An Interview With Farechild Founders James Zachodni And David Tran, Cannabis Events Innovated

I originally interviewed David Tran and James Zachodni for Forbes mere hours before they announced that Dope Media was acquired by High Times, allowing both highly regarded cannabis industry entrepreneurs to evolve into a new chapter of their professional lives. David and James are going forward into places not unknown in their former lives, drawing from decades of experience in nightlife, media, marketing, and event production.

What David and James are doing should come as no surprise to their fans. An ultra-high-end event production and marketing platform in the cannabis genre and beyond is their new metier. Large scale events and bringing people who enjoy cannabis together is not a skill that everyone knows fully, given certain stigmas surrounding the plant itself. So, we’re in good hands here. The dynamic duo are taking their years of work across multiple sectors to make their new venture Farechild an “all-inclusive” platform, appealing to brands and producers both inside and outside of cannabis, drawing both mainstream and emerging audiences. 

David and James propose to take a different path, one with smiles as the determinate, which is why I interviewed them again, almost a year later, to check in on their new endeavor and what the future holds.

WB: What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned from decades of experience in nightlife, media, marketing, and event production?

JZ: I think the most important lesson is to accept the fact that you cannot control everything and the only thing you can really do in a lot of situations is just know how to adjust. We always joke that you can plan for everything, then the one thing you can’t control is the thing that goes wrong. In the nightclubs it could be something like the DJ’s laptop dying in the middle of their set. Or in event production, especially here in the Northwest, the weather is always a wildcard. You also deal with a lot of personalities from different venue owners and managers— and as an event producer, you have to be able to work with all of them. 

DT: When you are producing events and nightlife, there is a certain level of expectation that comes from the venue, sponsors and the attendees. I’ve learned that integrity is everything. Just do what you promise, and if you don’t deliver, which will happen many times, you must have the heart to apologize and fix the situation. I have slowly and humbly built my reputation over the decades because I was honest and believe that in any partnership you should give more than you take.  

WB: What’s your favorite restaurant? Favorite chef? How do you bring elements of the culinary scene into your events? What’s your most memorable foodie experience at an event, either your own or someone else’s? Why?

JZ: Being from Seattle, I have to say my favorite chef is Tom Douglas. We had the honor of producing our first event called “It’s Lit” back in April where we created an Asian-inspired street market atmosphere with different food booths all wrapped up into a party atmosphere with a DJ. What made the event extra cool was the fact that all of the food we served glows under black light. We teamed up with some of Tom Douglas’ sous chefs from his top restaurants to create this unique menu. It was quite an undertaking for our first Farechild event, but we pulled it off and people really enjoyed the bold concept.

DT: One of my memorable foodie experiences was making infused Chicken and Waffles with the Super Troopers’ cast. Chef Unika curated a five course meal that was infused with cannabis. A small group of Seattle friends spent a few hours in an intimate setting, eating incredible food, smoking cannagars and hanging out with the cast. It was a blast.

WB: What are some of the lessons that you’ve learned?

WB: What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned from decades of experience in nightlife, media, marketing, and event production?

JZ: I think the most important lesson is to accept the fact that you cannot control everything and the only thing you can really do in a lot of situations is just know how to adjust. We always joke that you can plan for everything, then the one thing you can’t control is the thing that goes wrong. In the nightclubs it could be something like the DJ’s laptop dying in the middle of their set. Or in event production, especially here in the Northwest, the weather is always a wildcard. You also deal with a lot of personalities from different venue owners and managers— and as an event producer, you have to be able to work with all of them. 

DT: When you are producing events and nightlife, there is a certain level of expectation that comes from the venue, sponsors and the attendees. I’ve learned that integrity is everything. Just do what you promise, and if you don’t deliver, which will happen many times, you must have the heart to apologize and fix the situation. I have slowly and humbly built my reputation over the decades because I was honest and believe that in any partnership you should give more than you take.  

WB: What’s your favorite restaurant? Favorite chef? How do you bring elements of the culinary scene into your events? What’s your most memorable foodie experience at an event, either your own or someone else’s? Why?

JZ: Being from Seattle, I have to say my favorite chef is Tom Douglas. We had the honor of producing our first event called “It’s Lit” back in April where we created an Asian-inspired street market atmosphere with different food booths all wrapped up into a party atmosphere with a DJ. What made the event extra cool was the fact that all of the food we served glows under black light. We teamed up with some of Tom Douglas’ sous chefs from his top restaurants to create this unique menu. It was quite an undertaking for our first Farechild event, but we pulled it off and people really enjoyed the bold concept.

DT: One of my memorable foodie experiences was making infused Chicken and Waffles with the Super Troopers’ cast. Chef Unika curated a five course meal that was infused with cannabis. A small group of Seattle friends spent a few hours in an intimate setting, eating incredible food, smoking cannagars and hanging out with the cast. It was a blaste of the most important lessons you’ve learned from decades of experience in nightlife, media, marketing, and event production?

