Introduction

The hosts introduce the podcast and their guest, Brenda Mulligan, founder of Pre-Mint. They discuss the new studio space and plans for future live shows.

Introducing the Podcast

• Kevin Rose introduces 100 Proof podcast.

• Derek Edwards is introduced as co-host.

• Brenda Mulligan, founder of Pre-Mint, is introduced as a guest.

New Studio Space

• The hosts are in a new studio space called "the jail cell."

• Plans to eventually do live streams from the studio are discussed.

• The set will change over time.

Interactive Live Shows

• Plans to do interactive giveaways and puzzles during live shows are discussed.

• Wardrobe choices for the hosts are mentioned.

Art Behind Brenda

The art behind Brenda is discussed.

Favorite Art Pieces

• Brenda's favorite piece is a purple one made by her daughter.

• Other pieces include a digital frame, Snow Fro Meridian, and The Ringer.

• All pieces belong to other people.

Podcast Updates

Updates on the podcast are given.

Twitter Account

• Follow @proofpodcasts on Twitter for release notifications of new episodes and content.

• Turn on notifications to only receive updates about new content.

Artist Spotlight

-Sam has an artist spotlight with Life in West America this week.

The Future of NFT Events

In this section, the speaker discusses the future of NFT events and how smaller, more intimate gatherings are becoming more popular.

Smaller Intimate Gatherings

• The future of NFT events is smaller, more intimate gatherings.

• It's hard to get people excited about big conferences during a bear market.

• A smaller gathering allows like-minded individuals to collaborate and chat about the industry.

• Pace Gallery in Los Angeles was a perfect venue for such an event with around 75 attendees.

Satellite Events

• Even at big conferences, satellite events are where most people spend their time.

• These events allow for connecting with collectors and portfolio companies on a more personal level.

Dinner Gathering Around the Event

In this section, the speaker talks about a dinner gathering that took place around the event and provides insights into what was discussed.

Topics Discussed

• The dinner had a great group of folks including artists, collectors, and fund runners.

• Discussions centered around the current state of the industry and its revitalization.

• Despite crazy headlines, people are still excited to be building in this space.

Challenges Faced by Collectors

• Many collectors are underwater across all assets due to current market conditions.

• This is not uncommon as crypto has seen cycles of interest followed by waning interest before.

Back to Building

• We're currently going back to building against core protocols and improving things on Ethereum.

• This is one of those moments where we're just going back to building despite challenging market conditions.

Collecting NFTs

In this section, the speakers discuss their experiences with collecting NFTs and how they are reconfiguring their portfolios.

Reconfiguring Portfolios

• The speakers are reconfiguring their portfolios to right size NFTs against their entire investment portfolio.

• They discuss selling some collections and moving into others that they are excited about.

• One speaker is keeping a presence in all of the different collections he is in while adding where he can.

Positivity in the Space

• The speakers note that every nft community they talk to is still building and excited about the space.

• They see this as a good sign for the future of NFTs, unlike ICO teams that disappeared after grabbing cash.

Long-Term View

• One speaker takes a long-term view with the things he collects, buying pieces that he knows will be around five or ten years from now.

• He sees NFT technology as a massive innovation that has barely been scratched and believes that some of the earliest works will continue to provide cultural or historical importance over time.

Collecting NFTs

In this section, the speakers discuss the benefits of collecting NFTs and how to approach it.

Benefits of Collecting NFTs

• If you missed out on buying a piece before, now is a good time to start collecting.

• If you have two of something you love, keep one and redeploy the capital into lesser-known artists.

• Investing in lesser-known artists can be more valuable than having multiple pieces of something else.

Documentary on NFT Culture

In this section, the speakers talk about an upcoming documentary that explores NFT culture.

Upcoming Documentary on NFT Culture

• A documentary is being filmed about NFT culture in Los Angeles.

• The documentary features interviews with artists and collectors discussing the cultural zeitgeist and innovation surrounding NFT technology.

Lava Labs Founders

In this section, the speakers discuss their admiration for Lava Labs founders and their contributions to the industry.

