Cannabis Marketing Advisor & Fractional CMO
I’ve helped build some of California’s biggest brands. Let’s build yours.
25+ years of telling stories for artists and brands, the last eight building them in California cannabis, most recently as VP of Marketing at Glass House Brands.
Josh Karchmer · Los Angeles, and remote
Selected work · 2018–2026
Brands I’ve helped build
Five brands. Different challenges. The work behind them.
2023–2026 · VP Marketing, Glass House Brands
Glass House Farms
I directed the Glass House Farms rebrand, evolving the identity, packaging and content to put the people, the cultivation and the work behind the flower up front, and make the company and its products easier to recognize and relate to. Our Lilac Diesel won the Golden Bear at the 2024 California State Fair Cannabis Awards.
The full story →
2023–2026 · VP Marketing, Glass House Brands
PLUS
The data said customers trusted PLUS for sleep.
I helped extend the sleep lineup from three products to five, including Deep Sleep 1, and a pouch people could actually open.
The full story →
2023–2026 · VP Marketing, Glass House Brands
Allswell
We gave Allswell more than a facelift. We sharpened its positioning, evolved the identity and packaging, and made merchandising and product communication more consistent. Guided by sales data, consumer demand and the competition, we helped turn it into California’s #1-selling flower brand by units in 2025 (Headset).
The full story →
2018–2019 · Marketing consultant, MOXIE
MOXIE & DART
At MOXIE I helped bring new products to market across four states, connecting creative storytelling with grassroots retail education. From the DART launch to Team MOXIE, an early budtender education platform, the work was about helping people understand the products, building relationships with budtenders and supporting the sales team.
The full story →
2021–2023 · Marketing Director, High Season
High Season & Gratitude
One premium indoor farm, two brands, and 60+ retail accounts in the first 60 days. I named and created Gratitude to take more of every harvest to market.
The full story →
From the Level4 years: SKLZ, Kia with Boyz II Men and the Jabbawockeez, Microsoft Bing, Hurley and Van Morrison at the Hollywood Bowl.
About
Music. Advertising. Cannabis.
I’m Josh Karchmer, a Los Angeles-based cannabis marketing advisor and fractional CMO. I’ve spent more than 25 years building brands and creative businesses, including eight years in California cannabis. Most recently I was VP of Marketing at Glass House Brands, leading marketing across Glass House Farms, Allswell, PLUS and the company’s other brands. Today I work with founders and operators on brand strategy, positioning, product storytelling, creative and go-to-market.
I started on the business side of music: college rep at Mercury Records, product manager at Artemis Records, then manager for bands including The Juliana Theory.
For a decade I made branded content, much of it through Level4, the production company I co-founded, for Hurley, Toyota, Microsoft Bing, Kia, Jeep and SKLZ.
In 2018 I moved into California cannabis: MOXIE, then High Season, then three years as VP of Marketing at Glass House Brands, connecting marketing to sales, retail and supply chain across a house of brands.
The through-line: business judgment connected to creative work. Knowing what a brand should say, what should get made, and how to get a lean, talented team to make it.
Brand building
Storytelling
Strategic judgment
Creative leadership
Lean, effective teams
Selected press & conversations
Clio Cannabis Awards
Marketing & Advertising jury, 2022 ↗
Fruit+Flower
“Inside CA’s Biggest W**d Farm,” on Glass House Farms, 2024 ↗
The Shift by HeadQuarters
Podcast, Ep. 8: “Marketing Cannabis at Scale” ↗
Cannabis Karaoke Podcast
Ep. 8: MOXIE, the music industry and budtenders, 2019 ↗
Ways to work together
Leadership, advice, or a project with a finish line
01
Fractional marketing leadership
For a company with an ongoing leadership need and no one to fill it yet. I run marketing as your head of marketing would, for a defined period, and build the team and systems that outlast me.
02
Strategic advisory
For a team that already exists. I work with the founder or marketing lead on positioning, portfolio and the plan, and I stay close enough to help the work land.
03
Brand strategy & creative projects
For a defined challenge: a launch, a rebrand or refresh, a brand story, a quarterly or annual shoot, or a production that needs a partner. Scoped, staffed with people I trust, and delivered.
Most engagements start with a conversation about the business, the challenge and what needs to change. From there, we’ll figure out whether you need ongoing leadership, strategic advice or a focused project. And for the right company, a full-time executive role. Ask.
Contact
Tell me what you’re building.
You don’t need a finished brief. Start with the brand, what’s getting in the way, and what kind of help you think you need.