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.comTo follow Joe on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/wasthatawolf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 herTo sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.comTo follow Krista on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/krista.kimTo follow Krista on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/Krista_Kim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.artTo sign up for the nft now newsletter where we break down the NFT market into actionable insights each week, go to: https://www.nftnow.comTo follow Ronnie on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/pirovino To follow Ronnie on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/pirovino Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.comTo follow Tom Bilyeu on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/TomBilyeuTo follow Tom Bilyeu on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/TomBilyeu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/OneOfNFTTo follow OneOf on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/oneofnft/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we welcome Ed Young onto the nft now podcast! Ed Young is the CEO and founder of https://nft.hiphop/ and one of the co-founders of influential hip hop magazine, “The Source”. He recently partnered with https://near.org/ and the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM) to feature 47 hip hop legend NFTs in honor of the 47th year anniversary of the hip-hop era. These 47 NFTs feature musical icons like Eazy-E to Lil Wayne.In this episode we discuss: Intro (0:00)Hip hop and NFTs (1:16)From magazines to NFTs (2:48)Why hip hop needs NFTs (6:06)Bringing the power back to the creators (7:20)The thriving middle class (8:30)How NFT.hiphop was born (9:02)Adding utility within hip hop NFTs (13:39)The vision behind NFT.hiphop (15:05)Any Shopify store can now sell NFTs (18:06)How has the Hip hop community responded to NFTs (19:36)Jay Z’s NFT vs 3LAU’s (24:20)NFTs, Blockchain and the future (27:24)Direct to consumer creativity (30:00)Milestone towards NFT mainstream adoption (32:41)Closing thoughts (36:49)To learn more about how Ed Young and NFT.hiphop are bridging the gap between music artists and NFTs, go to: https://nft.hiphop/ Connect with Ed Young on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edyoungprofileTo 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, John Crain joins the nft now podcast! John is the Co-founder and CEO of SuperRare, one of the earliest and most acclaimed crypto art NFT platforms that launched in 2018. SuperRare recently announced its 2.0 platform update, including the $RARE curation token, SuperRare Spaces, SuperRare DAO, and sovereign smart contracts initiatives. SuperRare has done over $90 million in volume since 2018 and is backed by the likes of notable entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban. The platform raised a $9M Series A investment back in March and this is only the beginning for what's to come in the metaverse. In this episode we discuss: SuperRare 2.0 (2:24)Why Decentralization is important (03:18)Launching $RARE token (4:17)New SuperRare talent vs maintaining the current community (10:13)Who should be chosen to have SR storefronts (12:49)DAOs (14:52)Custom Smart Contracts (18:44)How SuperRare handled the NFT gold rush (21:33)Blue Chip Crypto Artists / 1-of-1 drops (29:57)How SuperRare plans on embracing the Metaverse (31:52)SuperRare’s favorite rising artists (33:29)The long game for SuperRare & NFTs (36:30)To learn more about the recently launched $RARE curation token & SuperRare DAO: https://superrare.mirror.xyz/fkGKcN1xVNRvfZk5OiY52-T_WNSndC4ve1DPDmvZQ6EFollow John Crain on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/superrarejohn?lang=en And on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/superrarejohn/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re honored to have Devin Finzer, the Co-Founder & CEO of OpenSea — the largest secondary marketplace for blockchain-based digital collectibles. As of August 17th, OpenSea already had over $1 billion in NFT transactions in the first half of August alone and has become a go-to destination for NFT enthusiasts. OpenSea recently closed a $100M Series B fundraising round, which valued them at $1.5B. In this episode we dive into…- What is OpenSea? What is the mission of OpenSea?- Which verticals are most rife for explosive growth with NFTs after CryptoArt? - What have been some of the most exciting or surprising trends?- How will the NFT market empower a shift in the creator economy?- Similar to the crypto bull and bear markets, what’s his outlook on growth in the coming years? Does he feel it’ll have a similar cycle with NFTs?- What does he feel are some of the key milestones in fostering mainstream adoption of NFTs?- How does he feel the entertainment industry as a whole will adopt NFT’s in the coming years? - OpenSea announced cross-chain support along with the most recent round. How does he envision the future of NFTs being cross-chain (L1 chains, L2 solutions, etc)?- How is OpenSea approaching curation and discovery to help users find NFTs they love?  - What is most exciting about OpenSea’s roadmap?- 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 Devin on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/dfinzerTo follow Devin on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/dfinzer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re honored to welcome Noah Davis, the NFT guy at Christie’s, and more formally, the major auction house’s AVP Specialist, Head of Digital Sales, Contemporary Art. He’s a futurist and a true NFT lover at heart and has used his role and platform at Christie’s to uplift the industry as a whole. He has been at the helm of the 255-year-old institution’s most notable NFT auctions, including Beeple’s landmark $69M sale, Fewocious, CryptoPunks, Trespassing, and more.In this episode we cover…- How has the traditional art world reacted to NFTs disrupting the market?- What was it like leading this charge at a legacy auction house like Christie’s? What were some of the less obvious challenges he had to overcome?- Does he feel NFTs will drive a seismic shift in the fine art market in the coming years?- How can blockchain bring more transparency into the traditional world and art provenance? What are some other applications that would help artists and collectors?- What are some key milestones he foresees with regard to fostering mainstream adoption around NFTs?- How did the Beeple drop come together at Christies and what was the fine art world’s reaction?- 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.co To follow Noah on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/NonFungibleNoahTo follow Noah on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/noah.at.christies Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

pplpleasr is an artist who first rose to prominence in the crypto space due to her viral animations for popular DeFi protocols like Aave and SushiSwap. Her breakthrough ‘x*y=k’ NFT featured an animation of a Uniswap unicorn adventuring through a symbolic DeFi landscape to the “Ethereum promised land.” The auction caused the spontaneous creation of pleasrDAO, a collective of 23 Ethereum addresses, who won the auction for 310 ETH ($525K). pplpleasr announced that she’d be donating all of the proceeds to ​​the Stand With Asians movement. Since then, pleasrDAO has become a major player in the NFT space with high-profile purchases like Edward Snowden’s first NFT ($5+ million), the original Doge photo ($4+ million), Tor Project (nearly $2 million) and more.In this episode we dive into…- What is a DAO? What are the pros and cons of running an organization as a DAO? How does she foresee they will impact the broader business landscape in the coming years? - The initial Uniswap auction that led to pleasrDAO’s creation.- What motivated her decision to donate all of the proceeds from her landmark sale to combat AAPI discrimination?- What is the mission of pleasrDAO?- How does pleasrDAO function structurally? What role does she play in its decisions?- The story behind the Snowden, Doge and Tor auctions.- What role does she foresee DAOs playing in the NFT space going forward? - What inspires her most about the NFT space’s future?- What projects does she have in the works?- 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.co To follow pplpleasr on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/pplpleasr1To follow pplpleasr on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/pplpleasr Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.