Lava Labs Founders' Contributions

• The founders of Lava Labs are admired for their technical innovations and standards that have set the industry on fire.

• They are also praised for being great representatives of the space as kind and amazing humans.

• The founders are still building new projects despite selling CryptoPunks. They still own AutoGlyph and kept their company.

Expecting the Unexpected

In this section, the speakers discuss their excitement for an upcoming project and how they expect it to push the boundaries of what has been done before.

Excitement for Upcoming Project

• The speakers express their excitement for an upcoming project.

• They expect the project to be something new and novel that pushes the space forward.

• The speakers believe that the creators behind the project will take their time to ensure that it is thoughtful and exciting.

Me Bit Easter Eggs

In this section, the speakers discuss some interesting Easter eggs found in Me Bits.

Me Bit Digestion

• When a 3D model of a Me Bit is printed, there are bones inside as well as stomachs and intestines containing bits of other digested Me Bits.

• Some Me Bits have pre-digested parts inside them when printed out.

• There are many other Easter eggs hidden within Me Bits.

Builders and Founders

In this section, the speakers talk about conversations with builders and founders in the crypto space.

Hardworking Creators

• Despite negative portrayals on social media, builders and community owners in the crypto space are working harder than ever before due to seeing promise in what's coming.

• A recent event attended by one of the speakers was a great example of this hard work being put into practice.

Background on Vulcan and Pre-Mint

In this section, one of the speakers provides background information on themselves as well as two products they have worked on: Vulcan and Pre-Mint.

Building for Creators

• The speaker has spent their career building tools for creators, starting with musicians 15 years ago.

• They gravitate towards meeting creators, hearing their pain points, and building for them.

• Vulcan is a product used by many people to confirm their identity on Discord to log in.

• Pre-Mint is another product the speaker has worked on.

Introduction to Premium

In this section, the speaker talks about how he got into web3 and how he started helping creators. He also discusses the challenges that creators face in monetizing their work and introduces Premium as a solution.

Premium's Origins

• The speaker got into web3 to help creators monetize their work.

• Creators had difficulty figuring out how to run Discord servers and get people to show up for mints.

• Premium was created to help these creators monetize their work.

• The speaker was inspired by artists who were using Google forms and other rudimentary methods to collect addresses ahead of time.

Building Premium

• The speaker built Premium in a morning for Pindar Van Armen while on paternity leave.

• Premium allows users to connect their wallet, Twitter, or Discord account without connecting them to multiple wallets.

• After launching, everyone started using Premium for everything.

Future Ambitions

• The speaker is thinking about expanding the scope of tools and solutions provided by Premium beyond just creators and collectors.

The Early Days of Async Art

In this section, the speakers discuss the early days of Async Art and how it took some time for new creators to come on board.

Slow Start

• It took three or four months for people to start using Async Art.

• There were about 60 million entries on the platform in the past year, with around 40,000 projects and four million collectors.

• It was a slow start, but eventually new creators came on board naturally.

Dealing with Botting Issues

In this section, the speakers discuss how they dealt with botting issues when launching Async Art.

Botting Issues

• When launching Async Art, they had to figure out what demand would be like and what price to set.

• They had to deal with botting issues when trying to handle traffic from other platforms.

• A team was focused on working through botting issues. They now have an amazing stack that can detect bots and flag entries made by them.

• Other solutions that were doing similar things as Premium were adding features faster because bots weren't targeting their platform.

AI Models and Safety Concerns

In this section, the speakers discuss AI models and safety concerns related to accessibility of these models.

Safety Concerns

• The speaker asks if there are any surface areas of concern related to accessibility of large language models and AI stuff as it relates to product built by them.

• They think about whether an entry is being created by a human or a machine.

• They don't do as much on whether a wallet address is a bot, but they have a system that can detect bots and flag entries made by them.

