If you want people to watch a short film about your product, you hire Spike Jonze. The legendary filmmaker behind “Her” and “Being John Malkovich” started as an in-demand music video director in the 1990s, working with a variation of iconic artists including Kanye West, The Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire, R.E.M. Beck, and more. He’s taken a recent turn into directing short films with celebrities that act as branded content for various companies.
MedMen, one of the biggest names in cannabis, took notice and recruited Jonze to direct such a short film featuring “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jesse Williams, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jonze and Williams were seen last week in Los Angeles shooting for the project.
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Here’s what Hollywood Reporter found out about the premise of the film:
Little is known about the short film aside from this basic plot: The project chronicles the history of cannabis in America from the pre-prohibition era through today. MedMen is often referred to as “the Apple of weed,” and the company maintains 19 licensed locations in California, New York, Nevada, Florida and Arizona, per its website.
Previously, Jonze has memorably partnered with Margaret Qualley for fashion house Kenzo, FKA Twigs for Apple’s HomePod, and Idris Elba for Squarespace. We were big fans of the bonkers Qualley-Jonze production, so our hopes are high for the MedMen production.
MedMen found itself in hot water this month following allegations from former CFO James Parker, who claimed higher-ups at the company used racially inappropriate slurs and demeaning language to Parker. He also alleges the company asked him to engage in shady business practices and went behind his back in searching for a new CFO.
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“These are baseless claims and we’ll defend ourselves vigorously in court,” MedMen spokesman Daniel Yi said.
However, these allegations were serious enough for the New York Cannabis Industry Association to sever ties with the company. MedMen, with its “Apple Store Of Weed” on Fifth Ave., has firmly established itself in the New York market in recent years. A short film from Spike Jonze will surely help rehabilitate MedMen’s image, though how the company responds to these allegations will be more important for its brand moving forward.
