NFT NYC 2022
Terance Mann. Kevin Durant's Boardroom. Lost Kings. Future. A day in the life.
The Rundown.
Getting to NFT NYC was a troop. After spending a week with NCAA national champion, Ty Jerome at his summer camp down at UVA, I was looking forward to getting some rest before NFT NYC kicked off. However, after 8 cancelled flights, I realized rest would be scarce as my one and a half hour flight turned into an eight-hour road trip.
After a long day of driving up the east coast, I woke up bright & early Monday morning with only one objective: Get. Shit. Done.
My Monday was spent catching up on emails and confirming the week’s itinerary. I then met up with an artist that I recently began managing and hit up 230 Fifth Rooftop bar in Midtown for Calaxy’s app preview party. It was a great night connecting with execs in both crypto and the music industry. I enjoyed supporting my two friends & founders of Calaxy, Solo Ceesay & Spencer Dinwiddie, who recently closed a monster round $26M for the company. It’s not every day that two black founders find such success in a bear market, and their event certainly commemorated the achievement.
Now, let NFT NYC begin.
Day 1: 6/21
9am — breakfast — central park, ny
I linked up with Los Angeles Clippers star Terance Mann at Central Park with just enough time for us to grab breakfast before starting the day. Earlier this year, Terance, Melo, and I came together to help grow Terance’s brand within the web3/tech space long-term, as this is a sector that has really intrigued him. After doing some extensive research on all the opportunities web3 has to offer, Terance announced his partnership earlier this year with Chibi Dinos, an NFT project with multiple play-to-earn games within their ecosystem.
10:15am — keynote panel — palladium times square
T-Mann, alongside the Co-Founders & Executives of Chibi Dinos kicked off NFT NYC with a keynote panel; discussing web3 as a whole, Terance’s outlook on the space, as well as where Chibi Dinos plans to grow.
Whether on a Twitter Spaces or in Discord — we’ve been able to achieve a ton of brand equity in the space by simply diving into it & learning as we go. With Terance solidifying himself as a contributing community member (and an exceptionally knowledgable one at that), our Day 1 goal was accomplished. Getting to meet members of different NFT communities & executives throughout web3 was excellent; there is always more to learn about the evolution of web3, and we took in all the information we could. Although this was our first NFT event, I’m positive it will not be our last.
1pm — gym/weight room workout— nbpa
We spent the majority of our afternoon at the NBA holy ground, the NBPA. At this point in my life, it’s safe to say I left my jumper at Assumption University & it hasn’t been seen since. While Terance got a workout in, my time was spent on the sidelines hopping from call to call with different media outlets, de-debriefing our day & completing interviews.
7pm — dinner — zuma nyc
Later that evening, we met with the Chibi Dinos team for dinner at Zuma, where we were joined by investors, partners, media, and other crypto executives. After about 6 pounds of Sushi, we wrapped up the night & prepared for another day of adventures.
Day 2: 6/22 (daytime)
Kevin Durant. Rich Kleinman. 35 Ventures. Boardroom.
9am — hotel gym — central park, ny
Our morning kicked off with another gym session. Always maintaining the main thing remains the main thing.
12pm — video interview — Boardroom/35V
At the forefront of my life’s mission is to assist the younger generation of people that look like me (BIPOC) get exposed to opportunties that they typically would not have access too. Terance, Melo, and I — all feel very strongly about utilizing our success, to bring opportunties for more people that look like us.
Before I go any further, let me just say this: From the media arm that is Boardroom to the investment vehicle that is 35 Ventures, KD & Rich have built an enterprise that every elite level athlete should take note of. Building businesses that can outlast our lifetime and provide long-lasting opportunity for others is what legacy is truly about.
That being said, we were accompanied on our trip to the Boardroom by Talik Fraser, an aspiring sports analyst/journalist who attends SUNY-Purchase and also coaches in the Nike EYBL circuit. Talik was able to meet a bunch of the Boardroom’s staff who were generous enough to exchange words of wisdom & contact info to keep in touch. The impact made on other lives is the true definition of success.
In the heart of NYC, the office greeted us warmly. Seeing such a diverse team in a peaceful yet focused working environment made us feel right at home. We sat down with Boardroom’s Tech/Crypto Writer, Michelai Graham, and shared our journey in crypto, how we got involved, and what we plan to do within the space.
Improving the inequities within the web3 space for black & brown people is extremely important on our end. Ensuring that our people have some skin in the game at the ground level is key; web3 enables creators & users to earn income in ways they typically would not. Play-To-Earn games like Chibi Dinos enable users to actually make money, not just spend it.
All in all, the interview was wonderful. It may have been my own subconscious, but I swear I could hear someone saying “he reminds me of Leonardo DiCaprio” in the background — if this tech stuff doesn’t work out , I might have a shot in Hollywood.. completely halfway kidding.
2–4pm — meetings, meetings, & more meetings — nyc
The majority of the afternoon was spent meeting with different venture capital firms, potential partners, and more media outlets. Networking is the name of the game!
Day 2: 6/22 (nighttime)
5pm — krause house event — classic car club, manhattan, nyc
We pulled up to Classic Car Club Manhattan where Krause House hosted a stellar 3v3 tournament on the world’s first NFT basketball court. While the Chibi Dinos weren’t able to take home the trophy, it was a great time full of great people and energy, and Terance even got to sit in as a judge in the Slam Dunk Contest!
8pm — loser club event — world trade center, nyc
For those who don’t know, Loser Club, is one of my favorite NFT projects & their artist, J’Von, is one of the most talented artists I’ve come across. Supporting black creators in the web3 space is something I’ve been vocal about & will continue to be, and as an owner of over 30 loser NFT’s I had to be here. I even ran into my guys Bryce Aiken & Kyrie Irving there — it’s always great to see more hoopers being proactive in web3.
After finally getting to meet with tons of community members IRL, let me tell you — connecting with people & attaching their real faces to the name instead of their PFP’s is a RUCKUS. If anyone decides to read this, feel free to start a company solving this problem — Check out Loser Club too!
11pm — bubblehouse event — mr. purple featuring Lost Kings & Future?!
Bubblehouse is the first social NFT marketplace — that just closed their $9M Seed round — and they threw a massive event at Mr Purple. While Quavo was initially slated to perform, he was unable to attend the event as inclement weather led to several flight cancellations.
Lost Kings had made it to the event & got the party started off hot, spinning at the tables and getting the vibes going. However, the biggest surprise had yet to come…
Just as I thought my busy week was coming to a grand finalé, it was time to adjust! Luckily, we had prepared for incidentals, and while Huncho couldn’t make it, the GOAT, The WZRD, Future pulled up to keep the party going! Upon walking out with Future, the Bubblehouse community absolutely lost it — hearing my own thoughts seemed impossible over the uproar… tons of media released videos/articles the following day which was beyond amazing to see for Bubblehouse.
After capping off an epic few days in the Big Apple with what felt like the party of a lifetime, I raced back to my hotel, packed my bags & was on a 5am flight back to Boston; thankfully no flights were cancelled this time.
Till the next adventure.
Keep on challenging others while challenging yourself to achieve your goal!!! Fun watching the journey.....
Legendary night with bubblehouse & Future! Keep grinding Jules!!