different, yeah. Saying, and then we, we our prices are just, you know, set prices ain't no

you don't, you don't pay no taxes, I'm saying. So all our prices are equitable. We go, you will be

able to come in, pretty much, get, get walk out with something. So for me, my vision, you

know, I want, you know, you know, Portland, it's a community, right? You know, we still got

them, we still got college corners, we still got Casey market. We still got Joe's ongoing, you

know, we still got Jack, Jack. So, you know, so we got, we got those, you know, those staples.

Yeah, I'm saying, so, I want our retail store to become the community staple, bro, yeah, I'm

saying this, you know, we go offer you great product, you know, it's all tested, it's all healthy.

It's, you know, saying, so it's, it's, we go, try to take care of you and all and, you know, in every

way we can, yeah, so it's, that's, you know, that's important for me to for, for the community,

to understand that saying, like, we, we just, oh, we opened last year in February, and we didn't,

you know, we didn't had about:

more of my community, more the community. Yeah, I'm saying so. But like I said, I'm, you

know, we understand, yeah, so I don't get frustrated, because I understand, you know, so, but

eventually, eventually, yeah, we go, we go, be that. We go, yeah, eventually we go, be that

store. You'll see the whole community. Go meet up there, and we go do what we do, you know?

So, so, yeah, man, so we so

19:33

Are there many black owned dispensaries?

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I know of two other people, Karanja Cruz, who's from Portland, that's my guy, yep. And then my

guy is from Louisiana. His name is Sherman. He got exclusive tastes, okay, I've heard of that.

And then I think it's a young lady, lovely, some love, but bud loves. I'm not. I can't huh that, but

I know it's about three or four. I. Of us, yeah, that I know of yeah, that has retail stores. So

Naeem Hall:

are there any barriers do you have to face, you know, being a black person in the industry?

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are there any barriers do you have to face, you know, being a black person in the industry?

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Man, I mean, it's always a shocker, right? Like, as far as you know, licensing is kind of, there's

no faces to them until there's faces to them. I mean, like, they not. They got to come to your

property and be like, oh, oh, you're Jermaine Thompson. Like, oh, you're your brother. You're

like, oh, you own all these licenses. Like, Oh, so it's like, but you know, the No, no real barriers,

because, you know, you just follow the process, you know, in like, you know, man, I bought a

property with a license, yeah, you know, saying, so it was like, you know, I got my foot in the

door, kind of, you know, and in an unusual way, saying, so, that's difference when you're

buying a license from somebody and then actually going through the process and putting your

African American, suppose, Like, you know, I kind of skipped the line, in that sense, nice. And

then with the rest of the licensing, I just purchased them.

Naeem Hall:

So you got all three licenses. Tell me what's all what's the different licenses?

:

So retail store, of course, is the, you know, and production is the growing of the, you know,

growing all the weed. And then processing, which is, processing is, um, I mean, it's, it's, you

know, you get to, I love that license, because you create, you can create, you know, food

products. You create edibles and cookies and gummies and chocolates and, I mean, syrup and,

you know, you can be the, you know, it's unlimited access, as far as, like, you know, you could

be so creative with, with that, with that side. So we don't, we don't do edibles now, but we're

going to get into making edibles, you know, saying, because for me, you know, the experience

is everything, man. Like, I keep saying, so I've been, I understand now, you know, I'm saying,

so you have to be for longevity to make it make sense. You have to be vertically integrated,

you know, you got to be able to control all your variables. You know, I'm saying, I got to. So I

was growing my weed, which I still do, but I was dealing with wholesalers, who's who's the

middle man, who's gonna all, you know, it's a good situation. It's always pros and cons. You

know, I'm saying as far as dealing with wholesalers, because they can, they can sell it for you,

but it's gonna be at a cheaper price, yeah, and it's not gonna be what, what you think you

deserve for it. So in order to cut that out, you gotta get, you gotta open your own retail store.

You gotta be able to sell your product the way you wanted to sell it, you know, I'm saying. And

then I was selling my trim, you know, to other processors for a little bit of nothing, you know.

