Trevor Owens is the CEO of Ninjalerts — an app for NFT trading alerts — and GP at Bitcoin Frontier Fund, where he invests in teams building new use cases for Bitcoin. Before this, Owens spent a decade coaching founders in the Lean Startup Methodology and authored The Lean Enterprise: How Corporations Can Innovate Like Startups.A leading voice in the Bitcoin Ordinals movement, he also hosts our Not Financial Advice Twitter Space every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 pm ET. Whenever a new ecosystem launches, it can be a bit overwhelming – especially when it’s developing at the rapid pace of Ordinals. In this episode, we dive in with Owens to give listeners an overview of everything to know about NFTs on Bitcoin and the innovation Vitalik Buterin recently said is bringing “builder culture’ back to Bitcoin.In this episode, we cover: - How Owens would describe Ordinals to his grandmother- How to get started with Bitcoin Ordinals- The notable Ordinals projects everyone should know- What developments in the space we should keep an eye onTo listen to the audio version of this episode, go to http://smarturl.it/nftnowTo 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 Follow Trevor on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/TO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kenny Schachter is an artist, curator, and University of Zurich professor who has been curating contemporary art exhibits for nearly 30 years. He writes a regular column for Artnet and has an upcoming project called “Open Book,” an ever-evolving digital book on Polygon, powered by Async Art. In addition, he’s written for various international publications including New York Magazine and The Times Magazine. A prominent Web3 figure, Schachter’s other projects include Pop Principle — a NFT-powered blockchain game created in collaboration with Daata that pits traditional art fans against digital art enthusiasts — and CryptoMutts, a satirical 10,000-strong collection of randomly generated NFTs on Ethereum. In this episode, we cover: Schachter’s strong opinions on creator royaltiesWhat’s broken about the traditional art worldThe biggest misconceptions the art world has about NFTsHis vision behind the Open Book project Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Bouhanna is the Vice-President, Contemporary Art Specialist, and Head of Digital Art and NFTs at Sotheby’s. In June 2021, he facilitated Sotheby’s first curated NFT auction, Natively Digital, resulting in a total sale of $40 million across three editions. The sale included the first-ever NFT, Quantum by Kevin and Jennifer McCoy, and pieces by Snowfro, Dmitri Cherniak, Pak, Sarah Zucker, Fvckrender, XCOPY, Mad Dog Jones, Justin Aversano, and more. That same year, Bouhanna conceived, launched, and curated Sotheby’s Metaverse — an immersive virtual gathering space for collectors and NFT enthusiasts. Bouhanna is coming fresh off of the $11 million Grails Part II Sale, featuring works acquired by the now-defunct hedge fund, Three Arrows Capital. Split into two parts and totaling more than $17 million, the auctions included notable results and injected some much-needed optimism into the current bear market. In this episode, we cover: - The intersection of the traditional and digital art markets - The backstory of the Grails Part II auction- Lessons learned from Natively Digital: Glitch-ism - What’s next for digital art and NFTs at Sotheby’sTo listen to the audio version of this episode, go to http://smarturl.it/nftnowTo 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 Michael on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/michaelbouhanna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grant Yun is a breakdancer and med student who has emerged as one of the top-selling artists of the NFT space. While he insists that his entrance into the NFT space was a leap of faith, his Neo-Precisionist style has gained him numerous accolades in Web3. The high-profile sale of his piece “Cow” sparked a conversation about the utility and value of fine art NFTs. Some saw the piece as too simple to be worth 22 ETH (approximately $72,000 at the time), and others believed Yun’s creation to be one of the best cases of CC0-licensed art in the NFT space. Since his rise to prominence, he has achieved multiple six-figure sales, has seen his work auctioned at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, and has been subject to flattery by way of imitation. In this episode, we cover: - How Yun juggles med school, break dancing, and digital art- Why he made “Cow” CC0 and how he felt about its reception- How Yun thinks about the power of memes- What life after med school looks like for YunTo listen to the audio version of this episode, go to http://smarturl.it/nftnowTo 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 Grant on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/GrantYun2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Valued at over $1 billion and with an estimated annual revenue of over $53 million, Ledger is one of the world’s most well-known and popular providers of hardware wallets. In May 2023, the company experienced a significant backlash around its Ledger Recover feature — a key recovery service that provides a backup of your seedphrase and allows you to restore your private keys. Many in the Web3 community claimed that the firmware update that enables the service to exist goes against Ledger’s longstanding policy that guarantees a user’s private key will never leave the device. As a result, Ledger postponed the launch, with CEO Pascal Gauthier apologizing for the “unintentional communication mistake.” Ian Rogers, Ledger’s Chief Experience Officer, was on the frontlines of responding to this controversy and addressing user concerns. In this episode, we cover: - Lessons learned from Ledger Recover backlash- Challenges of communicating in web3- The ERC-4337 standard- The future of web3 securityTo listen to the audio version of this episode, go to http://smarturl.it/nftnowTo 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 Ledger on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/ledger Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luca Netz (Luca Schnetzler) is the CEO of Pudgy Penguins, an 8,888 NFT collection of adorable cartoon penguins. In April 2022, Netz took up