Team Biographies
Eric Hiss-Loreda
A fifth-gen Californio, Eric has been a key player on the brand marketing teams involved in several of the largest consumer product launches of the last 20 years. They include the launch of the Sony PlayStation, the opening of the largest hotel in the world, the debut of DVD players and the rebranding of the beach destination of Acapulco, MX. After a particularly distasteful corporate meeting, he took a long look in the mirror and had a come-to-Jesus-Buddha-Neil Young moment and bailed on the sh*tshow. He then used contacts in the travel industry to launch a career wandering the globe as an award-winning travel writer, covering destinations from Argentina to Zululand for over 50 outlets including the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler and the Travel Channel. As a long-time cannabis advocate (he served as a judge at the 1997 Cannabis Cup/Amsterdam), Eric has since turned his talents to writing about industry trends and helping brands tell their story over the last half-decade with the emergence of the licensed market. From Colorado to Colombia, he’s written about topics ranging from the impact of regenerative farming to the emergence of licensed international markets.
Angela Mou
Angela is the founder of Elevate Jane, a highly curated smoke shop with a contemporary aesthetic. Passionate about well-made things that are artfully created, she aims to destigmatize cannabis by offering modern, artisan-made pipes and other smoking accessories for open-minded consumers ready to take their lifestyles out of the closet and proudly display them on their coffee table. Possessing a substantial lifestyle marketing background, Angela has an affinity for new and emerging concepts and markets. She entered the tech industry in 2009, heading up ecommerce for the first grocery delivery service in Shanghai (Fields). In New York City, she led food + beverage marketing for boutique and luxury properties (Grupo Habita’s Hotel Americano and EDITION Hotels) before branching off as a consultant. As a consultant, she works with hotel brands to open cocktail bars (EDITION, JW Marriott, The Hollywood Roosevelt, and more) and creates pop-up experiences for non-hospitality brands as well.
Martin Fleischmann
For over 25 years, Martin has played a key role in presenting some of the world’s most celebrated artists from across the globe and spanning the entire spectrum of musical genres (including The Police, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Luciano Pavarotti, Tom Petty, Radiohead, The Buena Vista Social Club, and many others). Operating at venues as diverse as the Hollywood Bowl and the Santa Monica Pier, where Martin’s company Rum & Humble is the Music Curator and producer of the annual Twilight Concert Series, Rum & Humble’s present and past clients include KJAZZ Radio, the National Geographic Society and Jackson Browne.