And I said, Oh, that don't really make a lot of sense when I could keep it and turn it into, like,

keeping and turn it into this, you know, I'm saying. So I was like, you know, it's better to be

vertically integrated, which means you just own all the licensing, and you can create all your

product, and then you can sell it the way you want to sell it to your community. You know, I'm

saying just the right way, and make it and make it equitable for for people to come in, because

there's some most this angle. Say most dispensaries, most a lot of people shop for discounts.

So, and that's big in our industry, but if you walk through our doors, we don't, we don't promote

and market big time discounts. But if you come through our doors, you go get the biggest

discount, you don't say, like, yeah, it's like, is this under is to be understood? Like, once you

come in, you family, family and friends. Discount, yeah, I'm saying it. And 90% of people is

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family, yeah. So it's like very few friends, everybody, family, I'm saying so, yeah, man, you

have to, you, you actually have to. I want to do this again with you. I want you to come to

Newburgh and see the property like you gotta understand the grow I got three grow rooms

right now. One is made named after my nephew, Deontay Strickland. The other one is named

after my brother Aaron JoJo Cowan, children. And other one is named after my best, you know,

best friend, Tyrone man, love Okay, no, so it's crazy, yeah, wow. You know saying so all of that

was happening right about, you know, just back to back to back years, bro, we were just losing

all our close people. Bro, on some tragedy, things, you know, I'm saying, right, great tragedy,

you know, say, my, my pop Strick said, Man, you can, we can live another 100 years and never

experience the shit we, you know, our family experience with that one, you know. So it's like,

but yes, the property means so much to me, man, like, you know, I'm out there every day. I get

to be in this grow room. I get to grow this, you know, be around, you know, it's a good situation,

yeah, yeah. I'm saying just, kind of just be out the way. And then I dedicated, you know, those.

Room to my guys, man, and so it's so it means, that's why it means a lot. Yeah, you know, I'm

saying, and that's what the like, it's this, this is really for the community. Yeah, I'm saying, like,

we need to understand that, like is really for the community, man. Like, you gotta, you gotta

really come out and support that. You know, I'm saying, because it's just real, yes, and so you

gotta, you gotta come to Newburgh, and we gotta do, we gotta sit out there, and gotta see,

because we're also building, you know, I'm saying, like, continue growth is one of my models,

just continued growth, man, you know, I'm saying, so we're building, you know, two new grow

rooms under lights a piece, I'm saying, so we're building and growing, and we want to, we want

to brand and be, you know, be one of those staples in the state of Oregon. Man, and then, you

know, be able to drop our brand in other states when they're ready. So we build them for the

future. Yeah, I'm saying we're trying to build some, some real opportunities for people, man,

and but all of that is about timing, time and being prepared for it, you know I'm saying, and

when you offer it you want it to be right? Yeah, so

Naeem Hall:

I don't smudge as much as I used to. But after my day is over and I get home like I'm a weed

pipe by the bed, I'm gonna hit the weed a couple

:

times. There you go. My day is over. Yeah? Yeah. You go the light that melted schools. Man, it's

actually one of my favorites, bro. It's uh, yeah. So yeah, the

Naeem Hall:

I always wanted a plant just in my backyard, just so I can just go out, just let it grow and take a

piece of weed off. Yeah, you

:

know, you could do four of them. You could do four legally, throw them in the you could do four.

Man, no problem. Just don't do more than four. Yeah, I teach you and everything you're you

know,

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know,

Naeem Hall:

man, we gonna take a quick break right here and get a message from our sponsor, GMP

podcast group, man, and we come back, we're gonna get right back into it.

:

Coming from new digs, beautiful place. My man, Justin, my man, Naeem, GMP podcast studio, if

you were thinking about podcasting, you can't be me. I'll just tell you straight up, you can't be

me. But if you were thinking about podcasting, then this is where you need to be.

:

Elevate your voice at GMP podcast studios, experience of full service, boutique style. Podcast

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Visit www dot GMP podcast group.com

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for more info. This is Omega Supreme, broadcast. Lyricist,

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exists. Don't blink one eye, baby. You just might miss history getting to make it from the

making of this third I guess it's Welcome back to these words. So I'ma come well like Welcome

back words for sure,

Naeem Hall:

sir. Are we back at it? Naeem Hall, the thorn city podcast. Guy here, got my guy, Jermaine in

the building. Man with THX, the highest expectation. Man, what's this? This organ leaf, the

impact issue about, tell me about this.

