The Now Podcast

This week, we’re excited to welcome the pseudonymous GMoney, an influential NFT collector who was an early champion of CryptoPunks and has emerged as a respected voice in the space. Recognizable by his signature ape CryptoPunk, GMoney recently launched his own podcast, The Cutting Edge, which focuses on the intersection of culture and crypto.

In this episode, we cover:

- GMoney’s journey into NFTs

- His thesis about the CryptoPunks project

- His strategy as a collector and where he gets his alpha

- The motivation behind his podcast

- How he balances IRL appearances with not doxing himself

- Trends he’s seeing in the NFT space

- Advice he has for new collectors discovering NFTs

- The Metaverso summit he’s holding in Puerto Rico

- His favorite NFTs, and his plans for the GMoney brand

- And much more!

To sign up for the nft now newsletter, where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow GMoney on Twitter, go here: @gmoneyNFT

To follow him on Instagram, go here: @gmoneynft

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This week, we’re excited to welcome Donnie Dinch, CEO of Bitski. The NFT platform — which connects communities, creators and brands — made news in May when it announced it had raised $19 million in its Series A funding round, with hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and tennis icon Serena Williams among its investors. 

In this episode, we cover:

- Bitski’s mission and its play in the metaverse

- How Jay-Z and Serena Williams became investors

- Dinch’s thoughts on the future regulation of NFTs and how that could impact platforms

- The milestones Dinch feels are critical for mainstream adoption

- The less heralded use cases for NFTs and trends Dinch is watching

- And much more!

To follow Donnie Dinch on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/donnie

To follow Bitski on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/bitski

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This week we’re excited to welcome noted NFT collector 0xb1 and Creative Artists Agency talent agent Tom Capone. The two made news recently when CAA signed the collector with the goal of monetizing 0xb1’s impressive NFT collection — which includes Bored Ape Yacht Club, Cool Cats and more — through brand partnerships and licensing opportunities.

In this episode, we discuss:

- How 0xb1 got into crypto and transitioned from DeFi into the NFT space

- What motivated the collector to buy Mutant Ape #4849 for 350 ETH and build a brand around it

- How CAA’s NFT department came together

- The backstory of 0xb1’s signing to the influential talent agency and how the partnership came to be

- The future of entertainment, brands, and media as it pertains to NFTs

- And much more!

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow 0xb1 on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/0x_b1

To follow CAA on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/creativeartistsagency/

#CAA #NFTs

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In this episode, we’re excited to welcome Tommy Wilson, who pitches in the minor leagues for the New York Mets. Wilson, who currently plays for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, is not only an avid crypto artist on the SuperRare marketplace, but is also one of the first professional athletes to be active in the NFT space. He has also helped introduce fellow baseball players to NFTs, including Mets star first baseman Pete Alonso.

In this episode, we cover:

- Wilson’s journey into making digital art, the reaction he received from teammates about his foray into NFTs, and how he convinced them to take it seriously

- How he enlisted Mets’ infielder Pete Alonso to do an NFT to benefit minor leaguers, and the MLB’s reaction to it

- How NFTs can help empower minor league players

- Where Wilson sees the intersection of NFTs and baseball going

- Why he chose to release his art on SuperRare

- And much more!

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow Tommy Wilson on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/tommy_wilson

To follow him on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/wilson_tommy/

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In this episode we’re excited to welcome Avery Akkineni, President of VaynerNFT. VaynerNFT, a subsidiary of Gary Vaynerchuk’s VaynerX, is helping big brands and talent tastefully leverage NFTs to drive community and business growth. Prior to leading VaynerNFT, Avery oversaw Asia-Pacific for VaynerX and has a long-standing track record of helping brands thrive in the digital landscape. 

In this episode we cover:

- The founding story of VaynerNFT

- What is the goal of VaynerNFT? What are the core offerings and types of partners they’re working with?

- How do NFTs create a new opportunity to tap into underpriced attention?

- What have you seen brands do wrong in entering the space?

- What are her favorite brand NFT activations to date? 

- What advice does she have for brands and marketers that are beginning to evaluate a potential NFT strategy for their business?

- And much more!

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow VaynerNFT on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/vaynernft

To follow Avery Akkineni on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/avery_akkineni

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Long before Ethereum became ground zero for the current NFT craze, Joe Looney was helping lead a 2016 crypto art revolution on the Bitcoin blockchain. As the founder of Rare Pepe Wallet and co-founder of Rare Pepe Foundation, he developed the first on-chain art exchange that helped Counterparty Protocol’s Rare Pepes trading card series scale into a full-blown crypto cultural phenomenon. In January 2018, Looney presided over the Rare Art Labs Digital Art Festival where a rare “Homer Pepe” card sold for $38,500 in a live auction. (It recently resold for more than $320,000). Artist Matt Kane called it “the most important NFT in art history” as its sale “influenced so many of the original crypto artists to believe we could put our art to work building both a market and belief around this new technology.”

In this episode we cover…

- His journey to Bitcoin and founding Rare Pepe Wallet

- Why he feels Rare Pepes have not gotten the recognition they are due

- Collectors are beginning to wise up to Rare Pepes, as evidenced by their rise in price and sales volume. What does he attribute this to?

- How can someone purchase a Rare Pepe in 2021?

- For a newcomer to the project, which Rare Pepes stand out as having the most historical significance? Which ones does he feel are undervalued?

- On-chain bitcoin NFT trading has its highest month on record in September. What does he attribute this to?

- His thoughts on the future of NFTs on Bitcoin

- And much more!

