Michael Cammarata

In 2009, Cammarata transitioned from technology into the music industry, managing the teen boy band Big Time Rush.[8] The group’s first album, BTR, debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 in October 2010.[13][14] The band’s musicians were simultaneously featured in a hit television series, which ran from 2009-2013 on Nickelodeon.[15] Cammarata managed the band through his company CMI Entertainment group.[16] In 2012, CMI announced the production of the animated film The Great Migration starring lead singer Kendall Schmidt.[16][17]

Cammarata was an associate producer for the reality television series Knockout from 2014-2016.[18]

In 2013, Cammarata started an investment fund, Random Occurrence (originally KM Organics Fund).[1][7] As a band manager, Cammarata had observed a desire among fans for all-natural personal care products.[6][19][20] The following year, Cammarata set out to begin investing in the natural products space. In 2014 he met Jamie Schmidt, a creator of natural deodorant products based in Portland, Oregon, and invested in her.[7][19][21][22][23]

In January 2015, Cammarata and Schmidt officially incorporated Schmidt’s Deodorant Company, LLC (SDC) and launched the company as co-founders and co-chief executive officers.[1][21] Over the next few years, Cammarata worked closely with Schmidt, growing SDC from 4 employees[22] in a 1,200-square-foot kitchen to a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.[24] Cammarata drove the product's rebranding, manufacturing, digital marketing, and expansion into retailers, including Target, Walgreens, Kroger, and Whole Foods, while Schmidt focused on the product.[19][22][24] In early 2017, Cammarata and Schmidt were finalists in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Awards for the Pacific Northwest Region.[25]

By 2017, Schmidt’s Deodorant Company had 160 employees,[22] and sold its products in over 14,000 stores in 30 countries worldwide. Later that year, SDC rebranded as Schmidt’s Naturals and was acquired by British-Dutch consumer products conglomerate Unilever in a 9-figure exit.[20]

Post-acquisition, Cammarata stayed on as global chief executive officer of Schmidt’s, stewarding the brand’s growth of 300% before the end of 2018.[22] During his tenure, he introduced a sensitive-skin version of the deodorant in partnership with pop star Justin Bieber called “Here + Now” [26] and a Lily of the Valley-scented deodorant with environmentalist Jane Goodall.[27]

In July 2019, Cammarata joined Neptune Wellness Solutions, the publicly traded American/Canadian cannabinoid extraction and integrated wellness company, as president and chief executive officer.[28] Shortly after joining Neptune, Cammarata helped Neptune raise $41 million through a private stock placement with new and existing institutional investors.[29]

In February 2020, Cammarata launched Neptune’s first two consumer wellness brands, Forest Remedies and Ocean Remedies.[30][31] In honor of the brand launch, Cammarata rang the NASDAQ exchange’s closing bell on February 20, 2020.[32]

In April 2020, Cammarata submitted to the U.S. FDA registration to commercialize hand-sanitizers in the wake of Covid-19.[33][34] In May, they announced the distribution of contactless thermometers, in June, pulse oximeters, and in August, disinfectant wipes.[33]

In April, Cammarata again partnered with friend and conservationist Jane Goodall to develop a new line of plant-based products, including essential oils.[35][36]

In December, Cammarata launched the companies third consumer brand, Mood Ring, in Canada.[37]

In February 2021, Cammarata acquired a controlling interest in baby-food maker Sprout Foods in a transaction that brought Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital into Neptune as a major shareholder. [38]

In June 2021, Cammarata announced a licensing agreement between Sprout and children's entertainment brand CoComelon. [39]

In June of 2022, Neptune Wellness Solutions announced a reverse stock split of 35 to 1,[40] and the divestiture of its cannabis business.[41]

Neptune Wellness Solution's market capitalization fell from a peak of $530 million on July 30, 2019, to $5.09 million as of December 14, 2022 as the company transitioned out of the cannabis business.[42] Since divesting cannabis, Neptune Wellness Solutions has been able to build better relationships with investors, other corporations, and banks, many of whom have restrictions against working with companies that own and/or operate cannabis businesses, Chief Financial Officer Raymond Silcock Chief Financial Officer Raymond Silcock stated in the company’s March 2023 earnings call with analysts. Cammarata said: “Operating a business with such a highly controlled substance was prohibitively expensive from an administrative standpoint, and we are already seeing the benefits from this decision.” [43]