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Yeah, we just got, we're the featured retail store of the month. THX on 33rd in Alberta. They

featured us in the Oregon leaf Magazine this month. So, you know, trying to, trying to, you

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featured us in the Oregon leaf Magazine this month. So, you know, trying to, trying to, you

know, brand us a little more and and let you know, let folks know us, about us. The leaf or the

leaf magazine is the we got about 700 and some dispensaries in the state, okay, Oregon, leaf,

you know, they, they're in about five, 600 of the of the stores, you know, I'm saying so, um,

yeah, we were featured as the retail of the month. Man, think, think thankful for that. Yeah, I

appreciate the love from them for that. Yeah, yeah. Feature, feature, feature, retail of the

month. Yeah.

Naeem Hall:

So is there something you could tell me people get wrong about running the cannabis industry?

:

Yeah, man, it's, I mean, people, people really think it's a money cow, right? Like, they don't

they, like, man, he's just making bread, man, you know, like, so it's just, it's, and it's, like,

earlier I was saying too, it's one of those industries, right? Like, you know, I we know a lot of

people that smoke, but it's not like a lot of it's, you still almost, people still almost got to hide

that they, you know, that they smoke, right? So everybody you not go treat a marijuana retail

store like you go treat a bar. Yeah, you know, I'm saying there's a difference. You know, people

go walk up in the bar freely, get their little drinks, and, yeah, the bar gonna be packed, but they

don't treat marijuana. Not seen like that yet. You know, I'm saying, even though it's, you know,

under the same rules, oil, cc's, but it's not, you know, it's treated differently, saying, like,

everybody can't come to my retail store, you know, you know, just because there's, there's

some community involvement, you know, they can't be seen like that, which is under. Good,

but it's, it's, so that's, that's what I mean by being different than the bar. You can still be, you

know, community leaders, and still go to bars and, yeah, your problem. But if they, but if they

go to the cannabis, it's an issue, really, for some people, it's an issue crazy, because, yeah,

there is way worse than we man, without question. You know that is gonna

:

get high, you're gonna go to sleep, I eat a bunch of shit, yeah,

:

and you might, and you go, feel a lot better. It's medicine. It's medicine. And crash and kill

somebody. Is medicine. It's medicine. So, but it's so that's, you know, to answer your question,

that's one of the things. And then, yeah, people think it's a money. You have to, you have to,

you have to put a lot of money into it, yeah, you know. And then, if you know anything about

the industry, it's a flooded industry here in Oregon, right? So, so it's, it's, you got to be, you

know, you got to be built the last everybody ain't there's, you know, I know a lot of people that

then bowed out because it become, it just became too much for them, you know. So there's a

lot of little stigmas, stigmas involved with the industry. And those are kind of like the main, you

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know, the main ones, it's not everybody, everybody not making money, everybody not

millionaires. So it ain't, it ain't fast money, you know, I'm saying most of the the industry is still

real. You know, it's always that gray area,

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buying gals and bagging up 10 sacks, no more,

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huh? So, and then it's still one of those industries that's in the gray area. Meaning, you know,

the black market still dominates a lot of what what we do is there still a big black market. Oh,

it's unbelievable, really, because they, you know, they don't, they don't, they don't they. They

want it that way, almost, you know, they make it seem like, they crack it down on it. They put

some bust in the in the paper every once in a while. But it's like, if you really wanted to do

something about it, you could do something about it. So that's, that's a that's a part of our

industry, too, because when we, when we grew up, and a lot of people still do it, we just, we

just buy from our neighborhood. We do, you know, we just go get our, you know, most, most

people don't even go to dispensaries, you know that, you know. So that's a, that's a market you

still compete with, you know. So, so what

Naeem Hall:

are there? I wonder what the I know we are buying. Like I said, much I buy some wheat every

now and then I'll buy eight for the last me, but three, four months, you buy from the

dispensary. Yeah, I buy it from dispensary. Yep, yep. So, yeah, so it's under I always wonder, I

wonder what the black market prices are these days.