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow Joe on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/wasthatawolf

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Krista Kim is a contemporary artist and founder of the Techism movement since 2014, promoting the confluence of art and technology, and technological innovation as a medium to further the development of digital humanism. She believes that artists must participate at the forefront of technological innovation in order to contribute to the creation of future culture during this pivotal period of innovation and disruption. She has an accomplished history within the fine art and fashion worlds and quickly rose to NFT prominence after selling her Mars House for $512,000 on SuperRare, one of the first major virtual real estate NFT sales. She also collaborated on NFT projects with Louis Vuitton and the Utah Jazz, and is currently featured in Sotheby’s “Contemporary Curated” auction.

In this episode we explore:

- What inspired the Mars House and what excited her about the project?

- A deeper dive into her collaborations with the Utah Jazz Metaverse and Louis Vuitton

- Now that she’s becoming a globally recognized artist, how is she using her platform to create impact?

- Her passion for mental health through the intersection of meditation x art and how she’s pushing this forward through the Continuum Foundation and other some of her other initiatives 

- How does spirituality and philosophy play a role in her life as a creator 

- NFTs never sleep and there is a constant buzz/energy with FOMO being very real. What are some personal practices she has for nurturing mental health, and what is some advice for artists entering the space

- Her thoughts on the future of the metaverse and what worlds and projects excite her

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow Krista on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/krista.kim

To follow Krista on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/Krista_Kim

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In this episode we’re honored to have Ronnie K. Pirovino. Ronnie is a widely recognized art collector, curator and appraiser; his pursuits encompass entrepreneurial projects including NFTs. Notably, after his collection grew to prominence, he departed a successful career in digital advertising to focus on his passion for art. Pirovino has partnered with Christie’s on an ongoing series of auction sales, called “Trespassing.” As chief curator at LGND.art, he is consistently aiming for innovation at the intersection of art and technology. On Instagram, @pirovino shares his various endeavors to a wide range of audiences. Pirovino holds a B.S. in Communication with a minor in Art History from Northwestern. 

In this episode we discuss:

- How Ronnie was an early supporter/collector of Kaws who saw him rise from a bit of an outsider in the art world to a star and what lessons can be learned that apply to the NFT community

- The story behind Ronnie’s “Trespassing” exhibit at Christie’s and what made him decide to include NFTs

- How does he feel NFTs will redefine the fine art community

- Does he feel purists in the fine art community are hesitant to support NFTs?

- In the fine art world, who are the gatekeepers and what role do they play? How do NFTs tear down that paradigm and democratize fine art?

- As an experienced collector, how does he determine which artists you want to support and collect? 

- Ronnie’s upcoming gallery at ComplexCon in partnership with LGND.art

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow Ronnie on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/pirovino 

To follow Ronnie on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/pirovino

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Tom Bilyeu is co-founder and CEO of Impact Theory Studios, a revolutionary digital-first studio that produces wildly entertaining, original content focusing on themes of empowerment.The company has grown 400% in the last two years with over half a billion views on YouTube alone and over one billion social media impressions. Prior to Impact Theory, Tom co-founded billion dollar brand Quest Nutrition, which grew by 57,000% in three years, reaching #2 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies.  

Tom has repeatedly proven he has a deep understanding of how to build, nurture and market to online and offline communities. Tom’s mission with Impact Theory is to empower people through entertaining content on multiple platforms in the unscripted, scripted, publishing and NFT space. 

In this episode we discuss: 

- What got Tom into NFTs and what inspires him most about the technology

- What industries does he feel will be impacted the most by NFTs and how 

- What are leading use cases in media & entertainment that he sees building traction 

- How does he feel other media entities (film, comics, podcasts, creators, etc.) will leverage NFTs going forward

- How do NFTs further accelerate the democratization of media

- How do you build a meaningful an engaged community

- As a collector, how does he evaluate which projects he wants to support, and what artists or projects is he particularly excited about

- And much, much more!

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow Tom Bilyeu on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/TomBilyeu

To follow Tom Bilyeu on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/TomBilyeu

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In this episode we’re honored to have the OneOf founding team. OneOf is a new NFT platform built for the music community to connect fans and collectors at all levels with their favorite artists. To date they’ve raised over $60M and are quickly emerging as a leading platform for music NFTs. We are joined with Lin Dai- CEO, Joshua James-COO, and co-founder Adam Fell.

Individual Bios:

Lin Dai is the co-founder and CEO of OneOf. An entrepreneur and digital executive with two decades of experience, Lin previously co-founded TAP Network, a blockchain technology company powering white-labeled rewards for major enterprise clients such as Warner Music Group, Uber, and Brave. Lin is also a general partner at ChainLink Crypto Fund.

Joshua James is the co-founder and COO of OneOf. Prior to OneOf, Joshua was the co-founder and CEO of ZIG Media, acquired in 2019 by Media Rights Capital (Billboard, Hollywood Reporter, Dick Clark Productions etc). Joshua has worked with music artists like Pearl Jam, Kendrick Lamar, Linkin Park and Mumford & Sons.

Adam Fell is the co-founder and board member of OneOf, and the President of Quincy Jones Productions. Adam has led early investments with Quincy Jones in companies like Spotify, Clubhouse, Community, Uber, Wayfair, Snowflake and many others. 

In this episode we discuss: 

Intro (0:00)

The Story Behind Oneof (3:30)

The Ramifications Between NFTs and the Music Industry (7:18)

Quincy Jones (8:09)

The Current State of Music NFTs (10:15)

The Vision for OneOf (11:53)

The Economy Behind Music NFTs (17:34)

Rightholders and Partnerships (24:17)

NFTs and Revenue Stream for Artists (30:06)

iHeartRadio Collaboration (31:16)

Doja Cat’s NFT drop (36:51)

Tezos (43:43)

Secondary Markets (50:16)

The Future of Music NFTs (53:46)

Closing Thoughts (57:16)

To sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.com

To follow OneOf on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/OneOfNFT

To follow OneOf on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/oneofnft/

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