Meet the Woman Behind Some of Arizona’s Top Cannabis Brands

Proven Media, one of the Arizona’s leading cannabis public relations firms, has promoted Neko Catanzaro to President. The marketing communications maven has been with Proven Media for over seven years. During this time, Catanzaro has been behi

nd the successful branding and public relations for a variety of publicly traded and privately held companies including Copperstate Farms, Sol Flower Dispensaries, Best Dispensary, Talaria Transportation, 365 Cannabis, CB Advisors, CBD Emporium, Industry Blazers, the Marijuana Industry Trade Association (MITA-AZ), and others. 

With her new position, Catanzaro will focus on introducing new brands and investor capital into the flourishing cannabis market. Her understanding of cannabis regulations and compliance, combined with her extensive writing background and intuitive sense of design, has led Catanzaro to develop complex case studies in the cannabis tech sector as well as assist clients with license applications across the country.

“While Neko excels at cannabis branding and driving revenue for new businesses, that is not all that she has to offer. For the past seven years, Neko has helped Proven Media establish brands in the non-profit and culinary industries. Her expertise has truly brought a layer of intellig

ent, creative go-to-market strategies and services that are unique for our clients,” said Kim Prince, CEO of Proven Media. 

Catanzaro, a graduate of Brown University, previously planned press conferences for high-profile industry leaders including Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico, and has worked with Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL player Ricky Williams, Super Bowl winner and former NFL player Marvin Washington, Montel Williams, Dr. Cyril Wecht, musician Micah Nelson, and others. 

Catanzaro has also led professional development panels including “How to Maximize Press Exposure,” and “Crisis Communications Best Practices,” and was featured in a handbook for cannabis industry startups published by Entrepreneur Media. Her work has been seen in numerous national mainstream media outlets including ABC News, CBS, NBC, NPR, Fox News, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Washington Post, Korea Daily, and others. She has helped hundreds of individuals and corporations receive valuable media exposure and coveted business awards. 

In addition, she has promoted large-scale conferences throughout North America including the World Medical Cannabis Conference & Expo, the Sout

hwest Cannabis Conference & Expo, the Southeast Cannabis Conference & Expo, and CannaMexico. She has developed full speaker lineups and has built a network of media and industry connections throughout the globe. 

Catanzaro’s brand development work includes creative direction and narrative for Chill Pills, Four Roots, Purple Haze and others. Whether starting from scratch or amplifying an already established brand, her unparalleled talents provide clients with award-winning campaigns and long-lasting brand awareness.