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Yeah, you know, they go, you know, they, they go, be a little, not necessarily better, but you

know, you might get, I don't know, because I've been away from it for so long, too, but, but you

know, it's still there. It's still gonna say, because, you know, you know, I just should, I got

family. So it's, you know, understand that too, but it's like, so that's, so, that's still there, right?

So it's like, in order for, in order for, you know, retail stores to be really successful, you need,

you kind of have to tamper that a little bit, right? Because you just, you just, you just want it

controlled somewhat, I'm saying, but you know, shit, that's, you know, that's where we come

from, that's where, that's the industry I come from, so it's understood, yeah, but that's, that's

one of the, that's one of the problems. And it's not necessarily a problem, but it's one of the, it's

a problem. It is a problem. Yeah, like, you want to, yeah, you want to. And then, you know, we

just get taxed. They really almost treat us like, like, you know, other dope dealers, you know,

saying like. So it's a lot of things that need to be fixed with it. But when you if you think, if you

like, man, it's just money. Is money? Money, money, money. That's how they kind of, that's how

they treat everybody. And that's not the case for 90% of So,

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Naeem Hall:

yeah, got you what? What's the future for? Ta checks, anything exciting on the way? Yeah,

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man, I just mentioned it a little bit ago, but we're building building for the future, I'm saying. So

what I got is a tier two license for production. It allows me to grow up to 10,000 square feet of

flowering space, and I get 10,000 square feet of vegging space. So flower, you know, vegging is

when the plants growing, getting strong, getting healthy flower, and is when they go into

ight now, we're only at about:

our 10,000 square feet room to grow. So we growing so where we're also looking into

purchasing more retail stores. We want to be in every corner of Portland for the most part. You

know, we already in the north northeast. We want to be in the north, south, east, Southwest at

some point. So we want to we still. On, still looking out for those, for those, those type of

situations, because they come, it happens a lot now a lot of lot of people, you know, just

bowing out. It's a tough industry. I keep several so a lot of people is getting out of it because

it's not, it's not what it seems, you know, I'm saying so, but for us, like I told you, you know, we

built differently. I I understand, you know. So I ain't in no rush, you know? I ain't in no rush like

everybody else, for the most part, bro and and, and I'm not money motivated. I'm driven by

some completely different so it's like everybody. So money motivated us that ain't that ain't

gonna last, yeah, because you ain't gonna see it how you want to see it. So purpose. You gotta

have, you know, you gotta have a purpose. Man, so, um, yeah, so we're building for the future.

We want to be, we want to be, like I said, all throughout Portland. We want to be in other states

at some point. We want to, we want to really brand, THX, you know, like cookies and, you know,

we want to be nationwide, man, I know eventually in some other countries, you know, just, you

know, continue growth. Man, yeah, hell, I'm saying continue growth.

Naeem Hall:

Yeah, no, it's dope. Man, long as you're growing, man, you're doing something, yeah. So what

any advice you would give someone trying to break into the cannabis industry?

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Yeah? Just, uh, be right minded. You know, understand that everything in life takes time. You

know, I'm saying it's any anything that come fast. You don't want it, you know, saying you you

want to be able to, you want to, you want to be able to have some real struggles. I'm saying

you want to, you want to have some real adversity. You want to have some sleepless nights.

You know, I'm saying you just want to be to be it. It's a process. So anybody that's getting into

the industry, you have to understand that you got to be patient. You got to be patient, you got

to be willing to put in the work. You know. I'm saying, if you think about any real, you know,

profession, you know, doctors, athletes, cops, lawyers, years, years, years, decades. Man, you

gotta, you gotta, you gotta master what you trying to become, you know, so if you have the

patience and if you can understand that, you know, I would say, welcome to the game. I'm

always gonna help anybody that asks me for it. Yeah, in any way I'm saying. So everything is

better with a team, with a team, man, everything is better with a team. So, like I said, we're

worse that we're steadily building. We're gonna, I'm excited about being able to offer

