Andrew Ward, Director of Strategy and Operations at PufCreativ – Interview Series

Covering cannabis from a journalistic perspective is unlike covering any other field. Traditional beats—such as law, politics, economics, and business—apply more than ever as the American cannabis industry rapidly expands. The many facets of cannabis journalism offer incredibly unique topics to cover; over time, they can even provide deep insight into the distinct marketing and advertising struggles that cannabis brands face.

To take a closer look at how cannabis journalism has evolved alongside this industry expansion—and to explore how crucial effective SEO strategies are for brands with limited advertising opportunities—mycannabis.com sat down with Andrew Ward, Director of Strategy and Operations at PufCreativ.

So what topics did you study at Montclair State, and which courses proved most useful to your journalism and copywriting career in retrospect?

I was a creative writing major while at Montclair. The most useful courses weren’t actually so much on the writing side but the approach to being a writer, or just a professional in general. There have been a lot of times I look back on my time in college and wonder if I really should have gone. In the years since, I’ve come to realize that I probably could have learned how to be a writer through a few internships and apprenticeships rather than a four-year degree. But one professor will always help justify my attending college, and that is Dr. Ross Gay. 

I don’t want to misspeak his story, but it seems like the college brought him in to teach what he is an expert at, which is poetry. But they also assigned him to teach some creative nonfiction classes. And in real time, I got to see him course correct when it looked like the school assigned him to teach creative nonfiction. His choice to teach poetry in that class slot probably upset a few people, but it taught me something immense. That experience really helped me understand that sometimes companies aren’t going to treat the worker the way they should, and you have to stand up for yourself, otherwise you’re always going to get walked on. 

How did serving at 90.3 WMSC-FM increase your understanding of broadcast journalism and storytelling? What is so special about working at a college radio station?

It’s kind of the same thing as my thoughts on attending college overall. I don’t think I really learned a ton about being a journalist or a storyteller while working in radio. I think it once again taught me that even though certain professions and college advisors will tell you you need a journalism degree to become a journalist, that isn’t actually the case. If you study and put effort into it, there are often additional avenues to reach your goals.

Instead, my time at WMSC really taught me that I have the capabilities to run a team. In my junior year, I was elected to serve as the operations manager for the station. That ended up being a crucial role in a year where there was a lot of transition in the organization. Working alongside some of my E-board colleagues and some of the veteran DJs showed me how important it is to manage people and their needs while also pushing agendas forward.

Aside from my fiction endeavors, working at WMSC was probably one of the most enjoyable experiences in my life. I got to play Underground Music for 3 hours a week, setting the terms for how I wanted my show to play out. that gave me a lot of creative freedom which included using YouTube for clips and songs, as well as finding unique ways to fit a five-piece band into a 6×10 CD room for a live on air set. My only regret from that period was not spending more of my free time at WMSC. 

When did you begin covering cannabis from a journalistic perspective? What were the first cannabis-related stories and events that you reported on?

I started in 2017 after getting laid off from a non-cannabis startup. I spent a couple weeks trying to freelance in the tech and other emerging sectors. I soon found out that I didn’t have the passion for those spaces, nor was the market interested in freelancing as much as I had hoped. That’s when I came across an interview with Dave Grohl, who reminded me that I should find something I love and find someone who is willing to pay me for that thing I love. I happened to hear that while I was smoking a bowl and had my laptop open with Microsoft (MSFT ) Word on it. Life sometimes serendipitously happens like that. 

I honestly don’t remember some of the first stories I covered. I would assume it was some of my coverage of the New York cannabis scene, as well as some culture articles for places like Cannabis Culture. I’d love to give you some more specifics, but that part of the journey is a bit of a blur right now.

How did the type of cannabis-related articles and stories you wrote change over the years as cannabis became more legal and regulated? Did you begin to cover some subjects more than others?

I found myself shifting away from cannabis culture into more business and politics as the years went on. I enjoyed this for the most part, especially the political side of the conversation. However, it did feel like the spirit and ethos of the cannabis industry was being replaced by corporate news, which sometimes teetered on puff pieces. 

