Hempire (lost unaired reality TV show pilot; 2011-2014)
Cover page for a MotherJones magazine issue covering the pilot and business.
Status: Lost
Hempire was an unsold reality TV show pilot pitched by Dhar Mann and his business partner Derek Peterson to Original Productions.[1]
History
In 2010, Dhar Mann and stockbroker Derek Peterson founded weGrow (originally called iGrow), a hydroponic marijuana store that supplied the crops and tools needed to grow medical marijuana.[2]
Around the time weGrow was in business and being developed, Dhar would start developing the reality show. Filming was in progress by 2011, being filmed by a three-person video crew.[3] [4] [5]
In 2014, Dhar got engaged to reality TV star Lilly Ghalichi. Around this period, several updates were put out by news sources claiming that Lilly would be starring in the pilot by Dhar that would be used to promote his business.[6]
However, in the end the pilot was not sold or made into a full series, and was never aired either.
Plot
The plot of the pilot is unknown, however it would have revolved around Dhar and Derek being “ganjapreneurs”, specifically their personal lives and marijuana business.
It was believed that Dhar would originally co-star in the pilot when it was first mentioned, but it likely changed later on during development.
According to Lalate, the pitch was "two not-so-usual suspects leaving mainstreams white-collar industries to pursue opportunities in the blooming pot industry".
Availability
Due to the pilot having not been sold or aired, it remains inaccessible and lost. It is unknown if the pilot was screened or shown anywhere outside of the pitches.
No content has resurfaced either, outside of news articles which host information on the pilot.