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opportunities to our community at some point. So, yeah, just, you know, be patient. Be ready to

work your ass off. You know, understand that hard work really does pay off. It ain't no overnight

been, I've been growing since:

know. And, yeah, it's 2025, so you know. So you know that, that you know that fight, that

continued fight, is real. And if you can, and if you can, get over the mountain, you go, you go,

see a whole nother light, no saying, so,

Naeem Hall:

yeah, man, yeah, no, that's dope, man, we definitely been wanting

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a marijuana Show podcast. Yeah, you know, definitely That'd be dope, because it's putting

together. Yeah, you want to give people the knowledge, knowledge, because it's brand new,

yeah, as far as recreational world, it's brand new. So you want to, you want to educate the

people as much as you can, you know, saying, because most everybody's uneducated about

the marijuana industry, right? You know, I'm saying th THC, everybody want to know THC

numbers, right? That's not what you really if you really understand marijuana, you want to

know terpenes, Terp, you want to know the flavor and the taste that's gonna be smelling when

you hit it, because you'll be tasting THC. You can have some 13% THC, that gets you high as

fuck. But they think they need 30 why is that? It's an industry thing. It's one of those black,

black people run the industry. So when rappers talking about THC numbers, oh, we 30% that's

what they smoking. Oh, yeah, we need that 30% like, but that shit

39:36

ain't even really that good. It's

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good, but that ain't what gets you high. And would get you say you can have some 13% yes,

it'll get you hired in the 30% it's the terpenes. In her pace, terpenes. Terpenes is multiple

different flavors. It's the flavors and the smells and the coloring. And you know, I'm saying it's

the it's really what you're after. You want to know those numbers, because it's. A, it's a, it's a,

it's a, dot, you know it's a, you have to read the it's a lot of different steps, and where does

turkeys come from? That's just the flavor and taste of it. It's just part of this, part of the

marijuana plant, just like THC, man, so it's just, it's just part of it. But so I love that idea,

because once you educate and that's part of the that's why we don't put TAC numbers on our

weed, because you want to, you want to smell it, yeah, and then that's you want to smell it,

look at it. If you're a boutique, you buy you want it all shiny and sparkly, and then it smells

great. That's how you go purchase your weed. It's your senses. It's your senses telling you, this

is what, this is what I want, not a number. Yeah, I'm saying like we got some wedding pie that

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that took first place, one time that tested at 19% the other time it tested at 24% but it gets

you, get you high as hell. Yeah, I'm saying so. And then once you you smell that like, yeah, first

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place. Would you win? First place in No, the schools, free rolls. Free rolls. That's Oregon.

Growers cut we was the first time first entry winners ever in 10 years of the event. We was the

first time ever entering the event. First place winners.

Naeem Hall:

Elation, lace your boy with some first place winner shit here, y'all, if you know that's gold right

there,

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that's melted scoops, melted scoops, melted scoops, melted scoops. It's a cookies, genetic

cookies. Oh, gotcha now so, but yeah, we grew it the right way, took care of it and entered into

the contest and won first place, bro, first time ever entering. And we, we knocked it out the

park. So that's kind of what my hands tied behind my back. And it was once I get the gloves off,

it's everything get better. You know, I'm saying like we so, so, yeah, I'm excited about the

future. Man, just because for us, it's always continued growth. We want to be able to just

provide. Man, it's a, it's a lot of love that goes into being a grower. Young, saying, I still hand

water my plants. Most people do automated watering. I still touch everyone. Young, saying, so

it's a, it's a different type of situation. Bro, like our product always smell and taste great. I'm

saying, like, I don't, I don't even, I don't even smoke, nobody else, but no more, you know, I'm

saying, like, real, like, yeah, like, and I got, I got a lot of good buddies in the industry, and, but I

just, man, I just, I know, I know what I do. You know? I'm saying I know where it come from. So

that makes, you know, that's, that's a huge difference, yeah, and so, so

Naeem Hall:

what's the difference between indoor and outdoor? Do you grow indoor

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outdoor? We're all indoor. Okay, all indoors. So outdoor is just natural sunlight. You know? You

just go use the you just use the sun. Oh, no, no electricity bill.

