From pot publicity stunts to art installations and commercial growing operations, we chat to three of the country’s leading wizards of weed who are fast becoming the catalysts in the fight to legalise marijuana in Oz…
In the burgeoning Australian cannabis industry, there are a number of personalities that have been staples in the small-yet-passionate community. Driven individuals who have been promoting legalisation and sensible cannabis reform for over a decade, and moving the conversation to the mainstream. Part of these efforts have been the public art installations by the Who Are We Hurting? team, consisting of artists and advocates from The Craze Collective company and athletes from the Ballin’ On A Budget media company. They have been responsible for a number of large-scale cannabis installations and publicity stunts on April 20 (aka 420, the international day for cannabis-related protests and events) for the past five years.
Cannabis legalisation may seem inevitable at this point, as we see the acceptance of cannabis (not only medicinally, but recreationally) become more and more accepted by the international community. For those in the know, it can be frustrating watching Australia lag behind our peers in this area, especially if you’ve dedicated much of your life to promoting legalisation or understanding the biology behind cannabis production. You’d be hard pressed to find many people more “in the know” than these local Kings of Cannabis.
As a former graffiti artist and public relations expert, you could say Alec started his career in guerrilla marketing from an early age. An entrepreneur at heart, he owns a number of businesses in Sydney including the Craze Collective, a network of content creators and artists. Having turned his passion for public art into an avenue to create social change and in particular advocate for drug reform policy in Australia. These days he is the go-to guy for any drug-related props in the film and television space, carving out a niche for his crew that allows them to continue pushing their message by creating these massive art installations and protest pieces.
Why do you love cannabis?
She’s the mistress that never mistreats. I love cannabis because I found a better quality of life while consuming it. There are things in my life I like more when I’ve consumed cannabis in some form. But mostly, it’s given me a passion and a path to do something with my art and skill set. There are no negative impacts that cannabis has caused in my own life. The only negatives I’ve seen are directly related to legislation and that’s what has driven my passion and work. The sad fact is everybody knows that cannabis isn’t nearly as bad for people as say, alcohol or cigarettes, but no-one wanted to talk about it because it had such a stigma.
How did you get started in guerrilla marketing exactly?
For most of my working life I’ve been in guerrilla marketing, starting as a graffiti artist, wearing TNs and spraying trains. My own personal entrepreneurial spirit led me to progress into printing T-shirts, and attempting to turn my art into a successful business. I also wanted to do something more, and turn my passions into something more sustainable and better for society as a whole, creating artistic-based marketing activations where the community benefits. While working with local artists on controversial issues, it wasn’t long before I had to start organising media appearances for both them and myself. This is probably what stoked my interest in marketing and PR, and my background in street culture is what drove me to the guerrilla marketing side of things, and now moving into set and prop design. I really like the film and television industry as it allows us to push our message and flex our creativity with the sole purpose of entertaining people, without the need to convert a customer.
Tell us more about Who Are We Hurting? and the 420 stunts you guys have pulled off over the years?
In 2017 we were preparing for one of our early stunts and devised this plan to showcase that cannabis consumers aren’t the stereotypical stoner. We wanted to publicise discourse around cannabis legislation in Australia, and replace crime with legitimate employment. To do this we brought a hydroponic grow display to an expensive commercial business district. We leased a brick and mortar shop front adjacent to the famous Coca-Cola billboard in Kings Cross, Sydney, as a temporary pop-up then set to work finding prop plants to hire. The only option available was costly and didn’t look quite right, so we decided to do it ourselves. Our artists set to work making our own plant props and the dream blossomed to life with the stunt garnering headlines everywhere. Once the project at hand was completed we offered the props to some of our friends in the production industry and have been adding to our inventory ever since.
Give us some insight into the success you’ve had from these publicity stunts.
After making some great connections in the industry with the exposure we garnered from our stunts, we’ve had the opportunities to work on what have turned out to be some of our favourite Australian TV shows, such as Foxtel’s hit Mr Inbetween or ABC’s Les Norton. We’ve also been able to provide our services to other great productions such as Ernie Dingo’s Bran Nue Dae stage show.
What’s next for the collective?
We’ve expanded into even more drug props and have partnered with an American prop house to service international demand. Our props will be in a new Sony & Dynamo collaborative production named Cannabica, it’s filmed in Columbia and set for international distribution however locals will have to watch that one with subtitles. Most recently, we received AFP approval to import working pill-press machinery so we can produce custom pills or create a working clandestine lab set. We have an upcoming TV show I can’t speak about yet utilising this new prop inventory, but we also have plans to use these props to encourage further debate about the need for pill testing. In the coming year we have plans for more live art installations at music festivals as well as further expanding our online content.
Do you think art is a good for promoting social issues like cannabis legalisation?
Art is good for everything! I definitely think art is a good form of communication for any message. For me, the installations we create are a way to use my skills and background to support a cause I’m passionate about, in the best way I know how.
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