William Stolk: The Art of Rebellion — From Pro Skier to Cannabis Crusader

Few modern activists blur the line between art, protest, and chaos quite like William Stolk. The former pro skier turned creative agitator has spent the better part of a decade using humor, spectacle, and street-level performance to push Australia’s conversation on cannabis reform into the mainstream. Alongside his longtime partner-in-crime Alec “Craze” Zammitt, Stolk has turned headlines, court cases, and controversy into a movement. One that asks a simple but powerful question: Who Are We Hurting? 

But activism is just one side of his story. Stolk also serves as the editor of Frank151 magazine, continuing the publication’s legacy of underground culture, street-level storytelling, and countercultural commentary. Under his creative company People Like Us, which he co-founded with acclaimed surf photographer Andrew Christie, Stolk produces bold commercial content for brands like Fireball Whisky and Red Bull, as well as collaborations with iconic men’s magazines like FHM and Maxim. 

He’s also the creative force behind a growing suite of Frank151 YouTube series including Curators of Culture and Frank TV, giving voice to artists, athletes, and rebels shaping the culture from the ground up. 

Outside of media and film, Stolk brings his ideas to the streets for real. Working alongside international graffiti artist CRISP, he’s known for plastering cities with cheeky, politically charged posters and paste-up art under his banner Willy’s World. The work is raw, satirical, and self-aware. It’s part guerrilla marketing, part social commentary, part performance art. 

We caught up with Stolk to talk about his first experiences with cannabis, his journey from ski slopes to stunts, his love of street art, and why he believes rebellion still matters. 

When did you first try cannabis, and when did you become passionate about legalization?

I first started smoking cannabis when I was about 15. I was at a ski summer camp in Whistler, Canada. A group of us, including one of the most stylish skiers of all time, my old friend Stefan Thomas, bought an eighth from one of the dealers on “the block,” right out front of the BC Liquor Store in the middle of Whistler Village. 

We made an apple bong and sat in a hotel room on one of those shitty weather days and smoked the whole eighth. I got really high for the first time, and then my friend Stefan ate the apple we’d been smoking out of. I was in stitches. I loved the rebellion, the act, and the culture around cannabis. 

 Several of my favorite pro skiers at the time, Candide Thovex, Mikeal, and Tanner Hall all smoked copious amounts of weed. You could see it in their ads and ski videos, even in the stoner or psychedelic art on their pro models. It had a massive impact on me as a teenager. 

When I was around 13, my mum gave me a copy of Cheech & Chong’s classic Up In Smoke. Between that and my ski idols, I was set on a path toward becoming a stoner. Eventually, even an advocate. 

“My passion for legalization came years later when I got arrested in Utah for two grams of weed. In Park City of all places. I was locked up for six hours, and it cost my mate six grand to bail me out. I wasn’t even allowed to bail myself. Back in Australia, I had to get drug-tested for four months and complete a psychological evaluation just for less than two grams. ”

My passion for legalization came years later when I got arrested in Utah for two grams of weed. In Park City of all places. I was locked up for six hours, and it cost my mate six grand to bail me out. I wasn’t even allowed to bail myself. Back in Australia, I had to get drug-tested for four months and complete a psychological evaluation just for less than two grams. 

That whole ordeal messed up the great life I had going at the time. I lost ski sponsors, couldn’t travel to compete, and all because of a tiny amount of weed. It pissed me off, honestly. I realized that if I didn’t do something about this, I was a hypocrite. 

I eventually got back on my feet. I signed with a ski company called Batalla, moved to Europe, worked in a pizza joint at night, and skied every day in Méribel for a few winters. Shout-out to DJE and the Le Spot crew! Those were some of the funnest winters of my life. 

After blowing my knee again for the umpteenth time, I decided to retire from professional skiing. My body just couldn’t take it anymore. I moved back to Sydney, started working regular jobs, and began focusing on making content. Like running magazines, creating videos, and building my online platform Ballin’ On A Budget. Which grew to over a million fans before Facebook deleted it for cannabis content. 

Around that time, in late 2015, I met Alec “Craze” Zammitt through Instagram. What started as a bit of fun quickly evolved into something bigger. We began pulling off stunts, getting media attention, and before we knew it, we’d become full-time cannabis activists. 

What kind of activities do you engage in to push for legalization? 

For nearly a decade, we’ve been attending protests and pulling off publicity stunts in the name of cannabis legalization. Our goal has always been to make people laugh, think, and talk about reform. 

From setting up fake cannabis grow rooms on busy Sydney streets to building a 25-foot-tall cannabis Christmas tree in the city’s main square, to projecting giant green leaves on the Sydney Opera House… we've done it all. We’ve also started working directly with politicians, like NSW MP Jeremy Buckingham from the Legalise Cannabis Party, to push for real policy change. 

Since we started, Australia has made progress. Medical cannabis was legalized federally in 2018, and the ACT has decriminalized personal use and home-growing. But there’s still a long way to go. We’re slowly breaking down the stigma, brick by brick. 

How did you and Alec “Craze” Zammitt first meet? 

Craze and I met online about nine years ago through my magazine Booyah. He hit me up on Instagram, we linked, smoked some weed, talked shit, and became mates. Proper serendipity, which happens to be my favorite word in the English language. 

We’re from totally different worlds. He grew up in Sydney’s west, I grew up on the northern beaches. He was a graffiti artist; I was a surfer and skier. But we bonded over hip-hop, art, and weed. 

He’s one of the most driven people I know and pushes me constantly. We’re yin and yang. Different skills, same mission: to legalize the god plant, cannabis. 

How did the “Who Are We Hurting?” campaign begin? 

