Isaiah Dawid, president of Clout King, is one of the most recognized figures in cannabis. His iconic meme page cleverly demonstrates his insider knowledge of the industry with a satirical twist.
Clout King has developed a large audience in the cannabis community and has become a major influencer on the social platforms where the brand originated.
Isaiah has been cultivating exclusive genetics since 2005 with complex terps, high potency and exceptional visual appeal. Clout King is successfully expanding across the country, meeting new friends and having a great time.
We spoke with Isaiah for our Higher Calling series, where we chatted with cannabis space leaders.
Isaiah, tell us …
Where you grew up and where you live now.
I was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California. My family and I moved to Michigan in 2021 for a little over a year to expand Clout King. We recently headed to Portland, Oregon, which is an easy commute to Washington facilities where I often work.
Your current role in the cannabis industry.
Clout King’s role is to tell the truths of the cannabis industry through humor, irony and satire. My experience in the traditional market led me to bring the most sought after genetics to legal markets while maintaining the highest standards of crop quality control, curing and packaging. Experience at every point of contact is more crucial than ever. If a consumer buys a premium product and you deliver the top shelf, they will have that customer forever. If a consumer buys a top shelf product and receives anything other than the top shelf, you lose that customer forever. If the core of the brand is not on a solid foundation, there is no hope that a quality product will translate into the market with any kind of longevity. My role is really to ensure market growth, genetic exclusivity and quality control by structuring our agreements so that they are a success for all parties involved.
I have been spending most of my time operating and expanding Clout King in California, Michigan, Arizona, Washington, Oklahoma, Nevada and Oregon.
A story about the positive impact cannabis has had on your life.
I suffered from anxiety, which turned into insomnia after being attacked for growing cannabis in California. I was taking insomnia medications that made me feel sick and disoriented the next day. After about six months of struggling to get my medication out at the age of 20, I used cannabis several times in the evening and was able to wean myself off. I now combine my use of cannabis flowers with CBD oil every night and no longer suffer from insomnia.
A favorite flower, edible, product or brand.
Clout King PB Cup and Terdz are my favorites. The second favorite is the Terpenstein sauce carts.
The biggest challenge facing cannabis sellers today.
Authenticity is rare, whether it’s your genetics, your history, or how they present you to the market in general. Customers want products from legacy operators who have a refined palate to heal their menu. There are many eye-catching packaging with celebrity endorsements that are full of quality products. With so many similar brands coming to market at the same time, how is it different? The only way, in my opinion, is to offer authenticity and quality to your customer base.
Another major challenge for marketers is consumer perceptions. Right now, most consumer purchasing decisions are made based on power. Clout King will always be a powerful brand, but I see the value of molecular diversity coming to light for consumers in the years to come. The development of these terpene and flavonoid-rich profiles is as important as the potency in our program. We are fortunate to have a team that has culture and creative energy in equal parts. Our program constantly gives us the opportunity to create new brands and challenge ourselves to market in a different way. Our unique and fun identity is what draws the consumer to the bag, but it is what is in the bag that ultimately wins the top shelf.
Something that excites you right now in the cannabis brand, partnerships, or marketing.
What excites me right now that is directly linked to the brand are all the new genetic trends coming to market. Now that the runtz and runtz crosses are fading in style and the lemon cherry and z terps are in the spotlight, we’ve added a few new commodities to our 2022 genetics catalog.
The Zkittlez crossings have made a great comeback and as a result there are some very interesting terpene profiles. I just selected a Lemon Cherry Gelato X Zkittlez phenomenon and the terps are not like anything I’ve experienced. This shows a general maturation of the market that indicates that consumers are perfecting their palate and becoming more driven by terpenes. Zkittlez, for example, had the most desirable terps before power was on anyone’s radar.
The expansion of our portfolio offers Clout King the opportunity not only to select fire, but also to baptize new cuts [e.g., Zaddy (Zkittles x GDP)]. Putting names on the cuts and creating bag art is the icing on the cake. Consumers are saving mylar bags similar to collectible business cards. I anticipate much more engagement between consumers and cannabis brands due to social media and regulatory restrictions.
A cannabis trade / social justice organization that you support.
I have been a member of the NCIA for quite some time, and I appreciate your role in helping to professionalize the cannabis industry and work diligently in reforming the federal cannabis policy.
A project you’ve been working on recently that you’re proud of.
My main goal right now is to bring Clout King to six states, but I’m especially excited about the launch in Arizona. Arizona is ripe for a high-end brand to start making an impression. Alien Labs and Connected have done a great job bringing their brands to Arizona, but from what I’ve discovered, there’s a lot more room for exotics.
Another person’s project you’ve recently admired.
The tech side of the industry has always fascinated me as it has evolved. Adaptiiv Grow Technologies has come up with a liquid-cooled LED that integrates with a specially designed chilled water fan coil that uses residual heat energy to reheat. This light has full spectrum tuning capabilities, which offers the opportunity to speed up the white, blue and red spectrum up and down. This innovation gives producers total control to direct their crop exactly as they want, while saving energy.
Someone you admire in cannabis who is doing great things.
I admire a lawyer I have worked with from time to time called Henry Wykowski. Henry is the Attorney General of the NCIA and gained great recognition by defending Harborside against his IRS audit a few years ago. I’ve heard him speak at some events in the past, and I appreciate his intelligence and conviction in defending the rights of cannabis operators who are ultimately doing the right thing.
What would you do if you weren’t in the cannabis industry.
I would be a comedian or a holistic doctor. I have a degree in biochemistry and did all my pre-medicine in anticipation of becoming an osteopath. I also like humor and I like to call it hypocritical behavior in a satirical way, like I did with my Clout King meme page.
