Talking with Michigan’s Chef Anna
Ganjapreneur sat down with Michigan’s Chef Anna to talk about how he grows his brand through viral videos:
Ganjapreneur: Where does the brand name Chef Anna come from?
Chef Anna: Chef Anna is a character I created for social media. When I started building my presence online, I wanted my character to catch your attention and then leave you with questions once you see me. When you see the name Chef Anna, you expect to see a young lady maybe baking edibles. Then you see me and you’re left with questions. Who is this guy? Where’s Anna? Is that man Chef Anna? Is he even a chef? Why does he use a girl’s name?
Those initial questions and confusion are what creates the mystery and brings you back for answers. You want to figure it out, and once you spend time on my page trying to figure me out you’re getting hooked on the content.
What challenges do you face posting cannabis content on social media platforms? How do you overcome these challenges?
Most platforms have established “community guidelines” to prevent the sharing of content that promotes the sale or use of cannabis, some more lenient than others. I have had my share of social media pages removed for violating those guidelines. The key is creating content that can exist within those boundaries and consistently sharing it.
What inspired you to start filming interactions as you give away jars of bud at stores like Walmart?
Reaction videos were becoming popular on platforms like YouTube. I follow several content creators outside of the cannabis space and drew my inspiration from their videos. I took some of their ideas and added my own cannabis spin and personality to them. The very first time I filmed myself gifting an ounce of weed to random shoppers I was surprised at how excited and happy they were. Not only that, I was surprised at how awesome it felt to be able to give. Aside from these candid interactions being my most engaged content, it became addicting for me to see how people from all walks of life respond when presented with weed at random. I get to be the guy the D.A.R.E. program warned you about but in a wholesome way.
Read lots more in Ganjapreneur.
You can follow Chef Anna on their Instagram backup @chefannawiththegreen because (surprise, surprise) their primary account was disabled, on other social media platforms including YouTube (where you can see some Walmart giveaways), Facebook, and their website.
You’ll have to watch this video on YouTube but check it out!
