[Thoughts #50] NFT NYC themes and anecdotes
It's like Star Wars, it never ends lol
Are you sick of NFT NYC posts yet?! 😈
Don’t worry, this is (or is it…?) the last one!
(More?!) Themes
Which is the REAL NFT NYC
(please stand up, please stand up!)
But seriously, which was the real NFT NYC?
The conference in Times Square
All the events hosted by companies or NFT projects
There is no right or wrong answer and I did not attend the conference proper. That said, it does make you wonder…
At the end of the day, it really depends on your knowledge of the NFT space and what your goals are. I would argue if you were at NFT NYC for business, you would be able to get just as much business and networking done at the events vs. the conference albeit in a more serendipitous way.
Anecdotally, I heard that the conference itself was disorganized, confusing, and you could even walk into the speaker sessions without a pass. This was not an isolated opinion.
Beautiful birds-eye view of the Marriott Marquis right? Now throw in 15,000 conference attendees, hotel guests who are here for general NYC tourism, and the nightly crowds of musical fans waiting in line to see Beetlejuice the Musical.
That said, Marriott Marquis was a good central meeting spot, and I always had a bathroom to go to if needed lol.
NFT NYC will still likely be one of the premiere Web3 conferences next year, so there is plenty of time and ample opportunity for the organizers to redeem themselves. I look forward to seeing the adjustments made to make this a world class conference.
What if NFT NYC wasn’t held in Manhattan?! Scandalous? Maybe. Optimal for logistics? Probably.
Doubting Thomas’
There is a lot of information and misinformation in this world, so when it comes to more controversial topics, it takes a lot for us to change our minds.
In essence, we’re all a version of Doubting Thomas (or Doubting TPan hehe).
Who’s that?
Doubting Thomas was one of Jesus’ 12 Disciples who did not believe Jesus rose from the dead until he could feel and see Jesus’ crucifixion wounds.
So you’re now trying to evangelize me? Unsubscribe.
No, no! If you think about it, that’s a lot of people with NFTs. The average person still sees NFTs as a picture of (insert your favorite animal) and thinks “scam”, you can’t really blame them.
However, when you feel and see something like this firsthand…
You can’t help but wonder…Is it ALL a scam? Could some of this supposed ‘utility’ be legitimate? Or is this just a long-play ponzi scheme?
It’s hard to imagine someone that attended an event like Apefest to completely write off NFTs. There are plenty of valid criticisms and many are still scams. But there’s SOMETHING…something going on here.
“I’m Not Leaving”
Whether or not we realized it, this was a big test for the broader Web3 and NFT space.
How many people would show up in NYC? How big would the events be? Would the broader bear market dampen spirits?
I think the response was a resounding:
And across pretty much every facet. Whether it was the energy of the attendees, the experiences that we shared, types of people that showed up, or caliber of talent that performed, NFTs are here to stay. And I’m excited to see how they evolve beyond the parties of NFT NYC.
People I met
So many great people I met, thank you for the memories!
Travis - I met you at a friend of a friend’s birthday party before all the NFT NYC craziness happened and we ended up talking about crypto and NFTs. You made great points about the energy inefficiencies of crypto-mining and the fact that there is nothing in Web3 that can’t be done in Web2 today. However, you also were open and honest about the fact that you haven’t been up to date with crypto in a few years and still hold crypto. Also, you would prefer to use the wasted energy from crypto mining on space exploration which is arguably a waste as well 🚀. The level-headed discourse was great and gave me more insight to some of the arguments against crypto.
To my fellow Mutant Ape holders on the subway - Great meeting you on Day 1! The conversation was so good that I blindly got off at the wrong stop with y’all and was late to a meeting, lol.
Tomoya - It was great spontaneously meeting you thanks to a mutual intro. Excited for you to bring Japanese fashion into Web3. Many famous brands have influenced American fashion, so I hope that happens in Web3 as well :)
Little Lemon Friends - So many! Astral, Bokchoybaby, Twitjeehee, Chaos, Emilf, Hoss, Dhoggy, Rexwub, Marlow, Forge, Papa7, Mas, Chogger, Sage, redsoxguy, and many more!
Mas even drew my Little Lemon (Charlie Brown style) in <5 minutes 🤯
Daniel - Even though you couldn’t come to NYC because you caught COVID, you left me with the question: “What are people still building?” in this bear market. The answer is: Everything. Literally.
It’s just that the bar is set higher with the pickier market. Also, more NFT SaaS tools.
Rembrandt - Thanks for sharing me your thoughts and stories on marketing/PR in the Web3 space. You and your team clearly have been a part of some large NFT success stories.
Cheko - Hilarious how we met in the men’s bathroom at the Marriott. I thought you were doing drugs due to all the ruckus you were creating, but you were just doing some good ol’ guerrilla marketing with stickers. Excited for you to launch your tETHquila project. ;) Will intro you to a friend who had a similar idea, I didn’t forget!
Justin - It was great to have you as my +1 to the Illuminati and Doodles events. Great hearing more about your story, your vision for Safary, and partying with Chainsmokers bumpin’ some tunes.
Brad - It was fun to meet another hungry Ape holder at a random pizza spot in Manhattan. We ended up recapping our respective nights with some good vibes and overpriced pizza ($3 a slice lol).
B - It was great meeting you via a mutual friend and sharing our thoughts about taking sabbaticals and chasing our Web3 goals. I wish you the best as you contemplate leaving your full-time job in pursuit of something grander for yourself!
People I bumped into multiple times at various events throughout the week
Persil (CC and WP)
Will (Little lemons, conference hotel lobby)
Rippe (LL and CC)
Cosmic Cowboy (LL CC WP)
Coolman Coffee Dan, Mina, and Burnt Toast - So awesome to meet founders that are also artists in the Web3 space. You’ve made magic with your talents and I wish you all the success with your respective projects.
Baron, Cedric, Hillary (bartenders at the Cool Cats VIP Purrty) - It was fun to hear your perspectives about bartending at the NFT event vs. the typical events you are staffed for. TLDR: NFT events are a younger crowd, have more fun music, and are nicer. We ended up talking about the NBA and I even almost got one of them to take a drink with me 😂.
Shreyas - My only new JUMP friend because I had conflicts for all the meetups. It was great hearing your story about getting into Web3 and dropping some knowledge about F1!
A and B - This screenshot of a text message with my fiancé explains it all lol
Derp - It was great catching up with you (we knew each other long before these crazy Web3 days) and learning more about what it’s like to be on the inside for a NFT project.
Seth - Even though you aren’t in Web3 it was great to hear more about your world of investment banking and also that you may not always be doing what you love, but make sure what you’re doing brings you one step closer to doing what you love.
J (my cousin!) + R (his wife) - It’s funny how life brings people together, and we’re all working or planning to work in the same broader Crypto space. I’m excited to see you two make your impact from a Design perspective while I make my impact from a Content/Marketing/Growth one. Better UX/UI is needed!!!
Special Shoutouts to…
Elaria - 8 of us originally met on Discord to complete a NFT challenge 9 months ago. And here we are almost a year later, meeting IN PERSON. What a trip it has been brother.
J - Thank you for hosting me for the 10 days I was in NYC. It was great to catch up with you, bring you along to Ape Fest, and watch you get interested in NFTs as the days passed. I will continue to tease you about the bet we made that if Eminem or Snoop showed up the night we went to Ape Fest, you would buy a Doodle (~$14k) on the spot. Alas, neither artist showed up that night, but rather both showed up the night after. You barely escaped that bet my friend 😮💨
And THAT concludes my posts around NFT NYC. Time to rest and not go anywhere for the rest of the month. See ya tomorrow 😂