Pablo Velez, Founder of Flower Daddy – Interview Series

Given the rapid expansion of the cannabis sector in New York City and the plant’s inherent link to creativity, it is no surprise that the industry is leveraging the Big Apple’s immense artistic talent. A prime example of this crossover is Pablo Velez, a former advertising executive turned cannabis entrepreneur, who is now the Founder of Flower Daddy, a popular dispensary in Williamsburg.

What were the main subjects and concepts in advertising and graphic design that you studied while receiving your BFA from the School of Visual Arts? Which lessons became the most useful throughout your career?

Getting into SVA was one of the hardest things I had done up to that point, and once I got in, it didn’t get easier. It was the most demanding environment I had ever been in. I was sitting in classrooms with people who had come from all over the world, all incredibly talented, all fighting to be the best. There was no hand-holding. You either figured it out or you didn’t.

What SVA really taught me was how to think. In advertising classes especially, the idea came first, always. No one taught us how to use photoshop or illustrator. You were expected to learn that on your own. What mattered was the concept. If you could explain it clearly on a piece of paper and your professor and other students believed in it, then it was on you to figure out how to make it real.

That process fundamentally shaped me. I learned how to problem-solve mentally before touching anything physical. I learned how to look at a problem from a thousand different angles and push until the best solution revealed itself. That mindset never left me. Whether I’m building a brand, directing a campaign, or opening a cannabis dispensary under one of the most complex regulatory frameworks in the country, I approach everything the same way: concept first, execution second. That brain training from SVA still runs the show for me.

What interested you about the world of advertising and making unique graphics for globally recognized brands?

Honestly, I still pinch myself that people pay me to have ideas. Growing up, I bounced through odd jobs. Nothing felt like me until I discovered advertising. So the idea that my job became observing culture, studying visuals, and translating ideas into messages for brands felt unreal. It was the only thing that let me mix art, business, technology, culture, and everything in between.

Advertising was where all my interests collided. But what really hooked me was the challenge of communicating something meaningful in an unconventional way. It was finding unexpected ways to talk to people. The challenge of speaking truth to culture, turning abstract thoughts into something visual that resonates. You’re influencing how people feel, move, and think, sometimes in just a few seconds.

I’m deeply curious by nature, and advertising rewarded that curiosity. Every brand, every product, every audience required a different approach. It kept me sharp. It still does.

Who were some of the brands you worked with, and how did your duties change depending on the product type?

I’ve been lucky enough to work with a wide range of brands in all industries. From Smirnoff to Budweiser, from McDonald’s to REI, and even Microsoft. But one project that feels like a highlight reel in one sentence is the Budweiser Made in America Festival with Jay-Z. That wasn’t just a campaign, it was a world. From early concepts to commercials, from brand storytelling to filming the event on the ground. It was massive, high-stakes, and very real-world. There were no safety nets. You had to perform.

Working with alcohol brands taught me something I literally use every day in cannabis: creativity within constraints. Alcohol advertising has tons of rules, where you can show people, what you can say, how you say it. You learn to push the boundaries without breaking them. That skill translates directly to building a compliant but culturally relevant cannabis brand in New York.

I often ended up on celebrity-adjacent, high-profile projects, I feel it was because I didn’t get star struck and worked my butt off. Being from another country, you show up to do your job and sometimes I didn’t realize how big these celebrities were, I was just there to do my job. JAY Z, Rihanna, Patty LaBelle, Kaley Cuoco, Anthony Anderson, Terry Bradshaw , the names are fun, but the work is what stayed with me.

What were some massively successful or otherwise memorable campaigns you worked on? What stood out about them?

Made in America isn’t just a great memory, it was an education. What made it special was not the size, but the total ownership: concept, execution, direction, brand voice, visuals online, visuals on the ground, that felt like making culture, not just marketing to it. It went global.

Another one was Smirnoff’s work, the brief was simple but paradoxically terrifying: make people feel something familiar yet new. That tension between culture and commercial goal pushed me to invent systems of communication that felt human and fun, not corporate. What I paid attention to the most, were the moments where audience and brand narrative intersected naturally, not artificially.

What experiences in the cannabis industry did you have prior to creating the concept of the Flower Daddy store?

Here’s where the plot thickens.

Before Flower Daddy, cannabis for me was personal and political. I experienced firsthand how cannabis laws can change the trajectory of someone’s life. I lived through deportation procedures tied to cannabis, even as legalization was happening in real time around me. That stays with you. I felt the irony and the injustice of a plant that cultures valued but laws punished. It forces you to understand the system legally and structurally.

When New York created a path for people harmed by cannabis convictions to participate in the legal industry, I didn’t see it as an opportunity, I saw it as a responsibility. To participate in something that was built for people like me who suffered the consequences of the disproportionate war on drugs.

That experience didn’t break me, it motivated me. It made me pay attention not just to policy, but to regulation, legal structure, community impact, immigration and equity. That’s why Flower Daddy isn’t a typical cannabis store. It’s built from a lifetime of hard work and a deep understanding of what happens when law and culture collide.

What in particular inspired you to create the Flower Daddy brand, and why did you decide on Williamsburg?

Flower Daddy is playful on the surface, but intentional at its core. The name disarms you. Then the substance keeps you.

I wanted to build a cannabis brand that felt human, joyful, and cultured, not clinical or corporate. A place that respected the plant while also respecting the community around it.The name itself points to that, approachable, bold, a little irreverent, just enough to be memorable without being cringey.

Williamsburg made sense because of its cultural relevance across all disciplines. This neighborhood is a microcosm of the kind of stuff I want us to be part of, artsy, creative, curious, fiercely local but globally aware. It’s the kind of place where people show up to create global culture, and cannabis is next on that stage.

I knew I wanted to stay home in Brooklyn. But this Williamsburg location didn’t come that easily. And that’s a story for another time.

What hurdles and roadblocks did you face when first going through the application and licensing process?

There were lawsuits and people trying to take advantage of me. Wins followed by losses, followed by wins again. Every time I thought I was done, a new twist appeared.

Licensing felt like a decade, mostly because it was. Constant documentation, revisions, compliance nightmares, contracts, business deals, and all with the weight of representing social equity goals that mattered to me personally. Each victory tasted great, but then came the next cliffhanger.

I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but I wouldn’t trade it either. I didn’t fight this hard in my life to stop here. Flower Daddy exists because I refused to be erased, from this industry, from this city, from this country. That fight made Flower Daddy stronger.

How do you plan on utilizing your previous professional experience to make Flower Daddy a space for art, expression, and community?

Flower Daddy isn’t just a retail space, it’s a platform. My background in advertising and experiential design allows me to think beyond transactions. The store is designed to evolve. To host artists. To tell stories. To create moments.

Community isn’t a buzzword for me. It’s survival. It’s how I got here.

What exciting events and shows do you plan to host when the dispensary opens?

Expect curated art shows, intimate performances, brand collaborations, educational talks, and culturally driven events. Everything will be intentional. Everything will be compliant. And everything will feel very New York.

How do you see the New York cannabis industry changing over the next few years? If cannabis is federally rescheduled, how would that shift the state industry?

New York cannabis is still finding its identity. The next phase will reward operators who understand regulation and culture, not one or the other.

If cannabis is federally rescheduled, it will change capital access, banking, and scale, but it will also increase competition. The brands that survive will be the ones built with purpose, discipline, and a real connection to their communities, not just product.

Flower Daddy is built for that future.

Thank you for joining us, Pablo! For more information on Flower Daddy, please visit its website.