DiME BAGS: Marcus Roebuck
Introducing DiME BAGS: 10 Questions from the CANiVISION staff with some of the most interesting people in the cannabis universe.
Every week it seems more mainstream faces are popping up endorsing cannabis products. Like it or not, the trend is JUST getting started.
We sat down with industry crossover broker, Marcus Roebuck of GAMETIME Entertainment and chatted a bit about his journey into the game and how he sees the future panning out for crossover opportunities between mainstream celebrities and cannabis.
CV: Tell us a little about your background. What did you do before entering cannabis?
MR: I was raised in San Diego California by way of Atlanta Georgia, spent most of my adult years in Chicago Illinois. Student-athlete in college (football). I’ve been to a few colleges starting at Virginia State University and Graduating at Middle Tennessee University. I got my Bachelors of Science in Liberal Studies with a minor in Accounting. I have an advanced Accounting Certificate (with a 3.3 GPA) and an Associate of Sports Management. Before entering the cannabis/CBD space I was in the financial industry and government sector.
CV: How’d you get started in the cannabis industry and where do you see yourself going in the cannabis space?
MR: I got started with coming to events through Rico Lamitte, attending CBD Brunches, Release parties, and just meeting the leaders in the space and I found my niche. Where I see myself going is representing artists, athletes, and entertainers of all walks in marketing, branding, and investing deals and not finishing there because this industry is ever involving every second.
CV: The crossover opportunity with celebrities and professional athletes is essentially untapped. Where do you see this going in the near and distant future?
MR: I see this being the fun part, all celebrities and professional athletes are wondering how to get involved, the first thing for me to do is give them the raw and uncut version and educate them on how to get involved without being taken advantage of. I see this expanding very quickly with the new laws opening many new states with cannabis being legal on a medical and recreational level.
CV: What is the biggest obstacle you’ve encountered so far in your journey?
MR: Not really many obstacles, it’s like being in a candy shop and directing one to choose what works best for them. More so teaching and educating.
CV: How do the pro athletic teams view cannabis? And their athletes consuming/endorsing?
MR: the teams don’t know how to view it, they go off team physicians stating it’s not the right way to do things. This is inaccurate and also the doctors/physicians are being sponsored or endorsed by the pharmaceutical industry. Teams don’t think it’s a healing product for the athletes to consume because of a lack of knowledge or education.
CV: How does the conversation go with agents?
MR: Most agents are by the book and think old school when it comes to keeping athletes away from the cannabis space. Same with financial advisors, lack of knowledge, and education.
CV: Is it better to endorse products or develop from scratch?
MR: endorse products would be for a client that doesn’t have the budget to develop from scratch. Developing a product can be a great opportunity once you have a clear understanding of the industry and one’s direction. SO to answer your question it depends on the person.
CV: How do you determine if CBD or THC is better for your clients?
MR: that depends on the clients’ name and the industry that the client is in.
CV: What’s your vision of the industry post-pandemic: shifting or do you think it’ll be similar to how it is now?
MR: Businesses, in general, will downsize office settings and keep things virtual and slowly progress back into the business setting about 4 to 5 years down the road. I see the cannabis industry exploding to a high level with new laws, new regulations, and opportunities of going public in the stock market.
CV: What’s next on the agenda for GAMETIME and where can we find you and your adventures?
MR: At GAMETIME, I’ll be looking to expand my client roster 2021, for branding and marketing clients and we currently have a lot of exciting things coming up very soon. Stay tuned….You can find me @Gametime_buck and @thegametimefirm on IG.
Come holla at me!