CNN To Debut Marijuana-Themed Series

CNN will follow the lives of marijuana franchise entrepreneurs as part of a new unscripted series High Profits, the network said Thursday.

The series, set to debut in 2015, profiles Brian Rogers and Caitlin McGuire, the owners of Breckenridge Cannabis Club (BCC) whose marijuana business has seen increased revenues since Colorado recently legalized the use and sale of recreational marijuana, said network officials.

The series joins Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, This is Life with Lisa Ling, Somebody’s Gotta Do It with Mike Rowe, The Hunt with John Walsh, as part of CNN’s lineup of unscripted series programming.

CNN is the second network this month to jump into the marijuana-based reality series arena. TruTv last week said it will develop a series pilot around Medicine Man (working title), which follows the Williams family dynasty behind the Medicine Man company -- one of the leaders in Colorado’s legal marijuana industry.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.