
nft now podcast
The nft now podcast is your go-to source to succeed in the fast-moving world of web3. Each week we interview visionary creators, builders and collectors so you can stay up-to-date on the most important trends and tactics for the internet’s next frontier.To sign up for our weekly newsletter where we distill the NFT market into actionable insights, go to nftnow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

May 4, 2022 • 51min
Demystifying AI With Refik Anadol
Refik Anadol is a pioneering artist who creates immersive installations, sculptures, paintings, and live audio/visual performances using AI, machine learning, and data science. He’s partnered with teams at Microsoft, Google, IBM, NASA, and more to apply the latest cutting-edge science, research, and tech to his mesmerizing creations. All of this considered, it should come as no surprise that Anadol has also fully embraced the NFT space. His ‘Machine Allucinations’ NFT series sold for more than $13 million in late 2021, and May 10 will mark his first-ever Christie’s auction featuring his piece ‘Casa Batlló: Living Architecture.’ As a passionate advocate for technology’s game-changing potential, Anadol is working to bridge the gap between URL and IRL in increasingly innovative ways. This includes ‘Dataland,’ a multisensory, realtime metaverse where the physical and virtual connect. In this episode we cover:What Anadol believes are the biggest misconceptions about AIThe origins of his ‘Living Architecture’ collectionWhy bridging URL and IRL is key to bringing NFTs to the massesHis “humble” take on the metaverseTo 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 Refik Anadol on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/refikanadolTo follow Refik Anadol on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/refikanadol Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 27, 2022 • 53min
TIME President on the Future of Web3 Media
Keith Grossman, president of TIME magazine, has a long track record of revising and modernizing digital media brands. With leadership roles at Bloomberg and WIRED under his belt, Grossman has been responsible for leading the nearly century-old brand into web3 over the past year. During this time, they’ve experimented with tokenizing covers, collaborated with with Beeple, and partnered with the Cool Cats Community. But that’s not all. Now, Grossman has launched TIMEPieces, the brand’s web3 community initiative. Featuring collaborations with leading NFT artists as well as artists who had previously contributed to TIME, the Genesis drop and Slices of Time drop have done more than $35 million in total sales volume. Grossman is truly at the forefront of the web3 movement, and is working to ensure his legacy media brand stays relevant in the space with impactful, tangible results.In this episode we cover:The vision behind TIMEPieces and the future of the initiativeHow web3 and NFTs will disrupt digital mediaThe value of tokenizing the written word What’s next for TIME in the web3 ecosystemTo 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 Keith Grossman on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/KeithGrossmanTo follow Keith Grossman on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/keithgrossman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 20, 2022 • 51min
Daniel Arsham on the New Creative Canvas
Daniel Arsham is a contemporary visual artist whose creativity knows no limits. A master of mediums, he’s helped design installations at Kith stores around the world, created iconic sculptures, acts as creative director of the Cleaveland Cavaliers, and even helped design chat-topping rapper Gunna’s most recent album cover. Arsham has always operated at the intersection of culture and art. So it’s no surprise that he’s also immersed himself in the world of NFTs, and embraced the medium with intention. In this episode we cover:His Eroding and Reforming Sculptures NFT SeriesHow NFTs are changing the relationship between artists and collectorsHow the Gunna album cover and collaboration came togetherWhat being colorblind meant for his art careerThe importance of taking time to “sit with your work” as an artistTo 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 Daniel Arsham on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/danielarshamTo follow Daniel Arsham on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/danielarsham Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 13, 2022 • 51min
How Kevin Rose’s PROOF Became a $250K+ Collector Club
Kevin Rose is an experienced investor and builder with a proven track record of being early to internet trends. He co-founded the social news site Digg in 2004, and currently works as a partner at True Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage tech startups. Passionate about the community surrounding NFTs, Rose co-founded the PROOF Collective, a members only collective of 1,000 dedicated NFT collectors and artists. On April 16, the PROOF Collective team is launching a new large-scale PFP NFT endeavor called Moonbirds. Moonbirds will act as an expansion to the PROOF ecosystem, onboarding each new owner into the collective and incentivizing them to keep their NFTs with unique staking mechanics and ownership rewards. In this episode we cover: His inspiration behind the PROOF CollectiveThe importance of utility and community in MoonbirdsAs an investor, what he looks for in NFT projectsWhy he feels the metaverse is being set up for failureTo 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 Kevin Rose on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/kevinroseTo follow Kevin Rose on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/kevinrose Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 6, 2022 • 51min
Steve Aoki on Music NFTs and Taking the Metaverse IRL
As one of the highest-grossing DJ/producers in the world, Steve Aoki has never shied away from pursuing all of his various interests concurrently. In addition to collaborating across genre lines, Aoki co-owns an eSports company, he’s been featured in video games as a playable character, he’s voiced cartoon characters, and he even runs a foundation that raises money for neurological research and other humanitarian relief organizations. In an effort to tie all of his passions together with his burgeoning interest in crypto and NFTs, he launched his AOK1VERSE project – which he describes as “Web3, meets Web 2.0 meets IRL.” Citizens of the A0K1VERSE gain unrivaled access to both on-chain and physical experiences including tour tickets, digital collectables, virtual metaverse performances, and much more. In this episode we cover:The vision and roadmap for A0K1VERSEHow Web3 and NFTs will revolutionize the music industryWhy DJs are also futurists What’s in his personal NFT collectionAnd much more!To 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 Steve Aoki on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/steveaoikiTo follow Steve Aoki on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/steveaoki/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 30, 2022 • 54min
