šThe First Mint Timeout
Whatās up everybody, itās LG Doucet here.
Iām taking a break from the podcast. But just for a few weeks!
We are taking time to retool things at The First Mint, and quite frankly the podcast is the first thing I want to change. It needs a refresh.
A lot has happened at TFM in the last 20 months since our inception, and Iāve broken it all down below. But the TL;DR is that weāll be back in time for the NBA Season, which a fresh slate of content and slightly different approach.
So stay tuned!
I'm Taking a Break
Iāve said it many times before, but The First Mint is a surreal feeling for me.
Despite some long nights, frustrating twitter exchanges, and rugged promises from our favorite projects, the fact that TFM even exists and that I get to do what I do with the people I get to do it with is astounding.
Iām super proud of our team, our DAY ONEs, our community, our partners, and hell, even myself! Iāve shot my shot a few times in life, but this is the only time itās actually worked.
Last Winter, we celebrated our one-year anniversary (January 6th). It came at a pivotal time for NFTs: OpenSea was on its way to posting its highest volume month ever (almost $5B alone in January 2022, 43% more than any other month), and the Dapper/Top Shot community was buzzing.
ALL DAY had just launched. Rakeback had just dropped. Ballerz were ballinā. And at TFM, we were in the middle of securing new partners, thus ensuring that TFM would keep the lights on for a least a few more months.
We hosted Basketball & Blockchain week during the NBA All-Star Game, and I even took a vacation!
But upon my return, things began to change. No football, underwhelming top shot playoffs, and then of course - the NFT crash, and broader crypto/macro market downturn.
Not great.
Lucky for TFM, we had and still have great partners, and an incredibly supportive community. We took the downturn as an opportunity to zoom out, and think bigger picture in crypto.
We looked at the history of Crypto Winter, and asked if NFTs were only about making money. We even looked into Flow, and speculated on when we would get that sweet airdrop (note: it hasnāt happened).
We also brought on some of our favorite experts to help us think big. A former pro-trader. A PhD in Macro Economics. A visionary founder.
It was an exciting change. It made me feel like we were able to pivot at TFM and provide a different type of value. These experts came on the show and basically told us that although we are all fucked in the short term, the long term bull case for crypto remains. They were experts in different disciplines, but the message was the same: hang on. Its worth it.
But now Summer is over. And so is that pivot.
At its core, The First Mint is a sports community.
We love the athletes, the connections, the stories, and of course, the experience. And thatās also what we love about NFTs. There are so many parallels between what makes NFTs great, and what makes sports great, that we need to realign our focus and center there.
And we will. Very soon.
Itās been clear that our community expects this from us. As much as the feedback on the ābig pictureā pods has been positive, weāve noticed fewer of our diehards engaging. Fewer of our people listening. And quite honestly, Iāve noticed myself less driven to produce them.
And thatās not to say our guests havenāt been incredible. They were awesome.
But it just aināt us, baby.
We need to go back to our roots, to what we promised our DAY ONEs: that The First Mint was all about community-driven experiences. That we were here to be part of, and help surface, what makes the digital collectible community the absolute best place to hang out on the internet.
TFM, just like the sports world, will survive this bear market. It will continue on. It will be there, just like athletics, year round, always ready for a new story or moment to drop.
Its who we are, and its what we owe to you, our community, who has brought us this far and will propel us to go further.
Whatās next at TFM
First off, the content isnāt stopping. Just the pod.
Twitter will still post the latest from ALL DAY, Candy, Top Shot, Strike, Flow, and our other top sports collections. We are slowly expanding this scope, so donāt be surprised if you see more content about Sorare, Draft Kings, FIFA, and other collectibles in the space.
Our newsletter, Basketball & Blockchain, will hit your inbox twice a week, for all the latest NBA news and TS gossip.
Phil and I will continue hosting Twitter Spaces for exciting drops, and on Sundays to preview the week to come in NFTs.
And this podcast will return the week of October 17th, with a fresh approach, new stories, and the love of sports we all started with. And maybe, just maybe, a new partner or two.
Beyond that, of course, thereās more. And weāll share when its time.
Talk to you soon.
-LG
Great stuff man!