Still, no matter what I was covering, I always tried to find time to get back to covering the two issues that I felt were most important to the spirit of the cannabis movement, which was freeing all non-violent cannabis offenders and advocating for home grow. That work rarely paid the bills. The corporate and business coverage did. I felt the advocacy side waning in the final years of my journalism career because the market simply wasn’t funding it, and that shift in what got covered and what got compensated eventually pushed me toward operations.

What stories did you cover for Rolling Stone in particular, and why do you feel like it’s a major milestone as a journalist to have your work in such an iconic publication?

I mostly did non-cannabis branded content work for Rolling stone. I have one or two bylines to my name, with the most significant being an update to the state by state cannabis regulations I did a few years back. I loved writing for Rolling Stone and would definitely love the opportunity to get more bylines there but that ultimately didn’t happen. Still they were a great team and I would love to work with them again anytime.

How does your experience as a journalist and with running AWARD Creative Content give you a better understanding of your role at PufCreativ and the sometimes very specific needs of the clients?

By the time I was ready to come in house, the role at Puf essentially asked me to perform all of the tasks I was doing as a freelancer, which is way more than just writing. 

If you have ever freelanced, you probably know that that also entails your core service as well as business development, time tracking, invoice tracking, and numerous other aspects of business management. With those skills under my belt, I’ve been able to walk into Puf and perform my duties while also growing as a professional, thanks to the stellar leadership and colleagues I’ve been able to work with over the past year or so.

What are some of your regular and lesser-known duties as Director of Strategy and Operations? How has that role changed since you first started?

Strategy and operations is a pretty wide umbrella. I have a set list of goals I’d like to achieve each week, month, and quarter, but the role changes rather often. So while I may have a deck full of internal operations work one week, client needs may pop up, or I may need to help resolve some team bandwidth issues or other business concerns. 

At this point, the role is a lot of fun for me in that I am alternating between tasks and services on a new daily basis. That’s the kind of work I’ve always looked for, where my brain is balancing tasks across marketing, creation, operations, strategy, and much more. The role continues to evolve, and I love it. It’s helping me grow into a more capable leader in business and as a people manager. I’m very excited to see where it will go from here.

Even with the many issues that arise from advertising on platforms like Google, why is proper SEO utilization so crucial for cannabis businesses across all markets?

For most cannabis brands, SEO remains one of, if not the only, options that they can utilize to be seen online. With many traditional means still currently restricted, brands have to utilize means like SEO to capture audience attention and build brand recognition. 

It goes beyond SEO as well. Today, brands need to know how to show up in AI searches and other AI-centric queries. Much of that success is going to be built off of understanding SEO best practices. So it all comes back to proper SEO utilization regardless. If a brand doesn’t want to go down that route, they don’t have many other compliant avenues to tap into, unfortunately.

What journalistic subjects (law, politics, economics, advocacy) will be most important to continue covering as the American cannabis industry expands?

Pragmatically speaking, the most important are going to be politics, law, and economics. Most brands are looking to make money and stay compliant, and those verticals are going to be the central hubs for the news they want to follow. 

I would love to say advocacy and culture are going to be a part of the equation, and I think there are some great publications that are covering them well. That said, I would love to see more focus on the culture and advocacy side of things, but they don’t generate clicks and money as much as controversy does.

As someone who’s covered all aspects of cannabis for years, what do you think are the biggest changes that the partial federal rescheduling will bring to both the cannabis industry and the clients’ needs at PufCreativ? Do you think the DEA registration process will be an added layer of troublesome regulation, or a new pathway to increased legalization?

I think the whole conversation around rescheduling has shown that there is a virtually unlimited supply of political and financial hot takes out there. Many of which are from the same people I interviewed over the past few years, with quite a few of those predictions not coming to fruition. 

That probably sounds cynical or like I’m full of sour grapes. Be that as it may, be careful of everyone’s opinion, especially when politics or finances are involved. That applies to cannabis and far beyond. 

All that aside, I’m trying to look at things a bit more optimistically. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum of the current administration, it’s clear that money is the driving factor behind just about every decision, and cannabis is a cash cow. 

So, while I do think the ethical side of legalization is going to continue falling by the wayside, I expect to see some business-friendly processes and policies put in place. Because, at the end of the day, America loves money and cannabis is going to generate tons of it regardless of its legal status. 

Thank you for joining us, Andrew! For more information on PufCreativ, please visit its website.