42:59

That's the biggest factor. Yeah,

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no, no electricity bill, but, but the potency of the indoor product. It looks it's a better looking

product because you get this light on it 24 hours that doesn't change. The sunlight has different

these different spectrum you know, at four or five during the day, as hot as hell, yeah. And then

at night, you get a little bit of the spectrum. So when you have that consistency of indoor light

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on it the whole time, it'd be it makes it a little bit more, not, not even necessarily more potent.

It's a it's a better looking product, because you can, like, I see, you have outdoor weed, that

test, that 30% that have you blown you have some greenhouse, so greenhouses. So that's

initially what we had on the property, was two light depot greenhouses. I could literally hit a

button and it blacks out the whole greenhouse, or vice versa, hit the button and open it to get

sunlight. So that's green. So it's three different categories, indoor, greenhouse, outdoor,

outdoor sales for the cheapest greenhouse in the middle, indoor sales for the most. So that's

the way I learned, is indoor growing, right? So, outdoor growing. I mean, you got to deal with

bugs and mold and rain and or, you know, it rained like crazy, you know, saying so you can't,

you can't end the indoor you can build and you can control the environment. Yeah, I could

control the environment from my own, humidity, CO two, light, temperature, gas. I can control

it. I'm saying. So if I hit my phone and be like, Oh, this room is too high, yeah, I just hit a button

and it turns it off or turns it on, yeah? So it's just a controlled environment gotcha, instead of

dealing with outdoor whereas you can't, you can't compete with Mother Nature. Yeah, you

can't. She's undefeated,

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man. So that's so, that's the that's the biggest difference as far as and it's just a better looking

product because the consistency of the lights on, it's a whole time.

45:00

Name indoor. I

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mean, not indoor indica, indica, the indica Eva, sativa and hybrids is they all grown differently.

They grow them, they all they're all grown the same. That's just the actual um. Indica is a is a

heavier hitter. You know, sativa is the one that's kind of uppity. You can still kind of work and

be active hybrid. Most marijuana now is hybrids, meaning it got indica and sativa in it. So shit,

100% of the shit we grow now there's real it's hard to find 100% indicas now, or 100% sativa

was always:

that's that. Once you buy the genetic you it's, that's part of you'll know it, it'll tell you if it's a

hybrid. And most of them are fall, most, most, the stuff people grow in Oregon is on the indica

side. Everybody want to get high as hell. You know I'm saying. So they want this heavy indicas.

I

Naeem Hall:

don't even like getting high, like, I mean, I don't like getting loaded. I like to get high. I don't

want to get loaded.

:

I love that. That's, yeah, you just want to be high. You want to be able to know this deal. Yeah,

I love that. That's, yeah, you just want to be high. You want to be able to know this deal. Yeah,

you know so well. Young knuckleheads still want that, but it's like, but it's, I love that idea that

you mentioned before, for a lot of reasons, and mainly just to educate our community, because

you don't need to just, you know, I'm saying it's you want to be high, but understand, you

know, why you want to be high, and it ain't you, don't you looking for the wrong thing, you

know, I'm saying, like, so it's just, education is important, yeah, and it'll be, and it being a new

industry for us, it's kind of good to start off in the right way, you know, saying you don't want

these, all these different ideas about it, and then find out later that, oh, this is not really what it

is, yeah. And I'm saying, so I love that idea for a lot of reasons. Yeah, oh, that's tight. So yeah,

we most definitely, most definitely want to be a part of that. Or, yeah, definitely won't get a

part of that, man, that, and That'd be dope. Like, that's something that that's needed. I think

it'd take off, you know, saying that you get some nice audience with it. You can, because, you

know, NFL, NBA players, all of them can, they can legally use marijuana now. They could lead,

they can support marijuana companies now, you know, so and they the ones that really need it.

The athlete is the one that really need the medicine to to get away from the other things, yeah?

So, um, yeah, it's just understanding that that's crucial. It's crucial for our community. Man,

because our community go through so many aches and pains, I'm saying, and if they just

understood, if I go get this lotion,

47:37

yeah, somebody and peel.

