Farechild, the new all-inclusive event production and marketing platform for the emerging cannabis industry and beyond, is the newest venture from David Tran and James Zachodni. Farechild’s official launch party will take place on Thursday, December 12th in Las Vegas during the Marijuana Business Conference and Expo. RSVPs will go live in November, TBA.
With the exponential growth of cannabis events, event producers continue to face the challenges of a new industry that include marketing, compliance and regulatory issues, making it difficult to navigate ticketing, banking, venue curation and promotions. Farechild will provide event producers with the necessary tools to execute successful events including a ticketing platform that accepts cannabis events, a curated list of cannabis friendly venues, a match-making network for sponsors and event producers to connect, and a powerful marketing channel of cannabis enthusiasts.
In anticipation of the platform launching December 12th, Farechild offers a suite of custom event production services for small to large scale events by its team of producers who have over 40 years of combined experience. This service suite is aimed at companies looking to outsource event production.
“With each passing day, events become a more vital part of the human experience,” says Zachodni, Farechild’s chief executive officer. “People spend the majority of their day staring at screens. Farechild will facilitate connecting people together in real-life. Whether it’s a small educational seminar or a 20,000 person festival, Farechild provides the tools necessary for success.”
Both Tran and Zachodni draw from decades of experience in nightlife, media, marketing, and event production, including their infamous Golden Ticket parties which they began hosting in 2008. Founding Dope Magazine in 2011, which they sold to High Times for 11.2MM in 2018, Tran and Zachodni have developed an impressive array of opportunities in the experiential space. The Dope Industry Awards and Dope Cup, which take place across several west coast states, were created to support craft cannabis operators and recognize their hard work. These events have attracted thousands of attendees, and have featured performances by Talib Kweli, Redman, Waka Flocka, Warren G, members of the Wu Tang Clan, and more, making Tran and Zachodni’s productions a mainstay of the cannabis industry.
“The plant has been connecting people for a long time. It’s very nature is about inclusivity, community, and sharing,” says Tran. “As founders of Dope Magazine, we have been fortunate to create some of the most impactful events in the cannabis industry—events that created opportunities for cannabis consumers and businesses to align and grow together. Building Farechild allows us to continue to be in the center of the cannabis universe, empowering an amazing ecosystem.”
Tran immersed himself in the Cannabis scene 25 years ago when he attended the University of Washington. He began his entrepreneurial pursuits as an event producer and promoter before opening up some of Seattle’s top venues including Venom Nightclub, Amber Restaurant and Lounge, Chao Bistro, and Cowgirls Inc., which is celebrating its 15th year of business. He also co-founded the Seattle medical marijuana dispensary Conscious Care Cooperative, where he first conceived the idea of creating Dope Magazine. Tran served as the CEO and a board member of Dope Magazine and eventually took the role of Dope Media Brand Director with High Times after facilitating Dope’s acquisition. Tran serves on several advisory boards
including TriGrow Systems, AMMA Healing, Sensi Media, Herban Legends, and manages his own consulting firm Goldfingers Group.
Zachodni was a former world elite flair bartender before founding DList Magazine in 2007 to showcase the bar, restaurant, fashion and nightlife scenes of greater Seattle. DList worked with Fortune 500 brands and produced groundbreaking events drawing tens of thousands of attendees, including numerous A-list celebrities. Zachodni also helped found Foundation Nightclub in Seattle which ranked as a Top 100 Nightclub in the World for four consecutive years by DJ Magazine.
Tran and Zachodni are pulling together their years of work across multiple sectors making Farechild an “all-inclusive” platform, appealing to brands and producers outside of cannabis and drawing both mainstream and emerging audiences.
