Meet Liz & Naki | Co-Founders of Frankie & Marley Productions

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liz & Naki and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liz & Naki, how do you think about risk?
Risk is something we’ve been toying with since the inception of Frankie & Marley Productions. We are two women who are entering a predominately male dominated industry, event production. In addition, given the nature of our events being related to cannabis, specifically CBD and Delta-8, we are pushing the boundaries of what is considered to be the norm in the Southeast.

We haven’t even located the red tape because the laws around cannabis and events are still so blurry in Georgia. There hasn’t been fast enough movement to decriminalize and expunge the records of those who have been negatively effected by a plant. Which, in other states is making people, mostly wealthy white men, a lot of money. This our friends, is the war on drugs doing what it was designed to do.

We already know that Georgia is going to make it extremely difficult for smaller businesses, without lots of investors, to get into the cannabis industry. The only shot we have to staying relevant once cannabis is legalized is to start early, create our brand and build a following.

Producing events in itself is a risk because you have to plan everything upfront and hope to high hell that people believe in your vibes, energy and ideas enough to show up and buy a ticket. This is why we love and appreciate every single one of the people who has helped us create successful events, even if that’s simply sharing an Instagram post.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
While we do technically own a business and have a brand, we consider ourselves artists and creatives first and foremost.

Naki is a home trained chef, aesthetic enthusiast, and a certified party starter. You can’t ignore her carefree energy, it’s magnetic. Liz lives to create vibes and energy into a space where people can come together for memories they won’t soon forget, events are her art.

What makes us different from others is that we actually give a sh*t about the people who participate and attend our events. We aren’t in this thing for a huge payout (although, we do like to travel ::wink wink::), we are here to build our community and make this heavy ass world feel a little lighter for a day or two.

Both of us came from the corporate marketing world and are very grateful for what it taught us, we are both self-made (no trust funds here) and have been growing our friendship for 20 years into what is now a fulfilling business partnership. We are most proud of the fact that we started our business in our living rooms and now have grown to hosting our events in an amazing, large scale space like, Parcel 44, which will house the upcoming Mystic District Marketplace on 4/23.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh, this is gonna be fun!!! Y’all really need to give your friends this itinerary, we’ve been living in ATL for basically our entire lives, they can’t go wrong with these recs. Let’s assume it’s a hot summer week in the A…

Monday
But first, coffee and veggie patties from Hodgepodge, then a creepy hike on Doll’s Head trail. For lunch, we’ll go by Little’s and grab a burger, take a disco nap and then hit The Local for karaoke.

Tuesday –
Take a stroll on the Eastside Beltline, check out the DJs playing A/V Radio, hit Beetlecat for $1 oyster happy hour, get a tattoo at Liberty and then go to the Breaking Rice pop up at Bookhouse for dinner.

Wednesday –
Today is an art day! First, we’ll get sushi from Budi’s and then hit all of the galleries including ArtsXchange, Mint and Free Market Gallery. Grab cocktails and dinner at Ticonderoga Club and end the night at either Little Trouble or Claremont Lounge.

Thursday –
Explore Buford Highway! Start off with a sizzling tofu soup at So Kong Dong, get pampered at Treat Your Feet and then get Korean BBQ at Han Il Kwan. A close second option would be to hit up Jeju Korean Spa. End this relaxing day with craft cocktails and dance music at Midcity Cafe.

Friday –
Breakfast at Petit Chou and then spend the day hiking at the Chattahoochee Bamboo Forest. Get fancy that night and do dinner at Kimball House. Finish the night off in the back room at MJQ dancing to disco, funk and soul.

Saturday –
Head to Dekalb Farmers Market for coffee and delicious cakes for breakfast and to explore the senses of the market. Dinner at Soba Vietnamese and then end the night with delicious cocktails and amazing music at Banshee. If you get the munchies, you can always grab a late night hot dog from their stand.

Sunday
You are tired. You are hung over. You’ve just participated in a wake and bake session. You need Homegrown, like now. Get the comfy chicken and thank us later. Then we’ll take a little rest at one of the beautiful parks Atlanta has to offer, we love Grant Park. Just park your little blanket right there on the grass and rest honey, you’re gonna need it to finish your week at Chaka Khan Hacienda, one of the best parties in the Southeast!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, we’d like to recognize our longstanding “Employee of the Month”, Raul Peña aka Ralo, follow him at @soundslikeralo on IG. Raul has worn almost every hat from DJ to lighting tech to audio engineer and has always done it with a chill and helpful demeanor. We love and appreciate you, Raul!

Chelsea Handler for being a bad ass and hosting that hilarious dinner that inspired it all. Our boy Reggie, thanks for being a mentor and believing in our dreams. Mary-Helen for being an amazing production assistant and talented graphic designer. Pat Tate for pushing for the first Mystic District Marketplace, look how far we’ve come! Luis from My Abuelas for your beautiful partnership and being one of our biggest cheerleaders.

If we had to name every single friend that has chipped in this would be way too long for anyone to read!

Website: www.frankieandmarley.com

Instagram: @twodopewitches

Other: TikTok: @mysticdistrictmarket

Image Credits
Grace Kelly Photography – @gracekellyshotme Sarah Htun Photography – @sarahhtunphoto Alicia Fortino Photography – @aliciafortinophoto