Whitney Beatty is a dynamic former reality television development exec turned cannabis entrepreneur. After a 15 year career that saw her raise from an assistant at the iconic William Morris Agency to a Senior Vice President of Development at Warner Brothers / Telepictures, she transitioned to use her knowledge of brand and niche markets in the cannabis space. Inspired by a lack of stylish, safe cannabis storage systems and a distain for storing medicine in a shoebox, Whitney's first company Apothecarry Brands, Inc. was selected for the first cohort of Canopy San Diego cannabis business accelerator. Whitney subsequently pitched and won the ArcView Groups 2017 Los Angeles pitch prize and was selected at the Fall 2017 Pipeline LA portfolio company. Whitney’s newest endeavor in the cannabis space is Josephine & Billie’s, the first dispensary focused on the recreational and medicinal needs of women of color. It’s named for Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday, two black women who were demonized for cannabis use, and the store itself is a teapad — the black version of the speakeasy where black people would consume cannabis and socialize in the ‘20’s and ‘30’s, complete with a false wall entrance! Our true focus is on consumer education, and everything about the concept — from store organization with a focus on aliments and attributes, to the signage, to our extensive community engagement — will be geared to our customers in store experience.