Creator sPOTlight: Chuckie_Fuego

After arriving in Los Angeles, California from Alabama with a camera and a passion for creativity and media, Chuckie Fuoco, a.k.a Chuckie_Fuego on TheWeedTube, does work both in front of and behind the camera in the cannabis, music and news spaces. After rethinking the first episode in his “The Hot Box” series, Chuckie sought to form a platform in which viewers could meet cannabis industry professionals and “learn a lot about them in a short amount of time.”

In this Creator sPOTlight, Chuckie shares more about himself, his experience with content creation and his diving into the world of growing cannabis. We also spoke about his advice for budding WeedTubers as well as attending peaceful protests in his local area, and turned the tables by asking him a few rapid fire cannabis questions.

RJ: You began uploading to TheWeedTube three months ago. Was that the beginning of your video making experience or had you done previous work?

Chuckie: I have been Video Producing in Los Angeles since 2012. Arrived from Alabama with a Canon 7D around my neck and started looking for work. Since then I have produced in the cannabis space as well as worked with various news outlets in Los Angeles. 

RJ: In April, you began a journey in growing cannabis. What made you want to begin growing? Have you had any previous growing experience?

Chuckie: I honestly love growing! This is my second crop. My first grow came at a huge turn in my life as I left my first full time position as a Video Producer to step into the cannabis industry. Made me really appreciate the plant. I’ve got a long way to go but I’m learning as much as I can.

RJ: Last we heard, one of your plants appeared to have a nutrient deficiency. What’s the update on the grow?

Chuckie: That was a scary moment. I did a lot of research including hitting up one of my close friends. He let me know I was right to think nutrient deficiency, so I backed off on the strength of nutrients I was mixing. The ladies are looking great and are now in their 3rd week of flowering. Stay tuned for an update!

RJ: I watched your review on the Netflix show “Cooked with Cannabis” and you commended it for “trying to include the world of cannabis a lot more than most shows have.” What are your reflections on looking back to where we’ve come from in the world of cannabis in mainstream media since the dawn of legalization?

Chuckie: The game is wide open and yelling for Creators to produce content for our community. There has really only been a handful of influencers and creators within the “mainstream” that have been tough enough to stick around. I say tough because we all know of the many profiles that were taken down before and after legalization. A lot of good creators and influencers were lost. What I see happening now though are those veterans making their own path. It’s a big moment for cannabis creators because at the current moment people are screaming for more content. KEEP CREATING!

RJ: Two months ago, you helped produce a music video for a musician friend of yours, Poor Frisco. Tell me what that was like. How does being in front of the camera feel different than being behind the camera?

Chuckie: Music is also one of my passions. Poor Frisco and myself have been producing music together for almost 10 years now. We’ve known each other since college. That video in particular was a dope shoot. As far as being in front of camera, I absolutely love it! I studied theatre in high school and college, so creating content and talking with people comes natural to me. 

RJ: I saw that you attended a peaceful protest in LA a few days ago. How was it and how did it feel to be a part of the nationwide movement?

Chuckie: Absolutely amazing and 100% peaceful. I was lucky to be a part of this past Sunday’s march in Hollywood. We all had no idea the magnitude of protesters that day. Onwards and upwards to August 28th and the march on Washington! I also captured a lot of content of the protests that I plan to share on TheWeedTube. Stay tuned!

RJ: I think your Hot Box series is awesome. People love their in-vehicle content nowadays, cc. Carpool Karaoke. How did you come up with the idea for a rapid fire hot box interview?

Chuckie: I thought I needed to have professionals within the industry on a segment where we were able to learn a lot about them in a short amount of time. My first pilot episode ran super long. I enjoyed it, but knew I needed to reformat to make it more fast paced. Thus the 4 minutes with 20 questions idea was born.  Quick enough so we don't get bored, but long enough to learn a lot. 

RJ: Let’s do a bit of a rapid fire here! Ready? Go! What was your first experience with cannabis?

Chuckie: Waterfall out of a water bottle my Freshman year of College. Fell straight back to the floor. 

RJ: Favorite strain?

Chuckie: Skywalker OG

RJ: Favorite music to listen to during a sesh?

Chuckie: Action Bronson, The Mars Volta

RJ: Finally, if you could sesh with anyone, living or dead, fictional or nonfictional, human or nonhuman, who would it be and why?

Chuckie: Dolores Cannon. Past-life regressionist and hypnotherapist. Not sure if she smoked but I would love to burn one with her and talk about how she viewed life. Look her up and watch some of her lectures if you haven't yet.   

RJ: Chuckie, thanks so much again for taking the time to speak with me today. I hope you continue to stay well, stay healthy and stay safe!

Chuckie: You too! Much love to TheWeedTube for giving us this platform. Can’t wait to see where we go from here!