Unless you travel in very specific circles, you probably wouldn’t recognize the name Bruce Perlowin. And unless you were as blessed as I was to encounter some very special people, you definitely wouldn’t know the name Todd Denkin. And that’s a shame, because you should.
I’ve been evangelizing those thoughts to anyone who would care to listen ever since I was first introduced to Denkin roughly five years ago. It was, of course, via phone and zoom, the unfortunate necessity of the time, and it was at the request of someone who has known him for years as someone who helped to advance an entrepreneurial enterprise of his that looked to provide indoor growing units for folks who grow their own. Since my recently departed ex brother-in-law had lived in that world for most of his too short life, it was something I knew a thing or two about. And besides, back then I would literally do anything this special person asked me to do.
Denkin described this pet project he had about telling Perlowin’s story, with the framing that he just happens to be his cousin. I was familiar with Perlowin from an acclaimed CNBC documentary called MARIJUANA, INC. that originally premiered on the network in 2009 and received umpteen encore prime time runs when the network was transitioning its prime time schedule toward more ratings-friendly unscripted fare than the previous day’s market recaps. Thanks to my brother-in-law’s circadian rhythm, I saw that program a couple of dozen times. Denkin was determined to turn Perlowin’s story into a movie, and while he at one time had some strong connections and ties to the production community, it had been years since had dealt directly with the Hollywood sector. Frankly, his entrepreneural success pretty much negated his need to continue his mid-level production jobs, and besides he still got to reap all of the benefits of continuing to make some special people all the more so via his work.
And when one digs into Perlowin’s story, his is one that screams for a Glenn Frey soundtrack and when it’s told as passionately as Denkin tells it and video of Perlowin’s narrative confirms, it’s captivating. It’s the story of a de facto outlaw who for all intents and purposes looks and sounds like the kind of mensch you’d typically meet at a Grateful Dead concert. Only a LOT more successful than the typical Shakedown Street resident. And as it turns out, considerably more notorious.
A 1985 LOS ANGELES TIMES piece authored by Eric Malnic provides some early insights into his saga:
At first glance, Bruce Perlowin seems rather mousy–slight, bespectacled, soft-spoken, with a scraggly beard and tangled hair tied back in a ponytail–sort of a leftover flower child from the ‘60s. But when you ask Perlowin, 34, about what he used to do for a living–before federal lawmen caught up with him and he was sentenced to from 10 to 15 years in prison–he makes it clear that the dream got sidetracked, and on a grand scale. He talks about the fleet of 90 vessels–including fishing boats, speed boats and even a converted minesweeper–that he used to haul about 340,000 pounds of marijuana into California over a five-year period, with sales totaling $120 million.
And a 2016 FORBES piece from Nathan Varni confirms that even decades later Perlowin was a rebel extraordinaire:
Federal securities regulators have filed a complaint against Bruce Perlowin that charges the CEO of publicly-traded Hemp Inc of committing a long-running fraud by evading securities registration provisions and selling hundreds of millions of unregistered shares.
Perlowin embraced the title of ‘King of Pot’ after spending nine years in prison for drug smuggling. He was one of the leaders of the pot penny stock bubble of early 2014 that saw the shares of dozens of thinly traded marijuana companies briefly soar and then collapse.
As Forbes reported, Perlowin got the idea to launch the first publicly-traded medical marijuana company in 2009 after he was featured in a CNBC documentary called Marijuana Inc. One of the publicly-traded companies he founded through a reverse merger was Hemp Inc.
Yet when I heard Denkin’s pitch what was clear was there were layers and back stories aplenty, and it wasn’t just colored by his family connection. Perlowin’s longevity and resillience, not to mention his outsized success, was in many ways an American success story. And not dissimilar to the path Denkin has gone down, my late brother-in-law pursued in vain and many of the people I know who know him have used for their own life trajectories.
I suggested at the time to Denkin that his best path to that movie would be to pursue the podcast route, and it wasn’t simply because the pandemic had all but shut down domestic film production. Sony had recently started a division of the development group I worked with to peruse and pursue alliances with ones they’d be pitched or stumbled upon, mostly because it represented an economical way to get in on the ground floor with typically unaffiliated rising talent. He agreed but was determined via his own passion to still pursue something bigger. Following his social media since that conversation, and after finally meeting him IRL at a crypto conference a few years back, that passion and determination was unwavering.
But given his talents and I suspect the fact Perlowin is now 74 may have shifted his focus toward at least taking that first step. And so last week Denkin finally dropped Episode 1 of what had been in the works all these years, with a soft-launch introductory episode that preceded it earlier this month in tandem, As his TNM NEWS website reported:
Saturday marked the highly anticipated launch of “Becoming the King of Pot,” a groundbreaking new podcast series that promises to pull back the curtain on the extraordinary life of Bruce Perlowin, the legendary 1970s cannabis smuggler. Known for his audacious risks, daring swashbuckling, fast-paced hippie lifestyle, and pivotal role in shaping a countercultural era, Perlowin’s story is finally being told in his own words, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the mind of a man who truly lived on the edge and made history in the shadows. “Becoming the King of Pot” transcends typical biographical narratives. Denkin, with his unique familial perspective, expertly guides listeners through the labyrinthine twists and turns of Bruce’s journey. From the carefree, revolutionary spirit of the 1970s counterculture, where ideals and ambitions intertwined with illicit ventures, to the cutthroat, high-stakes world of international drug smuggling, the podcast meticulously unpacks the experiences that not only defined a generation but forged the very legend of Bruce Perlowin. This collaborative storytelling approach offers a nuanced and deeply personal exploration of a figure often viewed solely through the lens of infamy.
Those first two installments are now available “wherever you get your podcasts”, and that would include YouTube, since every good podcast now uses video capacity where possible. The banter is as addictive as anything either of them could grow, let alone the people I know who may not otherwise agree on much but to a person sing the praises of Todd Denkin. I can’t more strongly endorse that they’re worth the investment of a bit of your leisure time this weekend, with or without a blunt to accompany the experience.
Dig a little further and you’ll discover that the KING OF POT movie is still very much top of mind. 8 YEAR ENTERTAINMENT is still around and still looking to find someone who will make it. And given the appetite for affordable, compelling content in a crowded and struggling ecosystem of both theatrical and streaming outlets, it’s more appealing than ever. Especially with this podcast series now available to upsell it.
I couldn’t help Denkin as I would have wanted to back then, and I’d be less than honest if I thought the “clout” I now have was any better. Frankly, some people we both know are arguably better positioned to do so. But if you’re as impressed with what you see here as I am, maybe you might be inspired to share this with your network of connections. Some passion pursuits deserve a happy ending. At least he’s still got a shot.
Until next time…