The Green Rush 
About Us
The Green Rush podcast is about the business of Cannabis. Each week, we will be talking to newsmakers on the front lines who are building the legal cannabis market. From lawmakers and investment bankers, to CEOs and investors, and maybe even a celebrity or two, Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe will take a look at how people are transforming cannabis from the shadows of the black market into a thriving U.S. industry.
New episodes every Thursday
Meet the Hosts!
Lewis Goldberg
For more than 20 years, Lewis has been working in strategic communications. Having started his communications career in politics, he served as a full-time campaign staffer on the Clinton/Gore 1996 re-election campaign, and worked for then-U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) as his deputy press secretary, Lewis brings a “campaign” mentality to all his client engagements. After moving to private practice, Lewis has amassed vast experience running cannabis-specific programs for companies across the entire supply chain of the industry. This has ranged from companies bidding for a license in NY State, to growers in Colorado, cannabis-specific real estate companies in Washington and Nevada, and the first investment bank to focus solely on the legal cannabis industry. Lewis has also spoken twice at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition on how to create effective campaigns for cannabis companies in an “oddly” regulated industry. Lewis brings a unique mix of traditional PR expertise, mixed with public affairs and social media knowledge, to all his client engagements.
When not crying into his cereal about the Mets, Lewis can be found hanging with his family, cooking with his wife Melissa using fresh food from their garden and enjoying the occasional glass of wine
Anne Donohoe
Anne is a Managing Director in the Public Relations department at KCSA and has been
with the company for more than a decade. Her work spans many different industries
including financial services, technology, media & advertising, professional services,
consumer products and cannabis. With a passion for innovative companies with good
stories to tell, she has honed her skills in strategic planning, writing, media relations,
messaging and content creation. She spent most of her life on the east coast, but
relocated to Los Angeles in 2013 to open up the KCSA LA office. She holds a degree in
Journalism from Monmouth University.
When not podcasting about cannabis, Anne can be found with a nose in a book,
planning her next trip, enjoying a glass of Sauvignon Blanc while binge watching
television with her husband (who also, sadly, happens to be a Mets fan).
Nick Opich
Nick Opich is a Vice President working in the Public Relations department at KCSA. As
part of the Alternative Medicines and Technology teams, Nick advises clients across the
value chain on a number of fronts including developing brand messaging, refining and
advancing media strategies and securing meaningful digital, print and broadcast media
coverage. In addition to his work on the PR team, Nick is also one of the hosts of KCSA’s
weekly podcast The Green Rush, where he speaks with lawmakers, CEOs, cultural icons,
researchers and investors advancing the cannabis and psychedelics industries. Based
in Phoenix, Arizona, Nick holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Spanish from
Arizona State University.
Phil Carlson
Phil Carlson is a Managing Director of Investor Relations at KCSA. He has developed
proactive investor relations and communications strategies for several multi-national,
micro and small cap companies in various sectors including technology, healthcare,
clean tech, financial services and natural resources. Phil also leads KCSA’s Cannabis
Investor Relations practice. Through his extensive network, Phil has helped position his
cannabis clients as thought leaders in the emerging cannabis industry. He has secured
speaking engagements at premiere conferences and has organized several cannabis
industry panels which have included himself as well as his clients. Phil is a Wall Street
and Investor Relations veteran having worked at firms such as JPMorganChase and
Merrill Lynch. His experience includes IPOs and reverse mergers, implementing retail
and institutional road shows, and providing strategic counsel to clients. He holds a
Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Kent State University.
Kris Krane
Kris founded 4Front Advisors, a top multi-state operator, in February 2011 and served
as the company’s President from 2015-2021, when he joined KCSA. Prior to founding
4Front, Krane served as director of client services for CannBe, a pioneer in developing
best practices within the medical cannabis industry from. Kris has dedicated his career
to reforming the nation’s misguided drug policies, having previously served as associate
director of NORML (2000-2005) and executive director of Students for Sensible Drug
Policy (2006-2009). He currently serves on the National Cannabis Industry Association
board of directors and pens a column about the cannabis industry for Forbes. He has
provided written testimony to Congress as well as countless state legislatures, and is
widely recognized as one of the most important and influential people in Cannabis.
Contact Us:
We’d love to hear from you!
For editorial inquiries, questions and comments, email us at greenrush@kcsa.com
For advertising inquiries, email us at advertise@kcsa.com
