Jonathan Rose is a communications professional, content director, certified content marketer, copywriter, project manager, journalist and multimedia creative.
Jonathan (left) moderates a Business of Cannabis panel discussion in Denver. Photo: Kathleen Lavine, Denver Business Journal
Jonathan is director of content at full-services marketing firm Mainland and the DEI Leadership Institute's communications director where he sits on the Denver organization's Event Committee — advising on marketing, strategy and content — and producing content — for the Institute's inaugural and sold-out Annual Conference in August 2023.
He founded the Regulated State newsletter in February 2023. Regulated State is a biweekly Substack hyperfocused on the Colorado cannabis market with reporting through a business and policy lens, and a consistent focus on social equity in the industry.
He was the content manager and strategist at Vangst, the nation’s first and leading cannabis hiring platform. There, he managed the strategic development and implementation of impactful content like white papers, blog posts, multimedia and the company’s single-most authoritative and cornerstone content: the Vangst Cannabis Industry Salary Guide.As former associate editor at Denver Business Journal, Jonathan oversaw all newsroom content surrounding the publication’s events and awards programs — think 40 Under 40, Outstanding Women in Business and Best Places to Work. That typically included features, Q&As and overview stories, but his work could be seen in just about every element of DBJ’s awards programs, from promotional copy to the photography and events themselves.Jonathan was responsible for scripting DBJ’s programs and producing the multimedia content shown at its events, setting the tone. And when events went virtual, he designed and produced them for much of 2020 with minimal technical support until there was a template that could be handed off to a vetted contractor. He continued scripting, directing and editing virtual events through 2021.
Jonathan built the cannabis beat at Denver Business Journal, helping to legitimize this burgeoning, multibillion-dollar industry. He was also responsible for higher education coverage at the paper.Beyond creative, Jonathan was instrumental in producing the DBJ’s legacy weekly print edition and maintained working relationships with freelancers. He oversaw the news organization's arts and culture coverage, as well as regular executive profiles and video series.