Masonic Smoker, a breeder and seed maker well known to the community for both his strains and his social media, has now launched a weekly podcast. The weekly podcast includes comedian Frank Castillo as co-host and features special guests, many from the weed community.
The podcast debuted at the end of October and now has four episodes posted to Masonic’s YouTube channel. The podcast doesn’t use sponsors and is instead funded by a Patreon subscription that offers early previews for as little as $3 a month.
Masonic says he’s played around with the idea for a while, having already produced YouTube videos. He also streams himself live on Instagram every day, so he’s already used to talking to his audience. The podcast, he says, was the next logical step.
Guests for the podcast include big names from the cannabis and comedy scenes. So far guests have included notorious weed memester Sour Wavez, comedian Brian Moses, Nick from the Sacramento brand Golden State Banana, and Ivan from the iconic LA brand Jungle Boys.
Masonic and Castillo met earlier this year via pot journalist Jimi Devine when Devine was in town for his Transbay competition. The two developed a friendship over weed and comedy.
Castillo says that he saw what Masonic was doing and the audience he built and pushed him to go through with the podcast idea.
“We started getting to talking and I saw everything he built and I was just like ‘oh, you need to do a podcast, you have to,'” Castillo said.
Castillo already runs his own weed-themed podcast called Peak’d, which is produced with the eDab maker Puffco. He used his experience to help get Masonic set up before being asked to join in.
“At first I was just helping him and then we started doing it together. It’s been a cool transformation into what this has been,” Castillo said.
As for his connection to weed, Castillo says he’s always just been a fan. “I love it, I love the culture. I’ve always been a stoner,” Castillo said.
The reception has been great so far.
“It’s fun, I’ve gained a lot of cool new fans I’ve met a lot of cool new people,” Castillo said. “It’s been fun building this, it feels like being in a band.”
For Masonic, he’s wanted to do something like this for a while, but now he’s going all in.
“There’s always been that spark, but never had that consistency that I’m trying to push now,” Masonic said.
He notes that his audience has seen him develop his front-of-camera personality. This is the next phase.
“It’s all part of watching me grow and leveling up,” Masonic said.
Masonic sees the podcast as part of his larger work in showcasing the true culture of weed in California.
“I just want to showcase my vision and what I know. And it gives me an excuse to talk to some of my muses and people that I deem dope as fuck and sit down with them and chop it up and just capture it all on film,” he said.
There’s an important aspect to documenting the culture that the podcast takes part in. Masonic says he saw an opportunity to do something that others weren’t doing.
“I get to write history with this too because there’s not too many people that are showcasing the stuff that I want to be seen,” Masonic said. “I’m not going to leave it up to anybody, I’m gonna do it myself.”
Masonic brought Frank on because it makes the show funnier, since Masonic himself always comes at things through humor.
“I don’t like to be too serious. Weed is already taken too serious. Weed is supposed to make you happy and laugh and meditate and shit,” he said.
Masonic says the show is about the more fun side of weed.
“Weed is also this, weed is also silly shit. Weed is nerd shit, weed is funny shit. Weed is everything. I’m just doing weed shit man,” Masonic said.
The aspect of funding the podcast through Patreon is so far working out well, with over 130 subscribers already. Masonic has a goal of getting to 1,000 Patreon subscriptions, which start as low as $3 and go up to $150 per month.
“If they’re real patrons of the cause and they want to uphold and watch us go above and beyond there’s a $150 tier, where they’re doing it because they’re down for the vision,” Masonic said.
