Cannabis TV Show Receives Six-Figure Production Incentive From Colorado

A reality-TV show centered on the cannabis industry will get a six-figure refund from the State of Colorado.

The Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media grants rebates on production costs in an effort to promote the state's film and television industries, as well as spur rural economies. According to the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, which oversees the state film office, the production team behind upcoming cannabis reality-TV show High Science will receive a $221,000 payment from the rebate program.

High Science follows father-son duo Richard Batenburg Jr. and Rick Batenburg III as they navigate the cannabis industry in Colorado and beyond. The Batenburgs operate The Clear Cannabis Inc., a cannabis investment firm that owns a Colorado cannabis extraction company also named The Clear. According to the Batenburgs, the show centers on their efforts to expand the Clear, as well as find potential partnerships and investments with other cannabis companies.

To create the show, the Batenburgs partnered with local producer Patrick Hackett and reality-TV bigwig David McKillop, who has been executive producer of such reality shows as Deadliest Catch, Duck Dynasty, Ice Road Truckers, Pawn Stars and Storage Wars. The team told OEDIT that they plan to spend around $1.1 million in Colorado and hire 26 local cast and crew members through February of next year.

High Science hasn't yet announced the channel or streaming service that will carry the show, and no broadcast deal has actually been inked. But Richard says negotiations are underway with a large TV network for an eight-episode season.

"The [producers] like the generational or family dynamic. The show is kind of a mashup between Pawn Stars and Shark Tank, where Denver isn't the host of the show, but we're kind of the hub. All of these interesting characters will come in, and we either acquire the business or talk about doing a deal with them through our Clear line of products — or maybe they just need help raising money," Richard told Westword earlier this month.

The show will take viewers through the science and legal issues surrounding cannabis, such as federal banking prohibitions and the differences between THC, CBD, marijuana and hemp. While the Batenburgs and their Denver-based outfit are the main focus of High Science, they promise that interesting characters connected to Colorado's marijuana space will also make appearances.

Despite not having an official TV partner, High Science was impressive enough to earn the full amount allotted for the rebate program, or 20 percent of production costs. According to the Film, Television and Media office, the main goal of the program is to generate economic growth. Responsible for nearly $13.5 billion in sales since 2014, Colorado's legal cannabis industry is the definition of economic growth — but High Science wouldn't be the first TV show to highlight Colorado's pot trade.

In 2021, TV entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis showcased a handful of Denver marijuana businesses on his CNBC show Street Dreams. Earlier this year, Denver dispensary Simply Pure appeared on High Design, a Discovery+ show about dispensary makeovers, while local cannabis chef Jarod Farina recently competed on the Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay.