Context: Views on Crypto and Culture

Blake speaks with Alice Delahunt, the founder and CEO of Syky. Alice is previously Chief Digital Officer and Chief Content Officer at Ralph Lauren, and Global Director of Digital and Social Marketing at Burberry.

They have an in depth and educational convo about how to bridge the gap between the traditional fashion and digital fashion industries via web3.

Blake asks Alice to expand on her time leading digital strategies for some of the most iconic luxury fashion houses in the world. Alice recounts the paradigmatic shift caused by social media in democratizing access to luxury fashion, and outlines how she utilized Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter in the early years of fashion's adoption of these platforms.

Alice also eloquently explains that luxury fashion doesn't always have to do with price point, but the quality and thoughtfulness of the storytelling and content around a product.

And a Context first….Alice trusts Blake and Boys Club with an exclusive announcement! She reveals the 10 designers selected for the Syky Collective's first her cohort program. It's a diverse, world class group who is on the forefront of defining what digital fashion will look like for years to come…if you want to follow the industry, you have to follow this group.

Show notes:

Syky's website

Syky's Twitter

Alice's Twitter

Blake speaks with Dani Loftus, CEO and founder of Draup. They chat about all things web3 fashion, including its actual definition (which she breaks down into 3 subcategories), its history, how its developed over time, and its categories of userbases right now. Blake couldn't help but question if PFPs actually "count" as digital fashion items.

Blake asks about the term "generative fashion" as well, and how Dani sees it as an extension of haute couture...Draup even released the first (ever!) fashion collection where the designs are generative.

Blake and Dani also discuss how clothes need ~context~ to become meaningful to people and why the traditional luxury fashion consumer still has resistance to buying digital fashion.

Throughout the convo Louis Vuitton, Comme Des Garcons, Chanel, Mugler and the iconic Fendi monster bag are also happily referred to.

This is the episode that will give you an in-depth overview of the digital fashion world: what it is, where it come from and where's going.

Links:

Draup Twitter

Dani's Twitter

Dani's Insta

Dani's Newsletter

LVMH acquired podcast

Blake speaks with the visionary artist, poet and AI researcher Sasha Stiles, who was the first artist to sell AI-powered literature at Christies. She has been a true innovator and leader in defining and creating an entire new artistic genre: Literary and Poetry NFTs, as well as well as pushing the limits of how writers and poets incorporate AI into their work.

They chat about the growing and emerging definitions of this new genre and how NFT and AI technologies can be used as tools for writers that open up new possibilities for storytelling, expression and distribution that wouldn't be possible otherwise. There is, of course, art history and literary history sprinkled in.

They wind down by speaking about the publishing industry, which is twice(!!) the size of the global art market, and where it's at in the process of adopting NFTs and web3 distribution methods.

If you're interested in literature, poetry, the publishing industry and/or artistic applications around AI, this one is for you!

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Links:

Sasha website

Sasha Twitter

theVERSEverse

Blake has a fantastic convo with Douglass, founder and CEO of Wild, a hyper-curated web3 art platform whose investors include Cozomo de Medici, Crypto & NFT Investor and Kevin Lin, Founder of Twitch. They talk about the definition of "experiential art" and how Wild is at the forefront of discovering and supporting this emerging artistic medium. They also discuss the "spatial internet" and how AR and VR technology will play a big role in creating new artistic experiences that were not possible before. It's a super interesting discussion and one that doesn't happen enough in web3 circles, as AR and VR often get forgotten.

Blake couldn't help but highlight some of the grails from Douglass' own digital art collection, including pieces from Mitchell Chan, Dmitri Cherniak and Holly Herndon. As expected, they dive into some history around digital art and one of the most innovative artists' of the 20th century, Yves Klein.

They also chat about Douglass' incredible track record building successful companies. They go through what he learned from founding and running Apartmentlist about leadership and pushing through adversity amongst trying times.

It's a great episode for anyone who is building a company, interested in the history of crypto art, as well as anyone who wants to learn more about AR and VR's applications in art production and web3.

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Show notes:

Wild website

Wild Twitter

Douglass Twitter

Blake Finucane speaks with the incredible Arianna Simpson, general partner at a16z, whose latest crypto fund is $4.5 billion! She is really a renowned force within the crypto industry and one of the longest standing investors in the space.

They chat about how she got into crypto, launched her crypto fund by herself(!) in 2017(!), how she deals with pressure, and how she avoids getting swept up in all the latest crypto trends and stays true to her underlying believes and thesis, carrying her through all market cycles.

They also talk about what makes a great founder, a great pitch and a great investor…and how crucial it is to manage your own emotions in the process.