Analysis of Bots and Wallets

The speakers discuss the challenges of analyzing bots and wallets in the blockchain space. They mention that models can help with analysis, but it's not an area they use particularly to look at bots. They also talk about how requiring a certain amount of ETH in a wallet can help detect bot activity.

Models for Blockchain Analysis

• Models can be helpful for analyzing bot and wallet activity on the blockchain.

• However, the speakers note that they don't use these models extensively to look at bots.

Requiring ETH in Wallets

• Requiring a certain amount of ETH in a wallet can help detect bot activity.

• The speakers discuss how they required 2.5 ETH for Moon Birds registration to prevent bot activity.

• They also mention that they now require users to keep this ETH in their wallets until registration ends.

Lessons Learned from Moon Birds

The speakers discuss lessons learned from their experience with Moon Birds, including how they required a certain amount of ETH for registration and analyzed data after the fact to detect bot activity.

Setting Requirements for Registration

• For Moon Birds, users had to have 2.5 ETH in their wallets to register.

• This was done to prevent bot activity and was based on expected high-end prices.

• After the fact, data was analyzed using Divergence and other tools to detect bot activity.

Evolving Product Features

• Pre-met has evolved as creators have come forward with new requirements or features needed.

• For example, Gary Vee wanted existing community members only for his project, so Pre-met added a setting for this requirement.

Transparency with Users

The speakers discuss the importance of transparency with users and how Pre-met has evolved to be more transparent about requirements for registration.

Clear Requirements for Registration

• Pre-met now requires users to keep a certain amount of ETH in their wallets until registration ends.

• This requirement is clearly communicated to users to prevent disqualification.

• The speakers note that this was not done as clearly for Moon Birds, which led to some confusion.

Disqualifying Users

• Pre-met checks if users are keeping the required ETH in their wallets and disqualifies those who do not.

• This helps ensure fairness and prevent bot activity.

Understanding the Community

In this section, the speakers discuss how to help people understand the community they are about to sell their NFTs to. They talk about giving more insight into who these people are collectively and flagging certain people as VIPs.

Providing Insight into the Community

• The speakers discuss how to give more insight into the community that someone is selling their NFTs to.

• They suggest providing information on who these people are collectively without having an opinion on who one should pick or how they should run their Apple.

• They mention that a lot of information is already out there, but they could make it easier for users by doing some analysis themselves.

Vulcan and AI PFP Stuff

In this section, the speakers talk about Vulcan and its use in verifying ex-copy holders. They also discuss using AI for Twitter Avatar checking and assigning roles based on traits.

Vulcan Verification

• The speakers explain what Vulcan is and how it verifies ex-copy holders.

• They mention that Vulcan uses data from Discord and wallets to verify users without them having to connect their wallet anywhere else or update an openc bio.

• The process was so fast that users didn't know what happened, so they had to slow it down.

Assigning Roles Based on Traits

• The speakers explain that roles can be assigned based on what one holds, such as collections on openc or quantities.

• Staking can also be used as a trait for assigning roles.

AI PFP Stuff

• The speakers discuss using AI for Twitter Avatar checking and assigning roles based on traits.

• They mention that they can look at a user's wallets, nfts, and avatar to match them with a specific role.

• The focus is on community health and management, understanding who the big champions are, and helping community managers make their communities the best possible.

Vulcan and Art Sales

In this section, the speaker talks about the progress of Vulcan and how it will be helpful for community people. The speaker also discusses art sales and some recent big sales.

Progress of Vulcan

• Vulcan has been rewritten from the ground up to make it more stable and expandable over time.

• The plan is to bring all functionality into Vulcan so that users can handle support tickets, NFP specific community stuff, etc.

• A really good giveaway solution will be added to cannibalize some of the premium stuff.

• The speaker predicts an acquisition by one of the big companies in a year and a half.

Art Sales

• The speaker talks about a big x copy sale that went for 355 eth.

• The speaker shows an early X copy which he/she is never going to sell because it embodies so much.

• The speaker talks about freeing up more eth to find upcoming artists.

• Both speakers discuss their interest in collecting art and mention some up-and-coming artists they are excited about.