Like most great ideas, it started as a joke. We made a giant banner that said “Happy Birthday Weed,” tied a bunch of helium balloons to it, and sent it 300 feet into the air. A pilot flying into Sydney International reported it, cops came, and that was the start. 

Each year, we went bigger. More chaos, more headlines, more conversations about drug law reform. Of course, it led to more trouble with the authorities. 

What inspired the Opera House projection?

The Opera House stunt was my idea, inspired by The Chaser, a political satire group who once projected conservative broadcaster Alan Jones’s phone number on the sails in protest. I thought, “If they can do that, why can’t we?” 

So, on April 20, 2022, we projected cannabis leaves, the words “Who Are We Hurting?”, and the number 420 onto the Sydney Opera House. We had three teams. One at the Park Hyatt, one at the cruise terminal, and one across the harbor projecting onto the bridge. We used portable LaserCubes and ran for over an hour before the authorities caught on. Eventually, the cops came, and Craze and I were arrested and locked up for ten hours.

They hit us with harsh bail conditions: I couldn’t go within 3 km of the CBD, had to check in at the station three times a week, and wasn’t allowed to speak to Craze for ten months. 

“Eighteen months later, we were still on bail. After several court appearances, the case carried only a $1,350 max fine but it ended with us WINNING. The judge called it “an unarrestable offense,” and the police were ordered to pay back half our legal costs, which had totaled around $25k each. ”

It was ridiculous, but worth it. We weren’t advertising anything. We were protesting — peacefully, visually, and for the public good. 

Beyond projections, how do you incorporate street art into your activism?

Every stunt we’ve done is a piece of performance art. It’s designed to spark conversation. Over the years, we’ve collaborated with graffiti artists like CRISP on massive installations, including a 9-meter cannabis Christmas tree in Sydney’s Martin Place in 2019. We also filled Sydney with 100 fake cannabis plants for 4/20 in 2018. 

Street art allows us to make big statements that resonate visually and emotionally. Artists like Banksy, Scott Marsh, and Shepard Fairey (OBEY) have massively influenced me. I even make my own posters and stickers now. You know part self-promotion, part street expression. I don’t call myself an artist cause that title belongs to the masters. But I love being creative and doing avant-garde shit. It’s rebellion with purpose. 

Why is the decriminalization of cannabis important? 

Decriminalization treats drug use as a health issue, not a crime. The “War on Drugs” has failed. Plain and simple. Legalization allows regulation, takes money out of organized crime, and gives consumers access to safe, tested products. It’s better for everyone, from patients to policymakers. 

What happens if you smoke weed in public in Australia right now? 

Depends on the state. Most likely, you’ll get detained or even arrested. Personally, I think cannabis should be treated like alcohol or tobacco. There should be specific zones where it’s allowed, not full prohibition. 

How has the “Who Are We Hurting?” project spread globally?

It started local but has gone international. We’ve spent over $100k of our own money. No crowdfunding, just our time, sweat, and cash to make it happen. 

Recently, a brand in Portugal called 8000 Kicks brought the movement to Berlin, installing fake cannabis plants across the city to raise awareness during Germany’s legalization push. 

We’re planning more global stunts soon — watch this space. 

How do Australians view cannabis now? 

Public perception has changed massively. Compared to 15 years ago, cannabis is now seen as legitimate medicine and a viable industry. The success stories from Canada and the U.S. prove it works. Australians are starting to realize it’s time. 

Billions in tax revenue, less crime, better health outcomes. It’s a no-brainer. 

What’s the long-term goal for the movement? 

“To inspire global action. The “Who Are We Hurting?” the movement is about connection. It’s showing that reform is a worldwide cause. We invite activists, brands, and everyday people to join us, amplify the message, and push for real change. ”

How did your recent court case affect you personally? 

It hit hard. I’m not a criminal. I never had a record in Australia. But this case had me on bail for 22 months for what was basically a fine-only offense. I couldn’t travel, had to check in at the station three times a week, and was banned from contacting Craze under anti-consorting laws. 

It was draining, expensive, and unfair but we stood our ground. In the end, we won, and now I’m back traveling again, free to continue the fight. 

What’s the impact of publicity stunts? 

They work. If done right. Publicity stunts grab attention, get people laughing, thinking, and talking. Our approach is to keep things tongue-in-cheek and non-disruptive. 

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, right? Humor opens the door for serious conversation. 

How do you approach street art, and how does it tie into your activism? What kind of impact do you think street art can have on social change?

I’m not an artist in any shape or form, but I think what we do is a form of street art and performance art. I put up a lot of street posters and paste-ups. Some I create myself, some I get other people to create based on my concepts. I love the whole process of going out on a mission and putting up avant-garde “art” or posters that make people stop and react. Whether it’s a funny poster promoting myself and my podcast, or a political concept I came up with. 

I hold art in high esteem and would never call myself an artist. People have been writing on walls for thousands of years, and I have huge respect for graffiti and street art, but I literally couldn’t paint to save my life. What I can do is come up with creative concepts and propagate them into the world. Just like the publicity stunts we do. They all go hand in hand. 

Some of my favorite artists have inspired how I think about this stuff. Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Sofles, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Each of them approached street art in their own unique way and showed how it can provoke thought, spark conversation, and even drive social change. That’s what I try to do, in my own way, with both the stunts and the posters.

So what’s next for 2025? 

It’s crazy, it's already 2025. Right now, I’m raising capital for my cannabis business, working on a documentary for a streaming platform about the art of protest, and collaborating with Frank151 on some upcoming projects. 

And of course — we’re already planning our next 4/20 stunt. 

Where can people follow your journey? 

Instagram keeps deleting me, but I’m back again. Follow @willysworldtelevision and check out my the YouTube for updates. 

And to everyone out there fighting for change, whatever your cause — we see you. We stand on the shoulders of giants. If you want something changed, go make it happen.