BlackShire Capital announces investment in cannabis marketing agency
Sister Merci will focus on national cannabis branding, marketing and product development
TORONTO, March 6, 2019 /CNW/ - BlackShire Capital Corp. is pleased to announce a seed investment of up to $1.5 million to fund Sister Merci Inc., a new full-service creative firm dedicated to the cannabis industry. Sister Merci Chairman, Stephen J. Headford, will provide leadership and strategic oversight of the agency.
"The emerging world of cannabis in Canada is highly regulated and communications within that sphere is a very complex business," said Stephen Headford, Chairman, Sister Merci Inc. "Sister Merci will help its clients navigate this space and provide a tailored, expert approach to cannabis branding and marketing."
Among the first of its kind in Canada, Sister Merci's core services include strategy, public relations, digital marketing, branding and design, copywriting, packaging design and production. Its mission is to become the premiere communications agency in Canada's rapidly growing cannabis industry. In addition to funding, BlackShire Capital will support Sister Merci through its Executive in Residence Program, which provides active management through the placement of a seasoned leader.
"Stephen is a perfect example of the strength of our EIR Program," said Kevin Reed, BlackShire Chairman and CEO. "He has a demonstrated history of building and running successful companies. The business of cannabis is expanding and evolving and there are very few specialized firms set up to pursue the communications opportunity. We believe that Sister Merci can fill this void and be the expert company to support cannabis branding and marketing objectives."
"Sister Merci will also work closely with BlackShire's roster of EIRs to explore opportunities in the cannabis space and define paths forward. The strategic intelligence Sister Merci will gather will be a significant instrument for BlackShire as it creates and launches new cannabis companies" added BlackShire's Chairman and CEO Kevin Reed.
Sister Merci's leadership boasts an elite team of communications experts, including Katie Waterman, CEO (former Director of Planning, insights and integrated media for a global marketing firm), Amanda Wood, Chief Creative Officer (former Creative Director at a lead agency), and Paul Lawton, Chief Strategy Officer (former VP of Strategy at one of Canada's largest advertisement firms). Each executive brings extensive experience from a wide range of industries and highly-regulated industries, including cannabis.
With hundreds of active companies, Canada's cannabis industry is predicted to grow to $10 billion annually. According to a recent report by New York-based investment bank Jefferies Group LLC, the global cannabis industry could be worth as much as US$130 billion a decade from now if legalization moves forward in the U.S., Europe and Latin America.
About BlackShire Capital Corp.
BlackShire Capital is a principal investor and asset manager, focused on investing growth capital in the securities of private cannabis companies on a global basis. Our business objective is to achieve superior risk-adjusted returns by aligning the firm's investment capital, investment processes and management capabilities with emerging cannabis companies that have been identified with the potential to become leaders in their categories. Our Executive in Residence Program is what separates us from the rest. Visit www.blackshiregroup.com to learn more.
SOURCE Blackshire Capital
Jean Lépine, [email protected], 416-583-2501
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