leadership of the project and community in the aftermath of its fall from grace at the hands of its founding team. Since acquiring the Pudgy brand, Netz has turned Pudgy Penguins into both a comeback story and a breakout project that extends far beyond the walls of Web3. In May 2023, the company introduced a physical line of plushies and figurines called Pudgy Toys. The launch saw the IRL collectibles top the charts on Amazon and do more than $500,000 in sales volume over two days. Few Web3 projects have been able to involve and enrich their communities and appeal to the crypto-skeptic community more than Pudgy Penguins has, largely thanks to Netz’s vision for what the NFT project can ultimately become. In this episode, we cover: - What appealed to Netz about the Pudgy Penguins IP- How he turned the project around- The vision behind Pudgy Toys- Netz’s plans for the future of Pudgy PenguinsTo listen to the audio version of this episode, go to http://smarturl.it/nftnowTo 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 Luca on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/LucaNetz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shira Lazar is an Emmy-nominated host, interviewer, and content creator covering social media, Web3, and digital wellness. Founding member of the Web3 community BFF and Co-Founder of the online yoga and meditation studio Peace Inside Live, Lazar has been a consistent proponent of mental health in Web3 — a dynamic often overlooked in the online-heavy ecosystem. She recently launched The JOMO Effect, a charity NFT collection featuring 40 artists with a focus on wellness and mental health. Partners include Deepak Chopra’s Seva Love project, Time magazine’s TimePieces, and more. Proceeds from the drop will benefit five mental health charities: Aakoma Project, Half The Story, The MINDS Foundation, LOVELOUD Foundation, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Lazar’s dedication to the NFT space — and to show those outside its walls the potential for blockchain-based tech to do good — is crucial to the growth and evolution of the ecosystem.In this episode, we cover: - Why web3 has a mental health problem- How The JOMO Effect turned into a community project- The factors that make the NFT space prone to mental health struggles- How she stays grounded in this climate- Ways we can make Web3 a safer space for creativesAnd much moreTo listen to the audio version of this episode, go to http://smarturl.it/nftnowTo 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 Shira on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/shiralazar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shannon Snow is the COO of World of Women (WoW), one of the world’s leading mission-driven NFT brands celebrating representation, inclusion, and equity in web3 and beyond. Before WoW, Snow worked in big tech; she led U.S. Entertainment at Meta and spent more than a decade at Google building and leading teams. Although she only came on as WoW COO about a year ago, Snow was a holder of the project and passionate about the world of web3.World of Women was founded in July 2021, a time when there were other PFP collections on the market, but few featuring women avatars. Since then, the project has done more than $150 million in total volume on OpenSea, boasts 14,000 holders and collectors worldwide, and has a community that includes Eva Longoria, Reese Witherspoon, and Shonda Rhimes. This week, WoW is holding its Spring Artfest, a quarterly celebration of art and creativity that runs through May 25.In this episode, we cover: - Why Snow chose to transition her career from web2 to web3 - Everything to know about the WoW Spring Artfest- What role art plays in WoW’s future plans- Creating a community that sticks with you in a rocky market- How the metaverse we all imagine could be 5-10 years away- What’s next for WoW IPTo listen to the audio version of this episode, go to http://smarturl.it/nftnowTo 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 Shannon on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/shannonsnow_sf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andre Oshea is a 3D artist, animator, and musician who initially made a name in Web3 by partnering on NFT drops with Netflix, the Academy Awards, and the Grammys. Before finding his niche on the blockchain, Oshea cut his teeth through client work with Adult Swim, Snapchat, Tidal, Vogue, John Legend, and more. His unique style, which explores themes related to futurism, spirituality, new worlds, and aesthetic journeys, has continued to be tapped by many in the NFT space, with his solo pieces going on for auction at Christie’s. He has also continued to pursue philanthropic works, including a collaborative project with Web3 rapper Heno to fund prison reform.In this episode, we cover: - Andre’s journey to embracing AI animation- Why the bear market isn’t so bad- Mental health and staying grounded as an artist in web3To listen to the audio version of this episode, go to http://smarturl.it/nftnowTo 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 Andre on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/andreoshea Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frank DeGods (Rohun Vora) founded the highly acclaimed DeGods and y00ts NFT projects. He is also the co-founder of DeLabs. After working on movie sets in his early teens, he was inspired to study film at UCLA but dropped out to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. He was accepted to the startup fund and program Y Combinator, where he raised $1.3 million. Soon after, he joined a coding boot camp and landed a job at Main Street, a software development company where he raised a $500-million valuation. Frank went deep into the Solana ecosystem and established significant clout with the community after starting DeLabs in 2021. But his goals went far beyond Solana, with DeGods and y00ts poised to become multichain endeavors. DeGods left Solana in 2023 for Ethereum and even bridged over to Bitcoin as Ordinals Inscriptions, while y00ts found a home on Polygon.In this episode of the nft now podcast, we cover:- The origins of y00ts and DeGods- What role storytelling plays within his ecosystem- DeGods’ bridge from SOL to ETH- How Frank cares for this mental health Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.