JZ: I think the most important lesson is to accept the fact that you cannot control everything and the only thing you can really do in a lot of situations is just know how to adjust. We always joke that you can plan for everything, then the one thing you can’t control is the thing that goes wrong. In the nightclubs it could be something like the DJ’s laptop dying in the middle of their set. Or in event production, especially here in the Northwest, the weather is always a wildcard. You also deal with a lot of personalities from different venue owners and managers— and as an event producer, you have to be able to work with all of them. 

DT: When you are producing events and nightlife, there is a certain level of expectation that comes from the venue, sponsors and the attendees. I’ve learned that integrity is everything. Just do what you promise, and if you don’t deliver, which will happen many times, you must have the heart to apologize and fix the situation. I have slowly and humbly built my reputation over the decades because I was honest and believe that in any partnership you should give more than you take.  

WB: What’s your favorite restaurant? Favorite chef? How do you bring elements of the culinary scene into your events? What’s your most memorable foodie experience at an event, either your own or someone else’s? Why?

JZ: Being from Seattle, I have to say my favorite chef is Tom Douglas. We had the honor of producing our first event called “It’s Lit” back in April where we created an Asian-inspired street market atmosphere with different food booths all wrapped up into a party atmosphere with a DJ. What made the event extra cool was the fact that all of the food we served glows under black light. We teamed up with some of Tom Douglas’ sous chefs from his top restaurants to create this unique menu. It was quite an undertaking for our first Farechild event, but we pulled it off and people really enjoyed the bold concept.

DT: One of my memorable foodie experiences was making infused Chicken and Waffles with the Super Troopers’ cast. Chef Unika curated a five course meal that was infused with cannabis. A small group of Seattle friends spent a few hours in an intimate setting, eating incredible food, smoking cannagars and hanging out with the cast. It was a blast.

WB: Where do you see yourself and your company in a year? Five years? When you were younger, what did you aspire to be? 

JZ: When I was young I always wanted to work in the music industry. At first, I thought I would be an A&R executive because I always felt like I had a good ear for what a hit song was. I think being in touch with pop-culture has definitely been a “super power” of mine and has translated well to all of the companies I’ve started. 

I hope to see Farechild become a well known brand within the event industry. We knew we could create something different than what was out there already with our breath of experience and knowledge. Within the first year, we will make a big impact. No other event production company is trying to do what we are. Five years from now, I can see us being the producers of major festivals and other multi-million dollar productions. Ultimately, it’s about making a business out of what we are great at. We love bringing people together and making memories that will last a lifetime. 

DT: Having built Dope Magazine in a time where we didn’t have the proper tools and resources, let alone a road map, James and I made all of the mistakes a company can possibly make. I see the next year as an extremely exciting opportunity to take that experience of growing and selling Dope Magazine, to build Farechild leaner, faster and stronger. We are very lucky to have incredible support from the industry and will expand that network exponentially in the next 12 months, so that all of our partners can benefit from the ecosystem.  

As the cannabis conversation becomes more global, we look forward to collaborating with the greatest cannabis and non-cannabis events producers all over the world. Judging on how fast the industry and the world is moving, in five years it won’t be out-of-this-world to dream about having Farechild events in other continents like Asia or perhaps one day— on the moon.    

When I was younger, I wanted to be a rockstar. Now, I can live my dreams on stage singing karaoke. Now that I am older, I want to be a philanthropist and make so much money, I can give it all away.

WB: What’s the most interesting place you’ve produced an event? If you could throw a party anywhere in the world, right now, where would that be? Why? 

JZ: I’ve thrown events all around the country but my most interesting event had to have been the very first party I ever threw. When I was 17, I produced my first event at my high school. It wasn’t a school sanctioned event, I actually negotiated a deal to throw a private party in the school’s main hall. I charged five dollars a head for the cover and hired a big name DJ to come in and play. I designed the flyer and came up with the name “Tonight’s the Night.” Almost 300 people showed up. I still remember the feeling of seeing an event come together. It felt incredible…and the money wasn’t bad for a teenager.

My dream location to throw an event would have to be in Hawaii. I was born there and still have a lot of family on Oahu. I would love to produce a large cannabis festival there. I could imagine the people of Hawaii really enjoying a well produced professional cannabis event. Great music, great local food and of course great pakalolo— now, that would be a great party.

DT: For four years, I produced an event at a place called Pollyesthers. It was a ‘70s and ‘80s theme club in Seattle. We packed in 1000-2000 18 year olds every Sunday and I have no doubts that most of those kids had no idea what disco was about.  

If I could throw a party anywhere in the world it would be Vietnam. While I wasn’t born there, my family immigrated in 1975 and I have been fortunate to have visited some years ago. It’s been a dream of mine to go back for an extended time and start building some roots. With a booming economy and large number of young professionals looking to experience Western culture, there would be incredible opportunities to throw the most epic parties!