What’s up everybody, it’s LG Doucet here.
Last week we witnessed a brief glimmer of hope for the crypto market. A handful of collections popped off, and ETH broke out of its months-long slump.
But despite the hopium this provided, I was still left with the same big time question that has pestered me for the last 10+ weeks: what will drive the next cycle of NFTs?
Although it might be nice to think that our Top Shots, PFPs, and membership passes will come to represent the apex of the medium, it’s highly doubtful that this will be the case. After all, we also believe that we are incredibly early, and that 99% of projects will to go to zero.
We can’t have it both ways. We can’t hope for mass adoption but also pray that our current NFTs hold their value forever.
We can only look to the future. And to even have a chance at understanding it, we can look to those who have been here since the start. Which is where I found today’s guest…
🎙️Today’s Pod: What Makes an NFT Bull Run | Mack Flavelle
Mack is the co-founder of Dapper Labs.
No, he doesn’t work there anymore. And no, I didn’t ask him why not.
I brought Mack on the show to tell us what might drive the next NFT bull run, based on his experience in the dawn of the medium and his current work in the field.
Mack’s a life long connoisseur of digital trends. Before NFTs, he wrote a popular VR newsletter, and spent time in the world of emojis (he even went to an emoji conference). He’s clearly an avid supporter of digital self expression, and his beliefs are a bit beyond what we see in our typical guests.
He’s a person that clearly believes that concept, emotion, and outcome supersede all notions of investment or profit.
He hates roadmaps. He think they give the idea an expiry date.
He wears a white shirt with a black circle in the middle as a self branding experiment.
He says his kids would rather punch themselves in the face on TikTok than own a cool car.
He thinks ownership has dramatically changed, and will be one of the key drivers of the next run.
Tune in to hear Mack talk about:
how he started out with a “boutique VR media company” (4:20)
why emojis used to dominate his imagination (6:01)
the power of the “emoji consortium” (7:25)
how emojis were the best form of online education (9:05)
his original reaction to crypto was “fuck blockchain” (12:45)
the origin of crypto kitties (15:00)
“you can’t mine bitcoin by having cats fuck” (17:35)
the bull case for NFTs over cryptocurrency (19:25)
how our culture is moving away from ownership (24:25)
why roadmaps are dumb (34:01)
his current work at Big Head Club (42:01)
would you rather (44:45)
He’s a character. Enjoy.
📺 ICYMI: Crypto Portfolio 101 | Scott Melker
This one hit home for a lot of people.
Known as “The Wolf of All Streets”, Scott is a popular investor/trader/writer in the space, and has been covering crypto for years.
He also lost millions in the bear market, largely due to the collapse of $LUNA, Celcius, and Voyager.
So believe me when I say that his advice for building a basic cryptocurrency portfolio is worth listening to, regardless of your appetite for risk.
Here is what the community had to say:
The First Mint is proud to be partnered with Flowty, a peer-to-peer NFT loan and rental platform on the Flow Blockchain founded by Michael Levy (fondly known as MBL throughout the Top Shot community):
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✨Happening at The First Mint
Each week we publish a podcast about NFTs and the bigger questions of web3. Check out some of our recent faves!
🎙️Crypto Portfolio 101 | Scott Melker
🎙️Can Brands Win in NFTs? | Adam Brotman
🎙️The Future of UFC Strike | Malik Jiffry
🎙️The Future of Intellectual Property | Tally Labs
🎙️Top Shot’s New Boss | Jayne Peressini
**This is not financial advice. Nothing in this newsletter, podcast, or publication should be considered financial or trading advice of any kind. Please do your own thorough research and make your own trading decisions. This is not advice.”
About The First Mint
The First Mint is a web3 media company. We make. We write. We talk. We listen.