Gia Morón: The Strategist Talks The Talk

Gia Morón is widely regarded as one of the industry’s leading public
relations and communications executives, and for good reason. Always a step
ahead, Morón brings a dynamic perspective, an outlook that’s been shaped by
her impressive career both in and outside of cannabis.

As founder and CEO of GVM Communications, Morón expanded her firm’s work
into cannabis and hemp a decade ago, a choice she credits to her time in
the financial sector that taught her to be on the lookout for trends and
forecasts—to be prepared and always look ahead. This mindset has helped her
not only grow her clients’ companies; it’s also helped her advance cannabis
reform and set the stage for more business opportunities on a larger scale.

“I believe my company is able to be a valuable contributor to the direction
of how we see the industry going, but in doing that, we have to support the
businesses to get there,” she says.

And Morón’s clients aren’t the only ones who’ve recognized just how much
they can achieve together. In 2016, she joined Women Grow, the largest
professional network for women in cannabis and hemp. She went on to serve
as the group’s president from 2019-23 and formed a free Cannabis Business
Summit Series with Emmanuel Baptist Church in New York City—an initiative
aimed to educate and engage her local community in cannabis and one that
she still operates under GVM Communications.

While Morón’s business acumen is apparent, perhaps equally impressive is
her congenial nature and ability to communicate effectively with key
stakeholders across industries. She’s worked closely with federal and state
agencies, higher education institutions, community organizers and more. The
list goes on, and it’ll be exciting to see where it goes from here.

*What’s GVM Communications all about?*

GVM Communications is really my initials, but it stands for “Great Visions
and Minds Communicating.” That’s the breadth of what I believe we bring to
our clients. We add value by helping them see beyond what they can see for
themselves as a business, which is why it was always important for me to
remain working outside the cannabis industry as well.

*How did you get into the cannabis sector? *

I launched my company on 4/20 in 2012 and this was before knowing I would
enter the cannabis initiative. I started hearing conversations around
cannabis, and my past education taught me this is something I need to pay
attention to. It was actually one of my colleagues who said, “Instead of
going after a license for retail or cultivation, why don’t you offer the
services you currently provide for your other clients?” And so that’s
exactly what I did.

*How has your work outside cannabis helped your weed clients the most?*

Because as the industry continues to evolve, clients are becoming more
sophisticated. Cannabis companies looking to go public benefit from having
someone like me who’s comfortable working with investor relations,
preparing for earnings, or doing any of the things that publicly traded
businesses would have to do. Having my foot in cannabis as well as outside
of the industry allows me to remain plugged into what’s happening within
the mainstream that I believe I will see in the cannabis industry. It’s
proven right so far.

*What have you learned by being in both the cannabis and mainstream
sectors? *

There’s a natural intersection. Eventually someone is going to ask, “How do
we set weight into a more mainstream setting?” This is no different than
asking how traditional markets enter the cannabis industry.
[image: Gia Moron speaking]Morón speaks at the Business of Cannabis
Conference.

*You guide your clients in strategy and marketing as well?*

Absolutely. And I love crisis communications. I come from financial
services—I get a thrill out of working on crisis, and I can tell you, you
cannot operate in the cannabis industry and not expect a crisis, so it’s a
sweet spot for us. But what I get most excited about is the strategy part
because there’s so much innovation that happens within this space.

*What kind of cannabis clients do you have? *

I’ve worked with plant-touching as well as ancillary businesses. We’ve had
clients that have been in the canna-tech space; I’ve worked with
dispensaries and cultivation. About four companies have gone public. What I
love about my clients is that, while they do need our services, I’m also
learning so much from them. One of our clients, Leafwell, I’m excited by
them because while the everyday person would see them as a patient
registration company, they’re so much more than that. They provide
phenomenal research, which I think is instrumental to the industry.

*As the industry matures, how is the message around cannabis? *

I do believe I have a professional responsibility to help this industry
grow. As a communications professional, I feel like my role goes beyond
just my clients, but it should go to my community as well. Overall, I want
to continue dismantling the stigma around cannabis and helping people
understand that cannabis is medicine and even when consumed socially, how
is that any different than alcohol, which is far more damaging, right?

*What would you say has been your career highlight in cannabis?*

I think just being smart enough to come into an industry that many
feared—entering early because I feel like I’m growing with the industry.
Having the opportunity to be a part of early conversations and applying my
professional expertise from traditional industries to cannabis. That’s
where I’m proud—to see some of the work I’m doing behind the scenes really
grow and evolve.

*What advice would you offer other women and people of color who are
interested in pursuing a cannabis career?*

For my whole career, I’ve always been the only person of color in the room,
and that to me isn’t an achievement. It’s my responsibility to continue
inviting more people who look like me, who have my experience, my
background, who come from where I come from, and to say, “Yes, you can
enter an industry like this too. You can be in the rooms like this.” None
of this is limited to just me.

*What keeps you motivated to get up and go to work every day? To keep
“fighting the good fight,” if you will. *I love the strategy, I do. It’s
honestly what inspires me to continue working in the industry. To continue
to be innovative in this industry, we must constantly think about the
content we’re bringing to the audience. It’s not just the present-day
challenges and successes, but it’s also looking at the future. It goes back
to my days of financial services—what’s the trend, what’s the outlook? We
must continue to push as an industry, to be innovative, to really think
about the subject matters that not only matter to date, but that will
matter in the next five to ten years

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