HONEYSUCKLE MEDIA
Honeysuckle Media is a digital and print publication and platform, focusing on high-concept stories across cannabis, global issues, and culture. Founder Ronit Pinto says, “We produce omnichannel content for our partners in print, digital, out of home, ad tech, events, and operate a 3x Clio Award-winning creative studio, Honeysuckle Studios, which specializes in video, film, and multimedia branded content.”
Honeysuckle’s print magazine cover stories, centered around cultural and artistic icons, have featured Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, Damian Marley, Alan Cumming, Mobb Deep’s Havoc, Kirsten Dunst, Erykah Badu and more. Most of these artists were photographed by Ronit’s partner and creative director Sam C. Long.
Founder Profile: Who Is Honeysuckle Media Founder Ronit Pinto?
Ronit Pinto is the publisher and founder of Honeysuckle Media and Honeysuckle Studios. She began the platform in Detroit and is now based in New York. Ronit has spearheaded Honeysuckle’s landmark campaigns, including the first international Indigenous cannabis collaboration, Times Square’s first psychedelics-themed billboard with DoubleBlind Magazine, and NYC’s first official Indigenous Peoples Day billboard campaign. Among other honors, she received the 2022 Women in Media Leadership Award from Green Market Report, and has been named one of Industry ERA’s 10 Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs and an AMNY Cannabis Industry Power Player consecutively in 2023 and 2024.
Among its numerous achievements, Honeysuckle was granted two New York State government awards, including a New York Assembly Citation Award for “significant contribution to the culture and community of New York City,” and a Senate Award for a progressive stance on socioeconomic issues. Through the brand’s reportage, they have contributed to incarcerated citizens’ release in California and Georgia, the latter including a full acquittal of charges, together with Ronit’s work with activist Shawanna Vaughn of non-profit Silent Cry and journalist Kalyn Womack.
Ronit has been a featured speaker on global-facing platforms including SXSW, Microsoft’s Disruptive Startups Summit, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo, and many others.
Honeysuckle was born from Ronit’s vision to create a platform that merged the crafts of film and journalism, and amplified voices not usually heard in traditional media. Since 2013, Ronit has written, directed and produced many of her own short films and music videos, which have been showcased on national and international stages, as well as having worked on many big-budget films with filmmakers such as Wes Craven, Michael Bay, and Jim Jarmusch.
What Makes Honeysuckle Media Unique?
Honeysuckle is considered unique in the world of media, as a female-founded and internationally scaled platform. The brand is distinguished by the team’s boots-on-the-ground reportage, combined with striking visuals, which has been lauded by industry thought leaders and consumers alike. They connect with authentic communities, using local vendors and hosting educational panels on topics including art and fashion, gender and sexuality, prison reform, and the evolution of media.
From their quarterly print editions, which have been showcased at events including Cannes Film Festival, SXSW, and MJBizCon (the world’s largest cannabis conference), to celebrity photography, innovative video shoots, and outstanding design, Honeysuckle continues to pioneer culture, business, science and politics.
In your journey, what challenges did you overcome to reach your current position, and how did you overcome them?
“I reached my current position by never quitting,” Ronit says. “Anyone who opens their own business or creates their own work as an independent artist or entrepreneur will face numerous challenges and obstacles. It’s up to you to see them through. No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you move forward that matters.
One obvious challenge was starting a print and digital publication that evolved into the cannabis industry years before it was legal in NYC. But here we are! Other obstacles included placing cannabis billboards in Times Square for the first time in history and overcoming legal and creative challenges.”
At one point, Honeysuckle was even barred from sending magazines to a correctional institution in Washington State (one of the first states to legalize cannabis) because they believed that the brand’s educational publication “promoted the cultivation of a federally illegal substance.”
“We create engaging narratives through highly curated video, print and digital content,” Ronit continues. “We construct innovative campaigns that work to normalize subjects like plant medicine and sexuality. We share the firsthand accounts of those who feel ‘outside’ society, from people living in conflict zones to the current and formerly incarcerated. Our collaborations range from projects with major entertainment companies such as Young Money to those with nonprofits like Last Prisoner Project and Silent Cry Inc. We are excited to keep growing and spotlighting authenticity in the ways that align with our vision of freedom.”
Kindly share your leadership quote.
“Don’t complain, and don’t explain,” Kate Moss” If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I?”
Ronit adds, “We have recently been incorporating more global issues into our content advocating for more unity and peace. Various groups traditionally conflict working together. We look forward to facilitating nuanced and respectful dialogue between fractured demographics.”
