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Rainbow Valentine’s dad was a drug dealer for 20 years…and he never got caught. Valentine tells the story of growing up in a loving home, with loving parents, in a nice neighborhood, with great friends. There was one odd part of her nearly perfect upbringing…her dad was smuggling pot across the country. We spoke to Valentine over the weekend about why she’s telling her story, if her dad is still worried about going to prison, and how she convinced him to finally speak up.
PBJ: Give us some background on the show. Valentine: I grew up in Northern California in a bubble of psychedelic …. we call ourselves the Hippie Mafia, the inside crew. There was pot everywhere – everyone was a rock star, a pot dealer or tie dye maker, a lawyer, a doctor. I found out when I was 14 that my dad was a pot smuggler, which surprised me even though there was pot all around the house and the houses of my friends. My dad forbid me to ever speak of this. This was the late 80s early 90s when the laws were very different. I knew my parents were involved in this industry but I didn’t know the details. They wouldn’t speak of any of it until now, when laws are shifting all over the country. They are getting older. Thirty years have passed since my parents retired. I create TV shows and content so I pitched this hoping they would share. I didn’t put myself in the middle, I just said: “Let’s do a smuggler’s tale show.” To my surprise my Dad agreed, after he spoke to his lawyer. This show is interviews and conversations with my parents and their friends about stories that I was the center of but didn’t know it. It was a surprise to me – I was there but I didn’t know it.
PBJ: As I am listening I am thinking this isn’t true. It’s good, but how did it happen without them getting caught? Valentine: My dad is unbelievably brilliant and meticulous. He didn’t get caught and neither did a lot of his friends, but there are people who did and I speak to them as well. They are family friends, colleagues, and people in the network. People don’t get caught when they are fucking good at their job. My dad was excellent at his job. He addressed it as a job. He didn’t use drugs. He addressed it as “do this job or be dead.”
PBJ: You tell a great story in the first episode about your dad hiding suitcases of pot underneath the trees and then later landscapes over them, unable to figure out where he actually buried them. Valentine: It’s hilarious and it’s true. I was obsessed with Indiana Jones movies. I was in the backyard frequently. There was this million dollars in our backyard. It blows my mind but it’s all true.
PBJ: How many episodes are there? Valentine: We are definitely having 10 but I have enough for bonus episodes. I come from a subculture where pot is common, it’s the fabric of Northern California. I have enough for 10 but there could be more, depending on who else wants to share their story.
PBJ: How do you take the concept and show it off? Valentine Working in the pitching industry, creating TV shows, I have network contacts in my life of production companies who have relationships with iHeart or other large networks. I pitched the stories to those friends and they pitched it to iHeart. I did not pitch it with me being the center of it – more like a take on Pirates of the Carribean, Smugglers Tales. My friend, co-producer said, “I am going to turn it on you and put you at the center to go on this therapeutic journey.”
PBJ: Did you pitch the show to iHeart? Valentine: I didn’t personally pitch it, my co-producer Brandon Barr pitched it. He is good friends with Chuck over at How Stuff Works. That happened behind the scenes.
PBJ: It sounds to me that it could be a movie? Valentine: That is the goal. I had written a script about my mom’s life that I have been trying to pitch out in L.A. It’s a story that hasn’t been told. It is a subculture that hasn’t been seen on TV.
PBJ: Is your dad worried he will suffer legal consequences? Valentine: The first thing my dad did when I brought up the idea is he consulted his attorney. That is actually part of the show in Episode 2 – this amazing attorney named Bill Canzer. He is a cannabis expert in California. The statute of limitations is seven years. My dad quit in 1989, so it’s well past. There is “conspiracy to commit,” which is if someone you worked with has done something illegal in the past seven years. But my dad and his colleagues have all quit. So there is no danger of getting in trouble.
PBJ: It is fascinating and you are a great storyteller. In the first episode, when you go back talking to some of your friends, playing the tapes you saved from when you were a little kid etc. – it seems podcasting came along at the right time because you fit right in. Valentine: Thank you. I am having a good time. I love audio.
PBJ: What is the story behind Rainbow Valentine? Valentine: It’s not my real name. The folks I am chatting with are private people. When I was five, I changed my name to Rainbow Valentine. I thought they were the two most beautiful things in the world, so I insisted everyone call me that for a good amount of time. I have birthday cards with that name on them.
PBJ: A big question those who want to be a podcaster think about: can you make money at it? It’s only been one episode, but will you be able to make money at it? Valentine: I don’t know yet. Call me in six months. I hope so.
PBJ: Do you feel this is a stepping stone to other things you want to do? Valentine: I had a fantastic time. I am a storyteller by trade. I have been one my whole life. Every opportunity is a stepping stone, the ever-evolving journey of growth. But I am having a great time. It has been incredible watching everyone share stories and get it off their chest.
PBJ: It seems you may have created a new genre of podcasting? Valentine: I have! Tell me. One of my side jobs is as a documentary casting director. One of the things that goes along with that job is getting people to reveal their stories. My motto is: Everyone always a story. I have found one of my superpowers is getting people to share their story with me. I can get the mailman to do it.
PBJ: How do you do that? Valentine: I am very curious. Anyone over 40 has story. I want to know. It’s exciting. I want to know.
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