Probably Nothing

In Episode 5 of Probably Nothing TZ (@TZhongg) and Alexis Ohanian (@alexisohanian) chat with ThankYouX (@ThankYouX) in Miami during Art Basel. ThankYouX, also known as Ryan, is an artist whose work blends both art and technology. Throughout the episode you'll hear about how this intersection of art and tech is playing out, what's possible for a new generation of artists, the future of digital fashion, and more much. You'll also hear about Ryan's journey diving into NFTs and what his future plans are.

Big thanks to Melissa (@melissa), Marya, Lulu, Kenyatta, Unrvld, and the 776 team for helping to put an incredible live event together.

Links Mentioned in This Episode -

• Cryptopunk #8998
• DAWN by Victor Mosquera

- Timestamps -

02:25: How did Ryan get into NFTs?

04:15: When did Ryan see "the Matrix" and what convinced him?

05:08: What gave Ryan the conviction to dive in?

09:45: How is Art Basel different this year with new artists than previous years?

12:25: Alexis's experience with web2 vs. web3

13:58: What helped Ryan understand blockchain?

14:13: What's the traditional art world like for an artist?

15:29: NFT communities

16:00: What's coming for NFTs?

16:20: What is Ryan up to in Art Basel?

16:45: Next generation of artists

18:20: More about digital fashion

19:25: NFTs as a technology

24:45: NFTs and Virtual Reality

26:35: If you were stuck on an island which NFT would you bring?

- Mentions -

• ThankYouX
• Chris Mortimer
• 3LAU
• JN Silva
• logic
• Troy Carter
• fvckrender
• Baeige
• Tim Kang
• Blake Kathryn
• Greg Mike
• Justice Laub
• illestraeter_
• REO
• Puks
• Daria.Pekh

- Show Notes -

*Ryan and NFTs*

How did Ryan get into NFTs?

• Ryan comes from the digital art world but loves tech. He was kind of into VR and 360 a couple of years ago, but there wasn't any distribution for it so it faded away.

"I have always tried to figure out how to marry my paintings with digital stuff"

• Last September Ryan got sent a few links about NFTs by his friend Chris Mortimer (@slidestream). Chris told Ryan that NFTs were going to be his future, so Ryan dove right into the space. A couple of weeks later Ryan met 3LAU (@3LAU) and they started to talk. 3LAU helped explain NFTs more.
• Ryan then met his good friend JN Silva, who was deep into blockchain and helped explain a lot of the backend. They both felt like they didn't fit in the space.

'The Matrix moment'

• Last December Ryan had his first NFT drop and they were selling out fast. His wife was pregnant and napping so he couldn’t make a lot of noise but he was freaking out.

"I just thought wow, this is the future."

The conviction

"I am constantly looking for a marriage between art and tech. I really truly was diving into it. I consider founders of tech companies artists because they are creating something from nothing."

• Ryan was just searching for that bridge between art and tech and NF...

In Episode 4 of Probably Nothing TZ (@TZhongg) and Alexis Ohanian (@alexisohanian) chat with Noah Davis (@NonFungibleNoah) of Christie's. Noah is the former Head of Online Sales for contemporary art at Christie's, but is now primarily focused on NFTs and crypto related digital art projects. Noah discusses how he first got into NFTs, and how he was able to convince a 200+ year old company to begin auctioning NFTs this year. TZ, Alexis, and him also discuss a bit of art history, how NFTs align incentives between artists and curators/collectors, and the future of smart contracts in the art world. This wide ranging discussion shows how NFTs are starting to bridge both the fine art world and the crypto community.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

• Beeple's first Christie's auction
• MakersPlace NFT
• NFT Now
• Christie's x OpenSea

Timestamps

00:30: Noah Davis intro

01:20: How did Noah convince Christie's to get into NFTs?

02:30: How did Noah first get into NFTs and what helped him understand them?

04:20: What is the future of NFTs in the art world?

06:50: Art Basel NFT prediction?

11:30: What was the internal process on convincing Christie's to do a project with OpenSea?

14:08: wen christie's dao?

16:12: What was the process like of promoting Beeple's sale on Discord?

19:40: What is "absurdist post-war French theater" and why did he study it in school?

24:00: Secondary sales in a world of smart contracts

28:40: Future hope for artist and smart contracts

29:50: Working with artists compared to working with collectors

32:48: Noah's experience in the NFT space

33:34: If you were stranded on an island which NFT would you take from your collection? What about anyone's NFT collection?

Mentions

• Beeple - @beeple
• Tom Sachs - @tom_sachs
• Damian Hurst - @hirst_official
• MakesPlace - @makersplaceco
• NFT now - @nftnow
• collector 33 - @33NFT
• Justin Aversano - @justinaversano
• Superrare - @SuperRare
• Joshua Davis - @JoshuaDavis
• fewocious - @fewocious
• Punk 4301

Show Notes

Who is Noah Davis?

• Specialist at Christie's in the contemporary arts department with a focus in NFTs.
• He started working on NFTs in March with his intro to NFTs during the first Beeple @beeple sale.

Getting into NFTs and bringing them to Christie's

How did Noah first get into NFTs?

• "NFTs really found me."
• Before he was head of NFTs at Christie’s, he was the head of online sales for contemporary art.
• He was in the office last January to see an IRL piece of art for an auction.
  • His colleague, Megan Doyle, brought an NFT opportunity to his attention. She had been contacted by MakersPlace for a possible NFT consignment, and asked Noah if he would be open to putting an NFT in his sale.
• Noah barely knew about NFTs.
  • All he really knew was that Beeple sold his NFT at Nifty Gateway for $6 million, and that NFTs are a new asset class running on a blockchain foundation.
• What drew Noah into NFTs, beyond the art, was the promise of decentralization and the things that blockchain can do.
  • "We are heading towards a future that will have a foundation in blockchain. You can either end up with the state run dystopian future or you can build one yourself."
  • Noah wants to see a future where there is a decentralized me...

