We’ve been building The Other for about two years now. In that time, I’ve watched New York’s cannabis scene go from scattered hustle to something that actually feels like community. Real community. And a lot of that, maybe most of it, traces back to the spaces where people show up.
Work’n’Roll is one of those spaces. Maybe the most important one.
I met Julia Deviatkina at one of her events. The crowd was wild in the best way: license applicants swapping war stories with legacy guys trying to go legit, brand founders talking up budtenders, everyone smoking, talking, dreaming. Kisa the dog, Work’n’Roll’s mascot, threading through legs like she ran the place.
“We basically created the space we wished existed,” Julia tells me. “Simple as that. A home for ourselves and the industry that my co-founder Alex and I wanted to see.”
As an immigrant, Julia knows what it’s like to land somewhere new and find nothing. No tribe, no anchor.
“It feels really hard when you come to another place,” she says. “I had been traveling a lot, working from different places, and it just wasn’t this feeling where you can be like, oh my God, I’m home.”
So she built one.
Chelsea Penthouse to Culture Factory
Work’n’Roll started in 2022. A twelfth-floor Chelsea loft, the kind of sun-drenched space that makes you want to quit your job and launch a new start-up. Days, it was membership co-working: WiFi, desks, unlimited coffee, and oh yeah, you could smoke cannabis while you worked. Nights, it turned into an event venue like no other. Career fairs. NFT drops. Burlesque. Investment pitches. Gladiator fights. It was like Warhol’s The Factory for cannabis professionals and stoners.
Think Barcelona cannabis clubs, those private membership spots where private consumption and networking swirl together. Julia made that comparison early on, and having attended many Work’n’Roll events myself, both in Chelsea and across New York City, I can attest that the vibe translates.
Looking back, what drew me to the space the most was who showed up. They had avid consumers sitting dabbing next to people who’d never touched a joint in their lives. Industry vets next to kids fresh off the bus, trying to figure out if this whole thing was for them.
“We had license applicants, regulators, the canna-curious, creatives, lawyers, medical dispensary staff, legacy operators, wellness girlies, and consultants trying to monetize people’s desire to monetize, which is funny, but also very real. We were all figuring it out together. Just shared confusion and shared ambition,” said Julia. “We shouldn’t be closed and be only for ourselves. We should be open and coexist. This is the stigma we are breaking. People think being a stoner means something: another group, another aliens. No. It’s absolutely normal.”
500 Events and Counting
Here’s the thing about Work’n’Roll: it’s basically a living archive of New York’s legal cannabis birth. Five hundred events. Five hundred snapshots of an industry figuring itself out in real time.
But the company outgrew its own walls.
“Work’n’Roll was never just four walls,” Julia explains. “It was always a vehicle. The space served its purpose: it connected the right people, brands were born, stores opened, and relationships formed. The mission was kind of… accomplished.”
Originally, there was no corporate mission statement, no five-year plan. Now they’re a full-service marketing and events agency. Work’n’Roll’s team of partners includes Julia and her co-founder Alex Herbman, Matthew Evert (originally a member of the networking space who manages operations & biz dev), and Josh Tepperberg (brought on for his experience in scaling up events).
Their team remains authentically stoked to consult their brand partners on how to be inventive with activations at their events. With a ballooning number of New York cannabis products and brands in 2026, educating and impacting the budtenders is paramount.
“We started feeling confined by the physical space,” she says. “And that’s a weird thing to say, but it’s true. We saw the gap. The potential. The power in experiences.”
Budtender XP: Blowing Minds on Purpose
Their flagship event is the Budtender XP. These aren’t your sad industry mixers with name tags and warm beer.
“‘Rolling Classics XP’ went down at the Classic Car Club on Pier 76. Seven hundred budtenders. Vintage cars everywhere. New York’s best flower passing through. ‘Catch Me If You Can XP’ happened at Albany International Airport. An actual airport. Immersive, gamified, completely insane.”
Why the weird venues?
“Because we want to blow people’s minds,” Julia says with zero hesitation. “We want budtenders to experience consumption in spaces they never imagined were possible. Education through fun gamified experience. That’s how people remember.”
She’s right. I’ve been to enough forgettable cannabis conferences and after-parties to know the difference.
The budtender focus isn’t random; it’s the whole point. These are the people working dispensary floors every day, talking to actual customers, hearing what works and what doesn’t. Not marketing decks. Real feedback.