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Man, you know so, so, you know, we marijuana is the industry. We're up against it. Man, it's

because it's, it's a way bigger picture. I'm saying it's a way bigger picture, right? You know,

you're dealing with, you're dealing with billion dollar companies that don't like, I don't like

people like us growing the idea, bro, like the real medicine from the earth. Well, you see, I'm

saying, so it's warm. I don't like it, man, it's a way, it's a way, bigger picture. So that's why I say

only the strong. So you gotta, if you do it for the right reasons, if you, if you do it for the right

reasons, you go make it, yeah, you do it for that. And I didn't I didn't seen it. I'm experiencing it

every day, yeah? Like, if you doing it for the right reasons, you gonna make it. I didn't seen a

lot of people just bow out because they was in it for the wrong reasons. Yeah, it ain't what you

think it is, if your heart ain't there. Like, I'm one of the few owners and growers they know

everybody that own it, the difference gang color and they just own it. They hire growers. I'm

saying 98% you know, say Ain't nobody the owner and the grower. Or, you know, I'm saying

like, so, you know, that makes us different. Yeah, most of the owners don't have nothing to do.

They just own it. They got the money, so they own it, and they hired growers to do all their

work.

Naeem Hall:

So, man, that make a lot of sense. That's kind of why I started my podcast. At first. I was the,

you know, like podcast owner studio, but I'm like, Man, probably should have my own damn

podcast, you know. But for me, it was tough. I'm an introvert. I'm not a big talker, you know, my

people, everybody see my shit now. Oh, you talk.

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That's like, you are quieter than me. Yeah, I was, you know, so

Naeem Hall:

good for me. Man, open up, and let's share a little bit of my journey and help some other

people. Man, like you said, being in it for the right reasons. Man, so podcasting is really just

marketing advertising. Man, so it's all about creating brand visibility, yeah, get in front of

people. And so content creation, you know, you gotta have content. Gotta have content. It's

becoming a utility. Gotta have a podcast daily doing something. You gotta have a podcast, you

know, because, like I said, You. Gonna give you a chance to create your content, yeah. Man,

but how do people find you? Where's the store located at?

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Man, we're right in the heart of the city. Man, Alberta district, right at the end 33rd in Alberta.

Cool, little black building. Yeah, we there. Man, we, we there. We ain't going nowhere. We, we

patient. When, when, when you ready. We go be there for you, and we go provide. We go

provide what you need. And also, I'm, you know, I'm, I'm one of those people that I want to

know when something is wrong. Like, I give me all the criticism in the world, man, you need

this. You need that. You gotta have this. Like, yeah, yeah. Don't hate just, it's making make

sense, you know, say I take it back and make some changes, you know. Said I ain't mad at it,

like, I ain't perfect. Yeah, I'm still learning how to be as we're still learning how to be a business,

man. I'm still learning how to run a business, you know. I'm saying, like, um, so I AIN'T NOBODY

perfect. I'll take, I'll take it all. Don't give, you know, I ain't gonna take it in the wrong way.

That's what I'm saying. Don't, don't, don't hold something back because you're like, Man, I don't

want to upset you. Not give it to me. How you gonna give it to me? And we'll figure it out, you

know, we'll figure it out later. But we not perfect. We want to. We want to. We want to know

what you want, what you need at our store. We want to know if something is wrong. We want

to know if something is off. But, um, yeah, we, you know, 33rd in Alberta. Man, we here. We

here for the community. We here for the community.

Naeem Hall:

Man, so make sure y'all follow at, Thx. 33rd on Instagram, the website, the highest

expectation.com. Yes sir. Man, y'all make sure y'all go and check them out. Appreciate you

coming through on me, brother, I appreciate, I appreciate you having me. Man, we only say

that don't get down to the to grow up. Man, we gonna do that. Man, we need to. We get

together and, man, put, put a plan in motion to get a podcast going. Yeah, that'd be dope. I

think the marijuana is so much. I think it's easy way to find sponsorships for a marijuana show,

because it goes, you can go into all the parts you know, the growing, the growing people, you

know, so many tools and so many, you know I'm saying, so I believe we can find some spots.

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It strains. This strains alone, yes, like, it's a lot of content, yeah, so a lot of good content, man.

