2017 Azbee Awards of Excellence
Category
Overall Excellence > Magazine of the Year > Less Than $3 Million Revenue
Awarded to
Jim Gilbride, Group Publisher; Noelle Skodzinski, Editor in Chief; Brian MacIver, Associate Editor; Jim Blayney, Art Director; Katelyn Boyden, Graphic Designer
Entry details
Magazine of the Year
Issue date (if applicable):
Publication name: Cannabis Business Times
Publishing company: GIE Media
Website home page: http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com
Please describe the publication's mission and readership:
Cannabis Business Times' mission is to provide state-legal cannabis cultivation businesses with strategic information, news and legislative updates and analysis that help them more effectively and profitably run their businesses, from both a cultivation and business perspective, and navigate a brand-new, high risk, and uniquely challenged industry. We serve a range of business types, from small outdoor grows in the highly unregulated California market to large-scale grows in states with advance medical marijuana programs and/or adult-use laws (for recreational cannabis). Our readers also range from cultivators/head growers, who may or may not also be the business owners, to investors and business owners, who have little or no cultivation background. We strive to provide articles, case studies/profiles and interviews that ensure our coverage serves our entire audience.
Please describe the enterprising work that went into this entry and its significance or impact on readers:
Due to the federally illegal status of marijuana and this being a brand-new industry, Cannabis Business Times' (CBT) faces more challenges than many magazines in serving its audience, and our audience faces unprecedented challenges, such as lack of access to banking. Many state-legal cultivators remain wary of being interviewed by the media, making it challenging for staff and freelance writers to secure interviews. Regulations are constantly changing, making that another challenge for our editorial coverage and the businesses we serve. CBT has aimed to serve as an extremely professional business magazine for cultivators, whether through our editorial, design or advertising, and we have tried to differentiate ourselves in the market by avoiding the "marijuana culture" image and less professional magazines that serve our audience and/or the cannabis industry as a whole. We aim to help advance the industry and lend an air of professional legitimacy to the business, and serve as an example of professionalism to our readers and the communities in which they operate. With the official print launch in Nov. 2015, we had our first full year of publishing in 2016, and gained tremendous traction in the industry, with reader studies showing that CBT already is the most respected and valued magazine in the industry. We receive letters from readers constantly thanking us for our publication and valuable information. In such a flegdling industry, where many businesses are struggling to survive and gain a foothold, practical, how-to information is sorely needed. This is what we provide.
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Magazine of the Year
Category
Overall Excellence > Magazine of the Year > Less Than $3 Million Revenue
Description
Publication name:
Cannabis Business Times
Company:
GIE Media
Winner Status
- Magazine of the Year Top 10 Award
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