Filmmaker JT Barnett has always been drawn to stories that live just beyond the mainstream — where culture, power, and humanity collide. With his new docuseries The Green Frontier, he’s taking that instinct global, traveling from glaciers in Iceland to the streets of Amsterdam and the edges of Patagonia alongside one of the world’s most influential cannabis attorneys, Bob Hoban. The result isn’t a show about cannabis — it’s a deeply human exploration of policy, legacy, resilience, and connection, told through the lives and voices shaping this moment in history. We caught up with JT to talk about the journey, the conversations, and why this project feels bigger than anything he’s done before.
JT is also a content partner. Content Partners help Voyage in so many ways from spreading the word about our mission, sponsoring our work and collaborating with us on content like this.
Hi JT, thank you so much for joining us again. So, let’s jump right in – The Green Frontier sounds incredible — part travel, part culture, part human story. How did this idea come together, and what drew you to telling these kinds of global stories alongside Bob Hoban?
Some of the best things I’ve worked on in life have come together in unexpected ways.. organically growing into something great. I’ve always been drawn to stories that sit at the edge of culture, whether Cheaters, Tiger King, or the projects around the world. The Green Frontier has been different, it wasn’t just an idea; it felt like something happening globally that we are a part of and experiencing together. Cannabis touches everything… economics, medicine, justice, agriculture, spirituality, entire countries. But this isn’t a cannabis show… It’s a human show. The plant is the thread that connects people, cultures, and conversations you don’t normally see on screen.
You’ve compared the series to No Reservations, where cannabis serves more as the backdrop than the focus. What kinds of conversations and themes are you hoping to explore through that lens?
Yes.. Bourdain wasn’t making a show about food. Food was the doorway. The conversations we’re having are about human rights, legacy, the clash between old and new, policy and prohibition, spirituality, business, fear, hope, and innovation. All with the backdrop of a industry trying to grow, survive and reimagine itself. We’re also talking about what happens when big business/ investment shows up. So, yes, we have cannabis experts and businesses, but we also have government officials, growers in Iceland, scientists in Holland, lawyers from around the globe, influencers, and the community of people globally trying to live a better life. These are the kinds of themes we care about.
You’ve just wrapped an ambitious 23-day shoot that took you from Iceland to Amsterdam to Argentina — even all the way down to Patagonia. What moments from that journey stand out most for you?
There are moments from this journey that will stay with me for the rest of my life. In Iceland, standing on a glacier, in Amsterdam, sharing a table with people who help shape policy it was powerful… And then Patagonia. It felt like the edge of the world. Surrounded by mountains older than time, speaking with growers facing some of the harshest conditions on earth… it was humbling. It felt like witnessing history as it’s being written. It helped me realize how interconnected we all really are.
Bob Hoban is one of the most respected cannabis attorneys in the world, working with governments in more than 30 countries. What’s it like traveling and creating with someone who’s so deeply connected to global policy and reform?
Bob is a singular presence. Filming and traveling with him the world rearranges itself… Heads of state, regulators, scientists, growers, they don’t just know his name… they trust it. He helped shape the legal frameworks in a multitude of countries including our own… Yet he’s down to earth and accessible even with all these accomplishments and knowledge. He is just as close with the farmer than he is with the Government Official… That duality is extraordinary. For me as a filmmaker, it’s been an extraordinary time. Bob understands the human cost and the human possibility, and he never loses sight of the people at the center of it all.
When people watch The Green Frontier, what do you hope they take away — not just about cannabis, but about culture, connection, and the world we live in right now?
Cannabis reveals more than it hides. It reflects how we value freedom, health, land, and the people who tend it. My hope is that this series reminds us that the world is full of voices worth hearing and lives worth protecting, far beyond the noise of our timelines.Great film and series should make you feel something. If someone reaches the end of an episode and feels even a small shift, a widening of perspective, then we’ve done our job.
