The Hotbox with Jamie Pearson
The Hotbox with Dustin Hoxworth isn’t your polished PR interview. It’s me getting stoned and asking people the questions they probably aren’t ready for. These aren’t cold reads or copy-paste Q&As; I sit with my guests, usually multiple times, and I’ve likely met them in person, which gives me a window to learn who they really are before I ever send the questions. By the time the words hit the page, it’s smoke-thick honesty, not surface-level bullshit. These are cannabis conversations that showcase the voices, stories, and truths that won’t show up in the boardroom.
Global Strategist. Operator. Dealmaker. Badass
Some relationships don’t start clean. Some start with a spark, a little friction, maybe even a moment that sticks in your chest a little longer than you expected. I first met Jamie Pearson in 2021 at a private dinner with Chef Jordan Wagman. Jordan introduces us and tells her I’m building an independent cannabis publication called Fat Nugs Magazine. She looked at me…and laughed. Not subtle, quiet, or behind my back. Right there, standing next to me. And yeah, I took it personally, but also used it as motivation. Here’s what I didn’t understand in that moment. That wasn’t someone doubting me. That was someone who had already been through the fire, who knew exactly how brutal this industry is, and how crazy it sounds to say you’re going to build something independent inside of it. Fast forward a couple of years, and Jamie didn’t just recognize what we built; she respected it, supported it, and then proceeded to open doors for it. She helped connect us globally, including Iceland, where Fat Nugs Magazine showed up as the official media partner for the Hemp for the Future Conference 2025. That’s Jamie. She’s a no-bullshit, direct, honest, no-fluff type of leader in this space. And I respect the hell out of her for it. As the President and Founder of New Holland Group and a globally respected strategist with decades of experience across real estate, finance, and cannabis, Jamie has become one of the most trusted voices when it comes to international expansion, brand licensing, and navigating complex markets. If you want to understand where cannabis is actually going, not where people say it’s going, you talk to Jamie. You can also get a deeper look into her background and experience on her LinkedIn.
Let’s step into The Hotbox
The Hotbox Q&A: 5 Questions with Jamie Pearson
You’ve been deep in the international side of cannabis for years now. When you look at global markets today, what are people still getting completely wrong about expansion outside the U.S.?
The biggest mistake I see companies make is treating international markets like they’re just a different version of U.S. markets. They arrive with an American lens, an American playbook, American assumptions, and American timelines. This doesn’t work. Every market has its own regulatory architecture, its own cultural relationship with the plant, and its own gatekeepers. Germany is not Canada. Australia is not the UK. Thailand is not Colombia. It would be like someone from Montana opening a business in New Jersey and assuming everything in New Jersey works like in Montana. The companies that fail abroad almost always fail because they didn’t invest in local knowledge and relationships before they invested in local operations. Hire local. Build local relationships first. Then deploy capital.If you had to call it, where are the real opportunities in Europe over the next few years, and what separates the companies that will actually win from the ones just making noise?
Germany is the obvious answer; it’s the engine that drives the European train. But the real opportunity is the entire EU corridor that follows Germany’s legalization and its removal of cannabis from the narcotics list. When the largest economy in Europe signals a direction, others move. Watch the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Malta, etc. The companies that will win are the ones building distribution infrastructure and medical market credibility right now, before the adult-use wave arrives. The ones making noise are pitching investors, while the builders are signing supply agreements and training pharmacists. Execution separates them. Not vision. Everyone has a team and a dream.You’ve built a reputation around cross-border strategy and brand licensing. What does it really take to take a cannabis brand global without losing its identity or getting crushed by regulation?
You need clarity about what your brand actually represents at its core before you try to translate it across languages and cultures. Most brand owners can’t answer that question. If you can’t explain your brand in one sentence that works in any language, you don’t have a brand. You have a logo, or a product, or an aesthetic. This is not different in the US. With brand clarity, it is much easier to build local partnerships with people who understand the regulatory environment. Adapting the brand without compromising the core takes more than Google Translate. Licensing done right protects the brand. Licensing done wrong just exports your problems to a new market in a different language and different currency.
On a more personal level, your father, whom I got to meet in Iceland, is a grower and a major influence on your journey. How did that relationship shape your connection to the plant and the way you move through this industry today?
As the saying goes, “The older I became, the smarter my dad became.” That was definitely true in my case. Dad’s relationship with the plant was rooted in respect. It was never about money for him. Cannabis always made him feel better, and knowing that stayed with me. When I entered the industry professionally, I understood cannabis as bigger than a product category. It carries a culture, a history, and for a lot of people, a profound personal meaning. The way I approach every deal in every market with every person is typically by starting with the cannabis story. Another saying is, “Your vibe attracts your tribe.” It sounds trite, but my favorite thing about working in this industry is the people I get to work with every day.You’ve seen this industry from its early days to global scale. Looking ahead, where do you see cannabis in general going over the next 3–5 years, and what excites you the most, both professionally and personally, about what’s coming?
Professionally, the most exciting thing is watching global legalization become an inevitability rather than an aspiration. Cannabis policy is maturing. More and more people have access to cannabis, and I believe this is excellent for humanity. The UN drug policy framework is also due for a major shift now that Germany’s reform has cracked the European ceiling. Markets, like France, that felt impossible two years ago are now in active legislative conversation. This is where New Holland Group is focused, on being present and useful at those new market eruptions. What excites me most is what legalization means for people. Access to medicine. Relief from chronic pain. Fewer opiates in circulation. An end to the criminalization of communities that have carried the burden for decades. Pushing for this progress is the work. I stay for the moments, like you and I shared in Berlin, communing with like-minded people who are moving mountains. The next three to five years will be hard. They will also be historic. I’m grateful to be here in the mix, moving mountains with my friends. What I’m most excited about are the opportunities I have to help people. There are a lot of people in cannabis who talk like they know where things are going. Jamie Pearson is one of the rare ones who actually does. She’s been in the rooms, built relationships, structured the deals, and helped shape how this industry moves across borders. And more importantly, she’s done it without losing her edge, her honesty, or her ability to call things exactly how they are. And yeah, she may have laughed in my face the first time we met, but now she’s someone I respect deeply, learn from, and someone who’s played a real role in helping Fat Nugs Magazine and me step onto a global stage. And I couldn’t be luckier to be able to call her a friend and colleague. Thanks for stepping into THE HOTBOX with me.
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