LOS ANGELES – Culture Machine — the Emmy-nominated production company founded by Dear White People creator Justin Simien — and criminal justice nonprofit Last Prisoner Project launched Loud & Proud, a vibrant and powerful new short-form docuseries dropping weekly on social media platforms through June and July.
Produced by Izzi Cavotta, Kaylen Ng, and Merari Chavarría, Loud & Proud is a bold, celebration of the queer people who’ve long turned to cannabis — not just for healing, but for survival. From drag performers to grassroots organizers, the series centers voices often excluded from the mainstream weed narrative: those who have used cannabis as a tool of care, resistance, and cultural expression.
Featuring beloved drag artists and activists like Laganja Estranja, Jorgeous, Sabbyiana, and others, Loud & Proud connects the dots between anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, cannabis policing, and systemic inequity while celebrating queer joy, protest, and community care.
“I have a team of really talented filmmakers that work with me at Culture Machine, and I wanted us to really get into producing stories that weren’t just the things that were thought of as ‘official Hollywood business.’ I wanted to make original content around the things that really mattered to us,” said Simien. “I happen to be out and proud, and I also enjoy the devil’s lettuce quite a bit. It has found its way into my creative process, my self-care routines, and I think there’s a really interesting political intersection with communities of color and queer communities as well that I’m really excited that this team is uncovering.”
The campaign comes at a critical moment: More than 575 anti-LGBTQ+ bills are currently circulating in statehouses across the U.S., and while cannabis legalization expands, enforcement continues to disproportionately target queer and trans people — especially Black and brown folks. Loud & Proud is both celebration and call to action, urging cannabis consumers and companies to center equity, clemency, and queer leadership in the industry.
“One of the reasons I love the queer community is we show up for one another because we have no other option. We have to show up for each other because a lot of times people won’t show up for us. And I think the cannabis industry is seeing that now. If we want more equity divvied out to those people of color, we have to show up for them. Whether you’re white, black, brown or anything in between, we have to show up as a community and raise our voice as a collective,” says Jay Jackson, known to many as RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar Laganja Estranja.
Executive Produced by Culture Machine, whose recent docuseries Hollywood Black won an Indie Spirit Award, and has received Emmy as well as Gotham Award nominations, the series builds on the company’s mission to tell stories that challenge dominant narratives and center underrepresented voices. In just the past few months, Culture Machine and Justin have been featured in the LA Times, Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, NBC News, Out Magazine, and WWHL. Since launching its social platforms in 2023, Culture Machine has seen a 600% organic increase in followers, reached over 2.3 million unique monthly visitors, and maintained a 45% average engagement rate.