Blake also makes sure to get Arianna's thoughts on some specific crypto verticals including web 3 gaming, web 3 fashion and PFPs.

It's a great episode for anyone who is actively investing in crypto or who is interested in how the VC and investing world works.

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Show Notes:

Arianna's Twitter

a16z crypto Twitter

Crypto Startup School Youtube videos

Blake speaks with the brilliant Eileen Isagon Skyers: an incredible artist, curator, academic, writer, TED speaker and CCO of Gemma Projects. They have a fascinating and genuinely educational convo about AI art; talking through how is it defined, how it interacts with crypto, who makes it, the biases to contend with around machine learning networks and data scraping, as well as some specific artists and art pieces that have stood out in the last couple years. Of course, Blake can't help but take a bit of an art history detour, as Eileen and her remind us of the past art movements that have faced some of the same criticisms that AI artists face today.

If you're confused about AI's applications in art production and what that means going forward, this is the episode for you. This isn't your **typical** AI podcast.

And they don't just talk about AI, as the convo expands to identify the ubiquity of digital interface design and how aggressive (and rude!) MetaMask can be sometimes, Eileen's awesome new project called Gemma and ends with highlighting how to maintain optimism amidst very significant technological change.

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Show notes:

Eileen Isagon Skyers on Twitter

Gemma Projects

Mint Your Mantra

Blake speaks with the incredible Matt Medved, CEO and Editor-In-Chief at NFT Now. They have a super illuminating conversation about all things web3 media. They get into the nuanced and layered definition of "tokenized media," and the opportunities (and necessity!) around it. They also touch on literary NFTs, a term you'll be hearing a lot more about: what they are, how they are used and their artistic possibilities going forward. They end with diving into how Matt has been able to discover some of the biggest musicians and crypto artists in the world today, how does he do it?!

This is a perfect episode for anyone thinking about content creation and monetization models for media companies as well as anyone interested in new forms of artistic creation via NFTs and how to spot talent early.

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Show notes:

Matt's Twitter

NFT Now Twitter

NYT Now

Blake speaks with streetwear legend Bobby Hundreds, co-founder of The Hundreds. He's seen it all, and brings his 20 years of building his business to create a really helpful ~context~ for how to better understand the world of NFTs. They speak about the state of NFT culture and how to build a strong community that exists and stands for more than simply economic upside.

Bobby also explains what makes a great brand: why would someone identify with one and how to build community around shared values and interested.

Unsurprisingly, Blake steers the convo towards web3 fashion. Bobby explains his understanding of the term and how this is a really active segment of the NFT market already.

The big takeaway from the podcast: be slow to judgment. He reminds us not be dismissive of new technology and new ideas, but also, that there is really no rush to jump into participating in anything… This type of framework creates tremendous space and freedom for clear thinking and creativity. A story about Seth Rogan also drives this point home.

This is a super inspiring and optimistic convo, perfect for the depths of the bear.

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Show notes:

Bobby's Twitter

Bobbys new book

Adam Bomb Squad

Blake chats with Marjorie Hernandez, co-founder and CEO of the Lukso blockchain and The Dematerialised. Marjorie outlines how Lukso is providing tools for creative expression outside of traditional institutions, and how to build a brand and community around an emerging blockchain. The convo also turns to web3 fashion. Marjorie, who has done collabs with Paper Magazine, Karl Lagerfeld, Rebecca Minkoff and McQ by Alexander McQueen via The Dematerialised, shares who she thinks will be the leaders in digital fashion and where it is heading next. Blake and her also talk about how luxury is defined and communicated in web3, how to recognize high quality digital craftsmanship and the opportunities and importance of the post purchase experience with digital fashion items and collectibles.

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Links:

Marjorie's Twitter

Lukso

The Dematerialised

Blake speaks with the brilliant Straith Schreder, Executive Creative Director at Palm NFT Studio, who has been a part of designing and launching web 3 integrations for some of the most notable IP and artists on the planet including Batman and Damien Hirst. As expected, Blake can't help but do a little art history detour to emphasize just how important Damien Hirst is to the art world, and how iconic his NFT drop was.

We go deep into how to build meaningful and lasting fan communities in a specifically web3 way. Straith reminds us that not all fandoms are monolith and how to create choice and empowerment for these communities via digital ownership. We also talk about how generative algorithms aren't just useful for art creation but for branded NFTs as well, and the customized tools they can offer for consumers.

This conversation really ~contextualizes~ how to effectively release and steward any big brand and their entry into web3. It's a great one!

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Straith's Twitter

Palm NFT Studio

The Currency by Damien Hirst

Heni

DC