Recent Big Sales

• A hoodie punk recently sold for 210 eth.

• Movement at the top end of the market has been doing quite well, especially for Blue Chip stuff.

Commissioning Zero X DGB

In this section, the speaker talks about commissioning Zero X DGB to create a new piece of art. He also discusses his love for generative art and the use of the chroma squiggle in other artists' work.

Commissioning Zero X DGB

• The speaker commissioned Zero X DGB, an emerging artist, to create a new piece of art.

• This is the fourth piece that the speaker has commissioned from Zero X DGB.

• The speaker loves generative art and mentions his belief in the Holy Trinity of generative art: punks, Autoglass, and Chromie Squiggle.

• He talks about how he loves seeing the chroma squiggle being used and repurposed in other artists' work.

• The new piece created by Zero X DGB features a fuzzy rainbow squiggle against a black background.

Snowfro's Permissive Attitude Towards Remixes

In this section, the speaker talks about Snowfro's permissive attitude towards remixes and derivatives of his original artwork.

Snowfro's Attitude Towards Remixes

• The speaker discusses Snowfro's permissive attitude towards remixes and derivatives of his original artwork.

• While there may be a line somewhere regarding what is acceptable or not, Snowfro seems to be flattered by people repurposing his artwork as long as it captures the spirit of his original creation.

• The speaker mentions that Snowfro is satisfied as long as he understands what people are trying to do with his artwork.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of reaching out to Snowfro and giving him an early heads up before using his artwork in any way.

• There are hundreds of remixes happening around the chromie squiggle, and Snowfro seems to understand the power of the internet and how it can help propagate his artwork.

Sharing Art Picks

In this section, the speakers share their art picks for the week.

Brendan's Art Pick

• Brendan shares an artist named Derek (i-d-e-r-e-c-h on Twitter), who creates super rare art pieces.

• Derek's bio reads "slow down, breathe, and enjoy the fleeting seconds of life."

Sharing Art Picks

• The speakers take turns sharing their art picks for the week.

• They discuss each other's picks and why they find them interesting.

Tokyo-based Artist and NFT Creator

In this section, the speakers discuss a Tokyo-based artist who creates NFTs. They talk about the artist's style and how his work captures fleeting moments of life.

Captivating Artwork

• The artist creates NFTs with a soft ambient music that captures slow-mo people walking through life.

• The artwork is captivating and has an amazing Tokyo Japanese vibe to it.

• The speaker put bids on some of the artist's work and bought one yesterday.

• The speaker loves the format where three pieces are displayed at once, allowing your eyes to bounce between them.

Story of a Tokyo-Based Artist Selling His Collection for One Punk

In this section, the speakers discuss a story about a Tokyo-based artist who sold his entire collection to buy one Punk. They also talk about how he created special editions for Punk owners and Moon Birds.

Selling Everything for One Punk

• The artist sold everything in his collection, including his Moon Bird, to buy one Punk so he could be part of that community.

• He then went into the punk community and offered 30 special editions of a piece called Serendipity on manifold.

• It was successful, selling out quickly, which led him to create another edition for Moon Birds called Kyoto's Eternal Winter with 69 editions available at 0.1 eth each.

• It sold out within three to four hours with support from Moon Birds members and Proof Collective members.

Power of Communities Coming Together

• This story shows the power of communities coming together to champion great art.

• It is an example of what Proof and Moon Birds are building towards in terms of championing art not just in Discord but beyond as well.

Technical Details About the Artwork

In this section, the speakers discuss some technical details about the artwork created by the Tokyo-based artist.

4K Images Turned Sideways

• The images are 4K and turned sideways to make them viewable on a phone.

• They also support displays turned sideways as well.

Moon Birds Improved Collective

In this section, the speakers discuss an alliance of people coming together to support an artist named Barry. They talk about his reputation as a patron and collector in the space, and how he takes his time to ensure that his art falls into the hands of true collectors.

Barry's Reputation

• Barry has a fantastic reputation as a patron and collector in the space.

