In the face of Meta’s restrictive cannabis advertising policies, Gotham set out to achieve what most brands in the category cannot—build product awareness and brand equity without direct product promotion.
Every episode of Hi, I’m High features the recurring caption: “This app doesn’t like it when we show you Gotham products (even though they’re fully legal), so instead we show Rachel under the influence of them.”
Rather than treating platform limitations as a liability, Gotham used them as a catalyst for creativity. By centering compelling cultural settings, unfiltered internal dialogue, and situational humor, the series strengthens brand affinity, drives organic engagement, and elevates the company’s profile well beyond cannabis retail.
The result is a repeatable, scalable format that delivers consistent audience growth while reinforcing brand recognition and trust, without violating platform policies or relying on traditional advertising.
Strategy
In 2023, Bell was hired to lead content marketing at Gotham—her first role in the cannabis industry. Although the products the company sells are legal, she quickly learned that posting anything resembling a cannabis product on Instagram could jeopardize an entire account. With this in mind, she created the concept for Hi, I’m High: if the product couldn’t be shown, the experience of it would be.
To create the pilot, she chose the cheapest and easiest-to-direct talent available—herself. Founder and CEO Joanne Wilson secured a press pass to the Frieze Art Fair, where Bell filmed the first episode using a vape and an iPhone.
At the time, Gotham’s Instagram account was brand new, with only 7,000 followers, and the Bowery store had opened earlier that same month. The episode became the brand’s first viral moment, outperforming all previous content and validating the concept as a scalable platform rather than a one-off experiment.
Since then, Gotham has produced 38 episodes. In summer 2025, the team upgraded its production setup, solving the challenge of filming simultaneously for YouTube and Instagram Reels by investing in professional camera equipment and committing to a bi-weekly release schedule. Episodes produced in 2025 alone account for more than two million views across the series.
One of the clearest signals of the format’s cultural reach came when the official account of the American Museum of Natural History commented on an episode filmed on-site—shot without prior coordination—inviting the team back to film anytime. The sky is the limit for this format.
Results
Since launching in May 2023, Hi, I’m High has become one of Gotham’s most recognizable and enduring content series, generating more than 3.5 million organic views across platforms, with multiple episodes achieving viral reach and sustained engagement.
The series has attracted culturally influential guests and collaborators including Ella Emhoff, The Standard Hotels, Sofie Pavitt and Eckhaus Latta, extending its resonance beyond traditional cannabis audiences and introducing Gotham to new communities across fashion, wellness, and digital culture.
In 2023, the project received a Clio Award, providing third-party validation of its creative and strategic impact in a highly regulated category where meaningful differentiation is rare.
In 2026, the franchise is formally expanding beyond social platforms:
A feature on the series is currently in development for The New Yorker’s Talk of the Town column—placing the project within one of the most selective and culturally authoritative editorial spaces in American media.
Gotham is also producing the first live installment of Hi, I’m High Live at City Winery NYC, converting a digital format into a ticketed, in-person comedy experience featuring notable local comedians and special guest performers.
As customer acquisition costs rise across channels and competition increases for consumer attention on social media, Hi, I'm High positions Gotham as a storyteller sharing experiences rather than a brand transactionally pushing product while discreetly driving sales.
