Anthony Riley shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Anthony, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
As a small business owner and social media influence. I spend a lot time reading messages from fans and followers. I am also working my next big event the OHIO Cannabis Expo 2026 in Columbus Ohio. I love people so I spend a great deal of my time talking to people and building relationships to help others and to make a difference in my community.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Anthony Riley, though most people know me as Mastamynd. I’m the founder of Ohio Cannabis Live and Another Mastamynd Hit LLC, and at my core I’m a media creator, community builder, and advocate focused on education, access, and accountability in Ohio’s cannabis space.
Ohio Cannabis Live started in 2019 because I saw a massive gap—Ohio residents didn’t have clear, trustworthy information about legal cannabis, patient rights, or what was actually happening behind the scenes with policy and regulation. So I picked up a camera and started documenting, explaining, and asking questions. Since then, the platform has grown to over a million views across social media, with more than a thousand videos, livestreams, interviews, and on-the-ground coverage.
What makes my work different is that it’s lived, not theoretical. I’m one of Ohio’s earliest medical cannabis patients, and I live with serious chronic health conditions that shape how I see access, affordability, and patient dignity. I’m not approaching this industry from the outside .I ’m part of the community I serve. That perspective drives everything I do, whether it’s reporting on legislation, hosting town halls, organizing the Ohio Cannabis Expo, or giving a voice to patients, veterans, small businesses, and people who are often ignored in policy conversations.
Right now, I’m focused on expanding Ohio Cannabis Live beyond content into education-driven events, public forums, and sustainable media infrastructure that can serve Ohio long-term. That includes the Ohio Cannabis Expo, public cannabis education initiatives, and building platforms that connect consumers, businesses, and lawmakers in a transparent, compliant way.
My story isn’t about overnight success—it’s about persistence, adapting through setbacks, and building something meaningful despite health challenges, financial pressure, and constant change. Everything I work on comes back to one idea: informed people make better decisions, and real stories deserve real platforms.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a shy but well-known problem solver. I was the behind-the-scenes computer fixer-upper the guy people came to when something was broken and needed to be figured out. I preferred working quietly and never wanted attention.
I didn’t like taking pictures and definitely wasn’t interested in being public-facing or on camera. That part of my life wasn’t a goal it became a necessity. What I do now still comes from the same place: seeing what’s broken, understanding it, and figuring out how to fix it.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me that pain can have purpose. Living with a traumatic brain injury and chronic pancreatitis forced me to confront limits I never expected, but it also showed me that what I was going through could help other people. I realized I could use my experiences to educate, empower, and inform others who were facing similar challenges or navigating broken systems.
That realization is what pushed me into the public eye. I did not become a public figure because I wanted attention. I did it because sharing what I was learning could make things clearer and easier for someone else, and that is what ultimately led me to public speaking and the work I do today.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
What really matters to me is facts. My friends would tell you I’m very fact-based and grounded in reality. I care about following the rules, understanding the science, and making decisions based on evidence, not emotion, hype, or misinformation.
That mindset carries into everything I do. Whether it’s health, policy, or public education, I believe people deserve accurate information so they can make informed choices. Facts, transparency, and accountability matter to me more than opinions or narratives.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say I was a straight-up, honest guy who genuinely cared about people and treated everyone like family. I hope they remember me as an innovator and a trendsetter, a genius and a mastermind who was not afraid to think differently and build things that did not exist before.
More than anything, I hope they say the work I did lasted, that it made an impact, and that it continued to help people long after I was gone. That is the kind of meaningful legacy I want to leave.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ohiocannabisexpo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohiocannabislive?igsh=bDc3MGxmMjh1a29p
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-rileyohio?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ex5EHULju/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ohiocannabislive?si=UAlO0u7z5TFDDyJP
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mastamyndkush
- Other: https://www.ohiocannabislive.com
Image Credits
The picture with the dog that is my dog Miracle Riley the husky she is famous on tiktok