Alexis Ohanian, Founder and Former Executive Chairman of Reddit and VC firm Seven Seven Six, and Tiffany Zhong, Founder and CEO of Islands join forces to create your go-to NFT podcast. In this episode, we start with the question of the hour: What are NFTs and why do we love them? You'll hear things like why Twitter has become a zoo, and why NFTs could be the future trust fund. Alexis tells us stories of his younger days at Reddit and compares it to the growing NFT world. Tiffany keeps us updated with everything new and trendy in the space. Throughout the episode, you'll have many "ooh" and "ahh" moments and learn, and laugh a lot (we hope!). By the end, you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting for the next episode. But it's Probably Nothing. Sit back, relax, and enjoy our first episode!

In Episode 6 of Probably Nothing TZ (@TZhongg) and Alexis Ohanian (@alexisohanian) chat with with Bobby Hundreds (@bobbyhundreds), founder of streetwear brand The Hundreds. Bobby is also the creator of the Adam Bomb Squad, an NFT project consisting of 25,000 pieces each related to the history of the Hundreds company. In this episode you’ll hear about the similarities and differences of building a streetwear company versus an NFT project. You’ll also learn about why community and durability are so important to building a brand, and whether Bobby considers The Hundreds to be a successful brand after 18 years in existence.

- Links and References Mentioned in This Episode -

• About the Hundreds
• What NFTs Can Learn From Streetwear
• The Hundreds Blog
• This is Not a T-Shirt by Bobby Hundreds
• Beeple Sale
• The Robots

- Timestamps -

2:00: Who is Bobby Hundreds?
04:50: How did Bobby move a web2 company into the web3 space?
09:09: What is most important for the Hundreds?
12:40: Community and its importance to brand building.
17:00: How did Bobby first get into NFTs and what helped him understand them?
22:00: How does building the Hundreds compare to Adam Bomb Squad?
26:05: Why projects become cash grabs.
32:34: How will The Hundreds maintain a brand quality in a decentralized world?
39:50: Desert Island NFT

- Mentions -

• Trevor McFedries (@whatdotcd)
• Dee Goens (@dg_goens)

- Highlights -

*Web2 and Community*

“I didn’t want to be in the stage, I wanted to be on the floor, in the mosh pit with everyone else, and the microphone gets passed around.”

• Bobby didn’t have the tech knowledge at that point on how everyone could participate and rise up together. So he was doing it from within their brand and other brands trying to establish their community.

“If there is any web2 company that I feel is sympathetic to what is happening in web3 and decentralized, but really embodies that spirit. I think it’s us”

• Bobby literally wrote a book on building brands around community.
• What really makes The Hundreds function is the community. Their entire company is based on community.

“In telling someone else a story we are telling a little bit of ours”

• It was never about The Hundreds being the winner. It was about telling the story, which is why they invested so heavily in collaborations.
• Their mindset was that they were all part of this ecosystem together.

“As the tide rises, we lift all the boats together.”

• They were doing it in the industry and now they are doing it through the community.
• A lot of established brands are looking at web3 and are scared because they have a lot to lose but for Bobby it’s inspiring.

“To think that every single day I might lose this company entirely to the community is electrifying”

• Bobby wants to get to a point where he can completely lose himself to the community and everything is entirely decentralized.

“All signs point in that direction. They’ve tried so hard to make it the other way for the last 10-15 years and it caused a lot of distressed and made me unhappy.”

• Bobby has lived with this guilt because he has been convincing young people that they aren’t enough unless they have a product.
• A simple consumer to business brand never sat right with Bobby even when he was a kid. He felt like he was a walking billboard for someones company.

*Community and Ownership*

“We’ve always endowed upon the community this sense of ownership, they’ve always felt like they own this brand.”

• People buy brands for community, identity, and because they have a sense of ownership.

“When young people are getting our logo tattooed on them, it’s not that they are a fan of me, th...

In Episode 10 of Probably Nothing TZ (@TZhongg) and Alexis (@alexisohanian) bring on the NFT Attorney, Jacob Martin (@thenftattorney). Jacob has had one of the best 2021s in web3 as he turned $5,000 into a sizeable 7-figure portfolio by flipping NFTs and being a part of certain DAOs. Jacob came onto the show to share how a 26-year old lawyer is one of the leading law experts in web3 with only 2 years of traditional law experience, what he looks for in projects, and what he believes 2022 will bring for web3.

Timestamps -

1:47: How did Jacob get into NFTs

4:33: Why Jacob’s startup didn’t work

7:69: Jacob’s crazy 2021

15:51: How being a lawyer helped Jacob find good NFT deals

20:17: America’s renting vs owning culture

22:07: Transitioning from Lawyer to Investor

24:29: Ready Player DAO

24:35: Red DAO

32:06: Experimental DAOs are the future.

34:57: The issues with credentialism

42:12: Which NFT would Jacob take onto his Island?

Mentions -

Ready Player Dao (@ReadyPlayerDao)

Red Dao (@Red__DAO)

Cryptokitties (@CryptoKitties)

Cryptopunks

Veefriends by Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee)

Dapper Labs (@dapperlabs)

Evan Kearst (@evankearst)

Jordan Castro (@poopie)

Scott Martin (@burnttoast)

Meebits

Squiggle (@squiggles)

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Islands Team 🏝