• He takes his time to ensure that his art falls into the hands of true collectors.

• He often spends his own money to sweep his own collection just so he can work to find it a home in a true collector's wallet.

Moon Birds Improved Collective

• An alliance of people is coming together to support Barry.

• Only three out of 69 pieces bought by Moon Birds are listed for sale.

• These are diamond-handed collectors who are rallying around this artist.

Giant Swan VR Art

In this section, Kevin talks about discovering an artist named Giant Swan who creates VR-based art using virtual reality tools. The speakers discuss some of the stunning pieces created by Giant Swan and express interest in learning more about their creation process.

Discovering Giant Swan

• Kevin discovered an artist named Giant Swan through Twitter communities.

• Giant Swan creates VR-based art using virtual reality tools.

Stunning Pieces

• The precision that Giant Swan is able to achieve with these tools is pretty wild.

• Some of these pieces have sold for decent amounts on platforms like Super Rare and Nifty Gateway.

Interest in Learning More

• The speakers express interest in learning more about the creation process and tools used by Giant Swan.

Investing in Digital Art and Fashion

In this section, the speaker discusses investing in digital art and fashion. He talks about how he decides whether to invest in something and shares his thoughts on a particular brand called Tribute Brand.

Investing in Digital Art

• The speaker explains how he goes about deciding whether to invest in something.

• He mentions an artist who creates sculptures inside VR that can be exported as NFTs.

• The speaker expresses interest in having the artist on the show.

Tribute Brand

• The speaker discloses that he is an investor in Tribute Brand, a platform for generative on-chain text and 3D dogs.

• He describes Tribute Brand's founder, Gala, as a brilliant fashion designer with a rich history in fashion and digital fashion.

• The speaker recommends watching Gala's Ted Talk on digital fashion before blockchain-based fashion was a thing.

• He explains that Tribute Brand's first drop was playing with the pink collection from Victoria's Secret, referencing and commenting on it.

• The speaker describes what you get when you mint one of these generative typefaces: a 3D dog that can be used anywhere in any immersive environment; an AR version of your dog; and ownership that lives on chain forever.

• He mentions that the second drop is coming soon with a well-known artist most folks will know in the web 3 space.

• The speaker notes that this drop is priced incredibly low at $50 per mint, making it accessible for people to understand digital ownership and the intersection of AR and VR.

Minting NFTs

In this section, the speakers discuss the process of minting NFTs and how it can be used as an onboarding mechanism for people.

Minting Unique NFTs

• The speakers discuss the concept of minting unique NFTs.

• They mention a specific drop that costs only $25 and is being used as an onboarding mechanism for people to get exposed to NFTs.

• The speakers talk about how owning an NFT gives you an object that you can drop into the metaverse if you wanted to.

Personal Stories in the Space

In this section, one of the speakers shares his personal story in the space and discusses his collection.

Early Innings of Product Development

• The speaker talks about his early innings in product development.

• He mentions his eventual exit to Shopify.

Building a Collection

• The speaker talks about building up his collection by grabbing some X copies.

• He mentions that he loves some low addition but still edition stuff and there's just so much good art especially some of this older stuff.

Winning Rare Pieces

• The speaker talks about winning rare pieces and how there's always skepticism around it.

• He mentions that he very rarely wins premances but won one recently.

Appreciating Art

In this section, the speaker compliments someone's artwork and discusses the color palette used.

Complimenting Artwork

• The speaker compliments someone's artwork, saying they have a great eye.

• They discuss the color palette used in the artwork and how it creates a beautiful gradient.

Wrapping Up for the Week

In this section, the speaker wraps up their discussion and announces that they will be in Japan next week.

Next Week's Plans

• The speaker announces that they will be in Japan next week.

• They mention that someone else will be taking over for them while they are away.

• The speaker offers to bring back updates or whiskey from Japan for their colleagues.

Closing Remarks

• The group says goodbye and thanks each other for participating.

• The speaker reminds listeners to leave a five-star review on Proof.xyz if they enjoyed the episode.