This is a very special episode of the NFT Stories Podcast for two reasons: One, this is the first time we’re dropping an episode with NFT creators while there is a drop currently going. That is, if you’re listening on June 21st. And if not, reminder, episodes are every Tuesday. And two, this is the first time we’re dropping an episode with an NFT project that I actually worked on. In my previous life, I was a comedian who also happened to get a film degree. This turned out to be my biggest blessing and curse. It was a blessing because I graduated right at the start of the digital revolution. I ..read more

This episode is going to be a bit different. I had the honor of speaking to Mack Flavelle, co-founder of the first explosively popular NFT project CryptoKitties, worked on Top Shot, and worked on Stoner Cats. Unlike our regular episodes that are edited, sans a few pops and clicks, you’re going to hear our full chat from Mack’s side how the modern day NFT industry was born, through his work today with Bighead Club. Warning: Mack is an exceptionally charming speaker but he does casually swear and, for the first time on this podcast, you’ll hear me swear as well. If that offends you, please skip ..read more

There were loads of easy ways to make money during the dotcom bubble in the 90’s. Folks were buying up domains with common words, slapping together a few pages on a deck about how they’re going to take ‘x’ industry and move it to the internet, and venture capitalists were screaming, “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!” Financial magazines and newspapers at the time were absolutely effusive about the potential, further inflating already incredible valuations. I can tell you from experience, nothing turns a venture capitalist from a skeptic into an expert like reading one Wall Street Journal article abo ..read more

NFTs are built on blockchains and blockchains use coins to facilitate transactions. And right now, the coin market is way, way down. This could actually be viewed as a good thing. One of the biggest complaints about Ethereum, one of the most popular blockchains for NFTs that hosts megabrands Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks, used to cost between $50 and $150 in ‘gas fees’, which means a payment you need to make just to cover the costs of a transaction. Now, you can regularly make an Ethereum transaction for less than $10. For people who want a lower barrier to entry to the market, this is ..read more

A lot of people just lost a lot of money in the cryptocurrency and NFT market. It’s pretty bleak in a lot of sectors right now. Inflation is out of control globally. Gas prices are at an all time high, though in America it’s not nearly as high as many places overseas that depended on Russian oil, and food prices have spiked. For those playing the stock market, tech stocks have crumbled. Coinbase in particular is down $51 billion in valuation. And for those who were hedging their investments with cryptocurrency, they felt the pain too. Bitcoin is down 53%. Ethereum’s co-founds says he’s no long ..read more

The year was 1990 and I, 8 year old Phil Ranta, was going through my regular Friday night routine at Blockbuster of renting a Nintendo game that I could play non-stop until school on Monday, or at least as much as possible before my brother booted me off of the system so he could play Tecmo Super Bowl. Now when you’re 8, decision-making tactics are a bit different. I knew I liked Mega Man. I knew Mega Man games had a frame around the box with a red Capcom logo at the top. So when I saw a box with the same logo, I assumed it had to be decent. That game: Yo! Noid, the game based on Domino Pizza ..read more

If we’ve learned nothing else from the past week in the NFT market: it’s all a gamble. Monetary value can come and go in the blink of an ape’s eye. For those who are holders for the long term or in it for the utility or community, they may not have noticed, but for those who were hoping to build generational wealth…they’re having a very, very bad time. So what better time to talk about how NFTs are used in gambling. But I’m not talking about NFT value speculation or ‘am I going to mint a common PFP or a legendary’. I mean Vegas-style, double down, let it ride kind of gambling. If you’ve ever b ..read more

Celebrities are all over the blockchain space. From Logan Paul combining Pokemon box breaks and NFTs to Matt Damon implying you’re a coward if you don’t buy on a Crypto.com, it feels like a matter of time before they all have their play. But to complicate matters, the hardcore NFT community is pretty hard on traditional celebrities. Some of that is deserved. Adult film star Lana Rhoades sold $1.5 million in NFTs before announcing she’s shutting down the program shortly thereafter. Diehard NFT and crypto enthusiasts can’t get away with that if they ever want to work in the space again. But as t ..read more

Not surprisingly, NFTs being birthed from internet insiders, marijuana is all over these marketplaces. But this isn't just a bunch of basement-dwelling stoners. The cannabis industry is experiencing an absolute boom with legalization and a lot of incredible projects are using NFT technology to help build community and utility within this already tight-knit community. But is it just hype? Are artists riding on the cool factor of weed so they can sell more pictures of stoned animal PFPs then disappear as soon as they sell out? Some, sure. But I doubt Mila Kunis is going to do that with her hit p ..read more

The metaverse has been all over the tech news sites lately, particularly as of October 28, 2021 when Facebook changed their name to Meta as they doubled-down on a metaverse strategy. Metaverse technologies have also been looped into the conversations with NFTs and cryptocurrency as start ups imagine interoperable goods, or items that can be used on multiple platforms. It’s a series of new worlds with new economies, new rules, and new rulers. I wanted to crack this space, so I reached out to Nancy Beaton, SVP of Strategy and Blockchain at Together Labs and SVP of Strategy and Marketing at MetaJ ..read more