“Budtenders are the voice, ears, and eyes of the industry,” Julia says. “If brands don’t listen to budtenders, the industry will go in the wrong direction. It’s that simple. You can have the best product in the world, but if the budtender doesn’t believe in it, it won’t move.”
Women First
Work’n’Roll was NYC’s first women-focused cannabis incubator. That matters more than it should in 2025.
Female execs in cannabis dropped from 37% in 2019 to 23% in 2022. The industry that was supposed to be different—built on the promise of social equity, inclusive community, and second chances—is trending backward on gender.
“As corny as it might sound, a safe space was much needed,” she tells me. “Especially as a woman. Especially as an immigrant. Especially in an industry that’s so dude-heavy.”
Work’n’Roll has partnered with HighGarden (Elyssa Colón and Jackie Conroy’s hospitality brand), CannaDiva, and TribeTokes. Events they hosted like “Girls Just Wanna Have Funds” tackled fundraising education head-on.
“When women come together with intention,” Julia says, “Energy becomes magical and unreal.”
The Messy Middle
Photo Credit: Quinn VillarrealNew York’s cannabis market, like all states’ markets, is a mess. Julia knows it. Everyone knows it.
There are over 500 licensed dispensaries across the state. The growth is real. But the problems are real, too: regulatory whiplash, social equity promises half-kept at best, inversion that we’ve heard about, and the inversion that somehow goes unnoticed. And after waiting for ten years in Colorado and Massachusetts’ industries, I am still stuck waiting years for legal social consumption to roll out in New York (and bafflingly in those two states as well).
“We can’t predict a month from now,” Julia admits. “We’re just waiting. What’s going to happen? They’re figuring it out right now.”
That uncertainty would break some people. Not her.
“Based on pure population and desire, not to knock any other place, but New York hustles hard,” she says. “And we always have.”
What’s Next
Work’n’Roll keeps expanding. In addition to experiential offerings, they now offer digital services, including social media, paid ads, and email marketing. The goal is to keep that community-first ethos alive even when the work happens through screens.
“We create touchpoints,” said Julia. “Community doesn’t disappear just because you’re behind a screen. You just have to stay engaged. Stay human and stay present.”
As for their events in 2026, they expect to produce at least 3 events upstate in the Capital Region, Buffalo, and the Hudson Valley; in addition to up to 6 events in NYC. They plan to bring the magic beyond New York, too; look out, New Jersey. With an emphasis on fun and heart, combined with meticulous attention to detail, they certainly have what it takes to make an impact on the cannabis community wherever they go.
“People want to be taken care of. They crave community and connection. If you’re kind, inclusive, and actually care about the people you serve, that translates anywhere.”
A beat.
“You really have to care. You can’t fake that.”
Julia’s Picks
I always ask founders what they actually smoke. After hundreds of events and countless brand partnerships, what does Julia reach for?
“MFNY BagelHole. Honestly, anything from them keeps the creative juices flowing. Ayrloom Black Cherry throughout the day. Rythm flower. Off Hours rosin gummies.”
She pauses.
“The truth is… we just love weed.”
Fair enough.
Testimonials
“Work’n’Roll has created something truly special; a living, evolving community rather than just an event. At the heart of it is Julia Deviatkina, whose vision, energy, and deep commitment to people have been the driving force behind everything it has become. Being part of Work’n’Roll’s growth over the past three years has allowed our brand to connect with people in a way that feels organic, creative, and genuinely human. As Work’n’Roll scaled from intimate gatherings to large-scale experiences, our collaboration grew alongside it, opening space for meaningful engagement, creative experimentation, and shared momentum. It’s participation in a culture that Julia has thoughtfully built and continues to elevate.”
–Natalia Kaminskaya Co-Founder & Head of Brand & Culture, MFNY Group
“BudtenderXP puts brands directly in front of the people who shape the industry’s energy: budtenders. For PAX, it has been a high-impact platform to introduce innovation—most recently, our Live Rosin Gummies. Work’n’Roll delivers true community in standout venues, driving meaningful product engagement through shared experiences rather than brand-by-brand, door-to-door outreach.”
–Stone Swiess Senior Field Sales Manager – NY, Pax
“Work’n’Roll has created a connection between budtenders and brands with the goal of driving product education and industry networking. As a marketer for NY Farm Co. who has activated at these events, yes, yes, and yes! This is needed to keep the culture alive.”
–Kassandra Alfaro Brand and Field Marketing Manager, NY Farm Co.
