Clio Cannabis Awards—comedies and dramas among 2023 winners

From the pain of incarceration to the joy of intoxication, few industries have central emotional themes that are as wide-ranging as cannabis—a scope that’s on display in the winning work at the 2023 Clio Cannabis Awards, announced Tuesday. The show, dedicated to the best in cannabis advertising and marketing, launched in 2019. It handed out two Grand Prix and four Gold Clios this year, with film and video pieces earning many of the top prizes. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs One Grand Prix, in the medium of Advocacy, went to Cresco Labs for “The Sentence of Michael Thompson,” a 25-minute documentary that explored an ongoing major issue in cannabis—the thousands of people who are still in prison on cannabis convictions, despite the increasing legalization of cannabis at the state level. The doc, which aired nationally on MSNBC (see the trailer below), tells the story of a man who was released from prison in 2021 after serving 25 years for cannabis violations. In addition to the Grand Prix, “The Sentence of Michael Thompson” also won a Gold Clio in Branded Entertainment & Content. The film was also a top award winner on the 2022 film festival circuit. The other Grand Prix, in Social Good, was awarded to another short film, “Black Women Are Resting.” The 10-minute piece, backed by the startup incubator 69&Sunny, tells the first-person story of a Black woman who travels to a luxury 420-friendly retreat in Negril, Jamaica. The film, which launched on International Women’s Day in March, explores the larger theme of “rest as activism,” specifically among Black women. Along with politics and wellness, the top winners included comedy—with a Gold Clio going to “Hi, I’m High,” a video series by New York cannabis retailer Gotham. The videos feature Rachel Bell, head of social media at Gotham, taking cannabis and filming herself going to different events around the city. Look back: 2023 Clio Awards winners The other two Gold Clios went to Gorilla Rx Wellness for its “Black Women Get Us Higher” campaign; and PufCreativ for yet another short film, “Enjoy The Ride” for Gentlemen Smugglers. In addition, Sister Merci was named Agency of the Year and Puffco was named Brand of the Year. Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2023 Ad spending, rankings and analysis for the top 100 advertisers Click here Sister Merci’s celebrated work over the past year has included the “I’m High Right Now” campaign for the Cannabis Media Council, which won Clios in Advocacy, Digital/Mobile, Integrated Campaign, Print & Out of Home and Print & Out of Home Craft. Puffco won awards with multiple campaigns in Branded Entertainment & Content, Film & Video and Film & Video Craft. “This year, we’re proud to continue to spotlight masterful storytelling that highlights the tangible ways that cannabis brands can have an impact on society,” said Michael Kauffman, executive director of Clio Cannabis. “It’s really moving to see how our Grand Clio Cannabis Award winners have invested in communicating their values and in shining a light on people in their communities.”

Clio Cannabis Awards—comedies and dramas among 2023 winners

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