How FriendsWithYou Is Building a World Around Their Art
Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III are the imaginative co-founders of FriendsWithYou – a fine art collaborative with the sole purpose of spreading the positive message of “Magic, Luck, and Friendship.” Through a variety of mediums and large-scale immersive installations, these artists hope to create special moments of spiritual awareness and meaningful social interaction. In their 20-year career they’ve collaborated with Pharrell, J Balvin, Diplo, Hello Kitty, Lacoste, Guess, and other industry greats. In 2017, Borkson and Sandoval III took on a new medium with their Netflix show “True & the Rainbow Kingdom” with the goal of impacting as many people as possible with their art. Now, they’re adapting once again with fRiENDSiES, a collection of 10,000 customizable NFTs. The fRiENDSiES universe will bridge the real world and the metaverse through immersive art installations connecting holders and their AR/AI companions. In this episode we cover:The mission-driven origins of FriendsWithYouThe deep emotional connections that can be created through AI The duo’s transition from traditional art to the Web3 spaceThe debate around the price point for the Dutch auction for FriendsiesAnd much more!To 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 FriendsWithYou on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/FriendswithyouTo follow FriendsWithYou on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/friendswithyou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 23, 2022 • 59min
From PTSD and Prison to $8M in NFT Sales
Isaac “Drift” Wright (AKA Drifter Shoots) is an urban photographer whose project “Where My Vans Go” is currently the second-best selling NFT photography collection ever. The U.S. Army special operations veteran first got into photography as a way to cope with his PTSD and depression. He would scale skyscrapers and climb bridges to photograph the world from a unique perspective – challenging legal lines along the way. This hobby unfortunately led to his arrest in 2020, and subsequent four-month incarceration without bond. Both Wright’s race as a black man and his training and service for his country were used against him. This week, we spoke with Wright about how NFTs and his artistry helped pull him out of the nightmare scenario.We also discuss: The United States criminal justice systemMental healthHow Punks gave him a safety netWhat’s next for him as a creatorTo 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 Isaac “Drift” Wright on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/DrifterShootsTo follow Isaac “Drift” Wright on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/driftershoots/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 16, 2022 • 21min
How NFTs Changed This Traditional Artist’s Life
Jen Stark is a mixed media and NFT artist who broke records in March 2021 for being the first female artist to enter Foundation’s top 10 selling creators. For the past fifteen years, she’s worked with a variety of mediums to bring her mesmerizing paintings, sculptures, and animations to life. She’s collaborated with brands like Apple, Google, Vans, MTV, and Smashbox, and even launched a 6,000 sq. ft. immersive installation, “Cascade” in 2021. Her first generative NFT collection, “Vortex,” made its debut in December 2021, immortalizing her signature paper sculpture style on the blockchain. Though she came from the traditional art world, Stark believes that NFTs have changed her life and will be the new avenue of art history.In this episode we cover:How NFTs allow artists to better connect with collectorsHow the traditional art world views NFTsHer advice for other artistsEquitable representation in the NFT spaceArt in the metaverseAnd much more!To 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 Jen Stark on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/jen_starkTo follow Jen Start on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/jenstark/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 10, 2022 • 1h 25min
The TRUTH Behind Gary Vee's NFT Success
Gary Vaynerchuk (aka Gary Vee) is the chairman of VaynerX, CEO and founder of VaynerMedia and VaynerSports, and most recently, the creator of VeeFriends, a collection of 10,255 NFTs hand-drawn by Gary himself. After months of collecting CryptoPunks on the sidelines, Gary Vee launched VeeFriends to build a community around his creative and business passions using NFT technology and smart contract capabilities. VeeFriends’ version 2 is coming this April, with the inaugural VeeCon convention the following month. An expert in predicting trends, Gary Vaynerchuk believes NFTs will be here for the rest of his life, and that VeeFriends is going to be the project to go down in history. In this episode we cover:- Gary’s NFT predictions for summer 2022- His personal multi-million dollar NFT collection- How he practices accountability to his token holders- Web3- Literary NFTs- The NFT bubble- 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 Gary Vaynerchuk on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/garyveeTo follow Gary Vaynerchuk on Instagram, go here: https://instagram.com/garyvee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 2, 2022 • 54min
WTF Is the Metaverse?!
This week we’ve enlisted NFT superstar artist Chad Knight and Wilder World co-founder Phoenix Wilder to speak on the metaverse. Through 3D art and building in virtual reality, Knight and Wilder have made huge strides towards defining what the metaverse might look like in the very near future. Said to be the fabled next iteration of the internet, the metaverse seems to mean many different things depending on who you ask. From Facebook’s interest in becoming a metaverse company to the potential for people to have a complete existences living and working in a new dimension of reality — jump into the conversation to learn what all the hype is really about.In this episode, we cover:The definition of “metaverse”Building virtual worlds like Wilder WorldChad Knight stepping down as Nike’s head of 3D Design to help build Wilder WorldSocial media, mental health and the metaverseHow long it might take for the metaverse to go mainstreamAnd 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 Chad Knight on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/ChadKnightTo follow Chad Knight on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/chadknightTo follow Phoenix Wilder on Twitter, go here: https://twitter.com/ph0enixwilderTo follow Phoenix Wilder on Instagram, go here: https://www.instagram.com/phoenix.wilder Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.