First there was “Restaurant: Impossible,” then came “Bar Rescue” — television shows featuring industry experts dramatically revamping poorly performing businesses.
Now, the owner of an Oakland County cannabis business plans to do the same for marijuana dispensaries throughout the United States.
Enter “CannaBiz Rescue.”
It’s a reality show created and hosted by Jerry Millen, owner of The Greenhouse, which opened its doors in Walled Lake in early 2019 as Oakland County’s first licensed marijuana retailer.
The CannaBiz Rescue pilot features a floundering dispensary in Denver, Colorado, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the manufacture and distribution of cannabis products. It was completed last year and is being shopped around to TV networks in Los Angeles. And based on reactions so far, Millen said he’s confident CannaBiz Rescue will be picked up — and he hopes to see the show on the air this fall.
Along with TV networks, a growing number of people in the marijuana industry and beyond are learning about CannaBiz Rescue and that’s generating positive feedback, he added. “I get phone calls every day from (people in the industry) asking, ‘How can I be part of this show?’
“So many cannabis brands are crawling over each other to be part of it,” he said.
Jerry Millen talking about the marijuana industry during the CannaBiz Rescue pilot (screenshot from CannaBiz Rescue promo reel, shared by Jerry Millen)
Watch the CannaBiz Rescue promotional video here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxezxxm
“A show like this is really needed to make the stigma of using cannabis go away,” Millen said. “And the biggest hurdle is educating people about it.”
He said that the public has been brainwashed by the federal government for decades, told that cannabis is the “devil’s lettuce” and has no medicinal value.
“The alcohol industry, the tobacco industry, church groups have campaigns perpetuating negativity but it’s time the truth comes out,” Millen said. “It’s not the boogie man living in the dispensary, it’s not all a bunch of stoners behind the counter.”
Industry in turmoil
It’s been more than a dozen years since voters began legalizing recreational use of marijuana for people age 21 and older in the U.S., a trend that now includes 24 states and the District of Columbia. Michigan voters legalized adult recreational cannabis use in 2018.
For some, the emerging industry signaled an entrepreneurial opportunity to grab a piece of the so-called “modern gold rush” or “green rush.”
But it hasn’t panned out for the majority of those who ventured into the market as marijuana retailers. Industry statistics show 75% of cannabis dispensaries aren’t making a profit.
“The cannabis business is in turmoil, lots are going out of business,” Millen said. But his Walled Lake store has done very well since it opened nearly seven years ago for medical marijuana patients, he said, with recreational marijuana sales following in 2020.
The financial success has been a blessing for his family, Millen said, and motivates him to “give back — exposing the truth about cannabis and helping other businesses.”
CannaBiz Rescue is “several shows rolled into one,” he added. “It’s an educational show about cannabis, a remodeling show, a family drama, a business show.”
Jerry Millen checking out product at a cannabis grow facility featured in the CannaBiz Rescue pilot (screenshot from CannaBiz Rescue promo reel, shared by Jerry Millen)
Popular genre
The CannaBiz Rescue concept was developed in 2024 by Millen, a former television sports journalist in Detroit who also worked for TV shows in LA and New York City. Millen said he’s on a mission to educate people about cannabis and the cannabis industry — returning to his television roots to do it.
“I thought, what if we had a (TV series) that shows cannabis is not all Snoop Dogg and Cheech and Chong … that senior citizens and cancer patients and people with (post traumatic stress disorder) and others are being helped by it — really what goes on in a business, and help struggling businesses turn it around,” he said. “But do it in a way that’s entertaining, too.”
Millen put up $1 million of his own money to fund the pilot. He uses a “tough love” approach with the dispensary owners and describes the show as “similar to ‘Bar Rescue’ with a little more compassion.”
Aileen Wingblad/MediaNews Group
Jerry Millen, pictured here at The Greenhouse in Walled Lake, is passionate about educating people on cannabis and its benefits (Aileen Wingblad/MediaNews Group)
“Bar Rescue” is hosted by entrepreneur Jon Taffer, who claims to have started, flipped or owned more than 600 bars and clubs in his career. The series premiered in 2011 and now airs on the Paramount Network.
Each episode showcases a struggling bar, often highlighting deep-rooted issues like poor management or business practices, health code violations such as mold or dead pests in ice machines, and bad drinks — under the pressure of a limited timeframe to fix it.
Taffer tries to transform failing bars by introducing new concepts, revamping menus, improving staff training and overseeing renovations using his aggressive management style and industry expertise to make them profitable before they close down.
“Restaurant: Impossible” was hosted by Robert Irvine and premiered in 2011 but was ultimately canceled in 2023. It followed Taffer’s script but focused on restaurants.
The makeover genre of reality TV is popular and lucrative, attracting millions of viewers and millions more in advertising dollars and sponsor support.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, with his fiery personality and exacting standards, has a number of rescue shows to his credit including “Kitchen Nightmares” and “24 Hours to Hell & Back” for struggling restaurants, and “Hotel Hell” for struggling hotels and bed and breakfasts.
Partnering with Millen for CannaBiz Rescue are veteran TV producers Kevin Kay and Todd Nelson. Kay’s credentials include president of Paramount Network, TV Land, CMT and Spike TV, and leadership at Nickelodeon Development and Production. Nelson has the success of several reality television shows including “MasterChef,” “The Biggest Loser” and “Bar Rescue” to his credit.
In the CannaBiz Rescue pilot’s promo video, Millen states: “Each episode, we take on a real dispensary on the brink … bleeding cash, losing customers and barely holding on … from product to profit, culture to compliance, we overhaul everything. When all hope seems lost, we give them one last shot at survival.”
And every makeover, he adds, “is a thrilling, unpredictable ride.”
Jerry Millen uses a “tough love” approach with his advice on saving struggling cannabis dispensaries (screenshot from CannaBiz Rescue promo reel, shared by Jerry Millen)
Casting directors from 3 Ball Entertainment, the company producing CannaBiz Rescue, interviewed 10 dispensary owners before selecting the Denver business for the 44-minute pilot. Wendi and Malcom, the owners of what was known as Cross Genetics, were headed for divorce and had already lost two of their three dispensaries before CannaBiz Rescue swooped in, Millen said.
In the pilot, Millen and the cameras visit facilities that manufacture and distribute marijuana products and Millen observes and assesses the dispensary’s operations.
As financial collapse looms for Wendi and Malcolm’s third store, Millen tells them point-blank: “You’re losing $30,000 a month, you are screwed.”
He then shares insights and strategies to move the business on the path to profitability. The business also receives a $200,000 makeover — a cost built into the initial investment for the pilot.
“It’s not only the cannabis industry that needs this show,” Millen said. “America needs us. People need to know it’s OK to use cannabis, and shows like this can change the entire outlook in America.”
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