Tom McLeod, Arkive: Building a Participatory Museum

04/11/23 • 44 min

What if the Smithsonian was owned and curated by the Internet?
This week, our guest on Web 2.5 is Tom McLeod, the Founder and Executive Director of Arkive, a decentralized, democratized, and participatory museum.
Arkive’s goal is to flip the script on how society thinks about museums, art, and who gets to decide what is historically significant and worthy of being displayed.
In this episode, Tom gives a behind-the-scenes look at Arkive, how it works, and some of the big works they have acquired.
Show Notes:
0:00 Episode announcement
0:34 Show intro
1:51 Tom's intro and career prior to Arkive
6:33 Understanding the museum world
10:29 Overview of Arkive and how it differs from typical museums
12:45 Comparing the Arkive model to a wholesale/retail framework
14:46 Overview of the works, acquisitions, and pieces in Arkive
18:01 Sponsored message from Hang
21:11 The acquisition logistics
24:09 Acquisitions from Madonna
27:09 The journey and joy behind discovering works
29:16 A final piece from the collection
32:24 The price of Arkive's pieces
34:35 How web3 is utilized at Arkive
38:35 The Arkive community
41:20 The community's future
43:28 Shill
43:56 Wrap-up
44:05 Closing
Show Resources:
Tom on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tmcleod3
Tom on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmcleod/?hl=en
Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmcleod3/
Arkive’s Website: https://arkive.net/
Arkive on Twitter: https://twitter.com/arkive
Arkive on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkivedao/
Arkive on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkivedao/
Show Sponsor:
Hang.xyz: https://www.hang.xyz/

Show Website:
https://www.web2point5.io
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Show Credits:
Dana Hork (Founder, Host, Producer)
Ron Passaro (Co-Producer/Editor)
Seton Rossini (Brand Design/Cover Art)
DISCLAIMER: This show is strictly educational. None of this is financial, tax, or investment advice — and not a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please always do your own research. For important disclosures, see web2point5.io/disclosures.

Previous Episode

David Rodolitz, Flyfish Club: Building a Members-Only Dining Club

What would you get if you combined the exclusivity of NYC’s famed Rao’s restaurant, the members-only programming from Soho House, and the power of the blockchain via NFTs?
This week, our guest on Web 2.5 is David Rodolitz, the Founder and CEO of Flyfish Club, an NFT-enabled members-only private dining club. Token holders gain access to the NYC-based restaurant as well as various culinary, cultural, and social experiences. Flyfish Club is one of the signature projects coming out of VCR Group, a partnership between Rodolitz, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck, Chef Josh Capon, and Chief Culinary Officer Conor Hanlon.
David is a 20-year food and hospitality industry veteran. He is the Co-Owner of Ito, an Omakase experience, with Chef Masa Ito and Chef Kevin Kim. He is also the Co-Founder of the Empellón Restaurant Group and the Owner and Founder of Impulse Productions, an event-planning company.
On today’s episode, David gives a behind-the-scenes look at Flyfish club, the various projects coming out of VCR Group, and his advice for any entrepreneurs building in Web 2.5.
Show Notes:
0:00 Episode announcement
0:38 Show intro
1:38 David's intro and career prior to Web3
9:14 The concept for Flyfish Club
14:07 How Flyfish intro'd the idea of mixing NFT technology and IRL utility
17:20 An overview of Flyfish NFTs
21:41 Sponsored message from Hang
24:11 Understanding the restaurant business model
29:24 Flyfish's physical space
33:29 The projected launch timeframe
34:48 The easiest and hardest parts of David's journey
37:38 David's advice for other Web 2.5 restaurant builders
41:40 Other VCR projects
45:29 Shill
46:40 Wrap-up
46:50 Closing
Show Resources:
David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rodolitz
David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rodolitz/?hl=en
David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodolitz/
Flyfish Club’s Website: https://www.flyfishclub.com/
Flyfish Club on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Flyfishclub
Flyfish Club on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flyfishclub/
Show Sponsor:
Hang.xyz: https://www.hang.xyz/

Next Episode

Sam West, Mars: Unlocking Brand Value via Web3-Enabled Programs

What value does a large global CPG company see with web3 technology?
This week, our guest on Web 2.5 is Sam West, the Senior Global Marketing Manager of Web3 at Mars.
In her role, Sam explores the transformational opportunities that web3 can unlock for Mars Pet Nutrition brands. She leverages the Metaverse, NFTs, Blockchain, and AI to accelerate Mars’ purpose and make the world a better place for pets.
Through her role, Sam has helped launch an NFT-enabled membership community working to restore coral reefs through Sheba’s Hope Grows program and helped Pedigree drive pet adoptions with an interactive metaverse experience called the Fosterverse.
On today’s episode, Sam shares her background and journey into web3, some of Mars’ big tech-enabled programs, and the value a global CPG brand sees in investing in these spaces.
Show Notes:
0:00 Episode announcement
0:30 Show intro
1:40 Sam's intro and career prior to Web3
3:36 Sam's web3 alias
5:33 All about Mars
7:02 Sam's role at Mars and integrating web3
8:07 An overview of Hope Grows
11:04 The resources and teams involved in Hope Grows
13:14 Sponsored message from Hang
15:18 The tech that Sam explores and uses
17:54 Community decisions
19:28 Sheba's passion for the coral reef project
21:43 From cats to dogs
24:54 Pedigree’s Fosterverse
27:41 Sam's advice for builders
30:04 Shill
30:53 Wrap-up
31:08 Closing
Show Resources:
Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammwest/
Mars on the web: https://www.mars.com/
Mars on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Marsglobal
Mars on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marsglobal/
Mars on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mars/
Show Sponsor:
Hang.xyz: https://www.hang.xyz/