And then for us to be doing that with, with us, being us, is different. Man, I'm saying like you,

we had a meet the plug event with Miss Oregon. Yeah, I met some, met some cool people from

LA, you know, big music producers and Mr. Official from Atlanta, you know, like, they, those

dudes, man, they, they didn't even want to lead a farm, because they was like, man. It was like

a brother never seen no shit like that. They like this. It was like, man, we just want to stay here

for a little bit. You know, I'm saying like, so that that That's huge. That's huge because it's not a

lot like you, like you said earlier, I know other people that own retails, but I'm almost 100%

that. I'm the only black person in the whole state of Oregon that owns three licenses. Owns

three

Naeem Hall:

licenses, yeah. Like, out of your mother, yeah, and always tell people, man, it's tight to see

people you grew up with as we got older, man, and see them find their lane and do their thing

and see do what they doing. Man, so yeah, that's always dope, man, and to get them in here.

Man, said, Yeah,

:

chop it up. And I love what you doing. I love what you doing some shit. Man, I was excited. I

was excited to get in here and chop it up with you, bro. So, yeah, this, this is the first, but it

most definitely ain't the last. Yeah,

Naeem Hall:

and then, before we get out of here, I'm gonna play my, my, my spotlight video. I popped up

over there earlier and got some footage. And, you know, turn the screen around for them see it

will. Video I put together this week's spotlight organ grown by Portland's own the highest

expectation your go to cannabis dispensary, new store hours, 10am to 10pm Monday through

Sunday. Summer deals all summer long, on top shelf, premium flower plus family and friends

are available. So pull up to:

Speaker 3 54:11

northeast, 33rd Avenue, right on the corner of 33rd and Alberta, and don't forget to follow the

map. Thx 33rd for exclusive updates, discounts and deals, just say THX and experience the

difference.

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Yeah, man, it's tight. Man, I appreciate you. Man, all love

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:

you. Already alone. Man, it's tired, sir. Yes, sir, that's

Naeem Hall:

it, man. Y'all make sure. Y'all go um, tap in on the tap in. That's my my bro seasoning would

say, tap in on the tap in. Smash that subscribe button. Tell a friend to tell a friend to like, share

e at GMP podcast studio. Man,:

East Burnside Street, right here in Portland, Oregon. Man, Portland's number one podcast

studio. I don't know if there's any other black dome podcast studios. It's only a couple podcast

studios that I learned is a lot of them are production studios where they started in music, but

now they offer podcasting here, we're podcast studio. So we do podcasting here, you know? So

that's, that's, that's what separates us. And so getting into some more, like I said, I got to get

my mother stuff going. I got a podcast guy special going, man coming. I'm trying to get more

people in here to do live shows. Um, we got the done for you. I mean, if you just, if you got a

budget, and you, you just need to come someone to do it all for you. Man, we could do it all for

you. Um, and then, of course, we got the studio rentals. Man, then you can rent it by the hour.

So, yeah, we just down here. Man, trying to do it right. Not trying. We doing it right. You know,

I'm saying, so come see us. Man, GMP podcast studios. Man, yes, sir.

:

Strict, done coaching. Man, strict, done coaching. Finally. Man, he was out, came back for the

year.

56:10

Yeah, you kill it. Yeah.

:

I appreciate y'all tuning in to another episode of the thorn city center kids spotlight show,

where we network and build connections, interviews and discussions, until next time I like your

boy going city podcast guy, I'm out.

56:30

You remind me of a man.

56:32

You

About the Podcast

Show artwork for Thorn City Spotlight Show
Thorn City Spotlight Show
Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Remembered. Spotlighting creators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders whose stories deserve to be seen and heard.

About your host

Profile picture for Na'eem Hall

Na'eem Hall

Na'eem Hall Founder of Thorn City Syndicate management company, GMP Podcast Group project manager. I’m responsible for overseeing and coordinating all aspects of podcast production projects ensuring that podcast episodes are successfully planned, executed,
and delivered on time effectively. Managing
the entire production process, from planning
to promotion, which includes conceptualization, branding, launch, pre-production, recording, upload distribution, and the creation of social media promotion graphics.