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From unemployed to 💰million-dollar NFTs

Author

Nahin Talhah
June 30, 2023

🎬 Lights, Camera, Crypto … The Amazing Artist Who Went From Broke to 7-Figures in NFT Sales … And Blockchain Bogey or Birdie? ⛳


What’s up Web3-ers.

In today’s issue, we’re diving into:

  • Patek Phillipe, Rolex and the Bored Ape Yacht Club… diving into the principle of Social Capital in a Web3 world.

  • First DAO-funded movie lines up for launch.

  • Web3 comes a “fairway” closer to mainstream sporting success.

  • Eye-opening story of one New York-based digital artist who went from unemployed to selling 7 figures’ worth of NFTs.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLE #104

Each week we decode one of the key Web3 principles giving you the inside track on what makes a successful Web3 strategy.

This week’s principle… Social Capital

From luxury clothes to designer watches, exclusivity breeds FOMO. Seeing Rolex’s or Patek Phillipe’s on your favourite celebrities makes you go mad to purchase goods, where the majority of the rationale behind your decision is to join the ranks and line up with your preferred influencers.

Social Captial in Web3

How does this translate to Web3?

In Web3 DAO’s and digital communities can allow brands and businesses to utilise their social capital to the fullest extent, creating a thriving culture and eco-system.

With the culture shifting towards the prioritisation of digital clout (fame), the social value of joining influencers online is growing. With Mark Cuban, Neymar Jr, Kevin Hart and numerous other celebs apart of the Bored Ape Yacht Club journey playing a significant determinant in the $80,000 price.

Beyond highlighting the cost of a BAYC it demonstrates the appeal an exclusive online club can have, and it serves as a lesson towards brands providing them with another avenue to draw in customers by capitalising on their social capital with Web3.

Now, on with the main event …

ROSTER ROUNDUP

Each week we like to give you a little insight into what’s going on behind the scenes at Roster HQ.

  1. We welcome a new Non Exec Director onboard… James Joyce has 25 years of tech, marketing and global event experience in the retail sector with a history as Brand Director for the likes of Ralph Lauren through to Rolex and Puma. James joins us at a super exciting stage advising on brand and marketing strategy.

  2. After successfully raising our pre-seed funding round late last year, our new seed funding round is now open. From professional athletes, global media agency leaders through to venture capital firms, its getting big attention! What does this mean to you your wondering? A world leading Web3 accredited mini MBA course is now building, and coming your way very soon!

  3. Forward thinking Alliance leisure are jumping feet first into the future by exploring how emerging technology and innovation practices can open up new opportunities in how they operate as an organisation. Announcing soon, Roster is leading this exciting programme advising on their future vision with emerging technology.

(Note: If you’re as eager for the Web3 Mini MBA launch as we are -- and why wouldn’t you be? -- you can get advanced notifications and updates here.)

LIGHTS, CAMERA, CRYPTO.

Breaking news for animated movie fans, as The Nouns DAO and Atrium are partnering to launch the first animated movie funded by a DAO, "The Rise of Blus: A Nouns Movie"

What’s a DAO?

For those not in the know, DAO stands for Decentralized Autonomous Organization, and is a relatively new form of legal structure. DAOs have no central governing body and their members share a common goal to act in the best interest of the entity …

While Nouns are NFTs, based around 32×32 pixel characters. Like so:

The film focuses on 13-year old Noun and his friends, as they battle to save the floating cloud city of Blus. The film’s budget of $2.75 Million has been provided by the Nouns DAO treasury. And while there’s still time to get in on the action, to gain access to the DAO, you need to own a Noun NFT.

At the time of writing, that’ll set you back 35 ETH or £51,000.

Sorry Cartman, no dice.

We’ve already seen big strides to incorporating Web3 technology at sporting events and in music. Looks like the big screen is next on the list.

BLOCKCHAIN BIRDIE OR BOGEY?

Global Cryptocurrency exchange OKX has partnered with Majesticks GC, becoming the first Web3 sponsor for a golf team competing in the LIV Golf League.

The Saudi Arabian owned LIV, with two-time major winner Greg Norman as CEO, currently boasts several major champions and former world number ones on their books, including the likes of Dustin Johnson, Sergio GarcĂ­a, Martin Kaymer, and Lee Westwood.

With over 500,000 daily views of the LIV League, this is a great opportunity to expose Web3 to a new community. Couple that with OKX being one of the largest centralised crypto exchanges serving over 500 markets and doing nearly $1 billion in trading volume every 24 hours, these are exciting times ahead.

(Note: Uncle Phil, Will and Carlton may or may not be part of the LIV League.)

THE AMAZING ARTIST WHO WENT FROM BROKE TO 7 FIGURES IN NFT SALES

Just 3 years ago, New York-based digital artist Emily Yang (also known as pplpleasr) was unemployed and broke.

During the lockdown, she discovered DeFi and was intrigued by the various applications, yet noticed that these DeFi projects lacked quality artwork.

This led to her creating 3D artwork for various DeFi projects, and she was commissioned by Uniswap V3 to create animated art for them. Two of these pieces — "Apes Together Strong" and "x*y=k." — later sold at auction for $111,186 and $986,911 respectively.

Yang’s artwork has become so popular, she even has her own DAO - PleasrDAO. Her success also led to the establishment of the Stand With Asians Community Fund and an NFT collective for charitable work.

We love stories like this, as it shows just what’s possible with a little bit of talent, a good splash of hard work, and the foresight to tap into the endless opportunities web3 offers.

☎️ READER REQUESTS

Every week we pick one lucky reader’s question, and give you a full rundown here. Today’s request comes from Steph who wants to know…

How do you see web3 becoming a part of our daily lives?

Web3 isn’t just about new technology… It represents a new way of thinking, focused primarily on the principle of ownership. From paying for your groceries in digital currencies to receiving your wages in Bitcoin, these are both examples of web3 implementation in daily life that might not be as far away as we expect. 

Real world utility for NFT’s is also here, and we’re already beginning to optimise our daily work tasks with AI. In the near future it won’t be a surprise when not having to leave your house due to the Metaverse becoming the norm. 

It’s only when you take a step back, are open to exploring all the new opportunities Web3 can revolutionise, that you realise Web3 represents one of the biggest advancements in history.

THAT’S A RITELIST (W)RAP …

We always love hearing from our readers …

So if you want to reach out with a question, comment, or a suggestion for the best gluten-free baked goods, or what to watch on Netflix (nothing too scary though please,) just hit reply to this email, and we’ll get right back to you.

Alternatively, if you want to be kept up-to-speed on the developments of our upcoming Web3 MBA course, just go here and register your details.

Until next time…