Baker station, welcome to another state of the nation episode. The question on the menu today is RN ft's back, David. They had a fantastic week last week, but they've been down pretty bad recently. And we have brought the perfect guest on to talk about the future of nft is Gary Vee Gary vaynerchuk which launched one of the most successful nft projects that have been launched today. It's a project called the friends. Now he was here a year and a half ago and he
actually announced the launch of be friends, partially on the bank was podcast. So we wanted to regroup with Gary and talk a little bit about the future of mfds David. What should listeners look out for in this episode, which they pay attention to? And why are we talking about this now? Yeah, there's two worlds of the nft world. There are the internal to crypto nft projects and then there's the creators out there who are leveraging this new technology to express themselves. So their communities and interact with their communities and brand new ways. And that is really the
Tear that Gary is pioneering. How to how to have n FTS as a communication vehicle between him and his very engaged fan base. And so, as and of teams have changed from the Mania of 2021, that was to the current build Market that is of 2022. We want to pick Gary's brain as to what it's like to be an NF T Creator in the era of 2022 and FTS. So that's what I'm paying attention to is how to leverage and FTS to engage with your fans. Now that the hype cycle is behind us
Ryan. I think some of these build Market projects and ft projects are going to come out a lot stronger on the other side of this and V friends may be one to watch as well guys we will be right back with the episode garyvee talking all about NF tease but before we do we want to thank the sponsors that made this episode possible. Orbits from one is pioneering the world. I've secure aetherium scalability and is continuing to accelerate the web three landscape, hundreds of projects have already deployed on Arbitron one producing flourishing defy and nft ecosystems with a recent
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The founder of the friends, which is an mft project that helps him enhance his community perks access. Got all sorts of things. We want to explore n FTS today and including I think towards the end Gary has something special to announce for the community so we're going to talk about that as well. Gary, what's up man? Welcome back to
bank lists.
It's so good to be with you guys. Thank you so much. Thanks everybody who's watching. It's a rainy day here in New York City, but, um, but I'm grinding along. It's been a big day.
Well, you know what, grinding I think is a good theme, right? Because we're at least in the rider crypto world were in kind of this this bear Market, you know? And so that's what people tell me. Anyway, I'm not feeling particularly bearish, but some people are prices are down. A lot of areas. It's been about a year and a half. I think you came on in May of sometime
20 21. Yeah. Yeah. And watching the friends during kind of this, this secular bull market that we had and ftes in crypto. Like in general, tell us what you've been up to since that time like catch us up and give people a feel. If you will Gary for like what is the V Fenton friends project itself? Like what is the purpose of it? And what do you been working on since we last spoke?
I mean since we last spoke a ton because that was just a launch of series 1 since then that august/september I created something called book games where he bought 12 copies of my latest book. You would get n FTS that I did on a mutable which then became like functional for something I did in January, where there was an exchange and then that triggered advantages to get Series 2 minutes and special series 2's that nobody else could get Series. 2 came out in May of this year.
We're exploring April. And then the big play, the original premise of the friends was to establish, intellectual property Smurf, Scooby-Doo, all that stuff and and Disney Pokémon, like, how substantial of a Sesame Street. Like, IP can I create? Because it's something I've always wanted to do. If you look at it, you know, you look at wrestling and toys and garage sales, this has been Obsession of mine.
I thought I was going to buy in the style giuk IP, this is something. I talked a lot about in my career once I saw the end of T realities of 2021, it was finally when I saw crypto kitties in 17, I was like, huh? I just didn't, I didn't really get their 2020 and being a cop shot and the next brought me quickly to crypto punks and I was like, oh and then obviously everything that happened that winter in to 2021. So the mission is always been
I'm building an intellectual property, things like the Uno collaboration, like, I've got to build these characters. I now, at a higher level, the characters are meant to do, what Gary vaynerchuk likes doing is Gary D, which is spread positivity and kindness, and compassion, and patience, but also tenacity and work ethic. And, you know, I think we've become so blue and red.
And I'm so deeply passionate about purple. The world has become or it's really about. And, and I was substantial mission for be friends to be a positive impact, on the universe, the way Marvel and Sesame Street, and other intellectual properties have done so. And so that's been the focus on top of that, to make the initial cost valuable to people. I did a three-year super conference, right?
Called V Cohn. And so since we last talked, I think I'd one of the most substantial events in the space, which was in Minnesota at US, Bank Stadium. We had seven and eight thousand people. There was an incredible four day weekend, it is an incredible amount of speakers and just enormous, amounts of love, and positivity and practicality. And, you know, to me, I'm very proud of the initial costs of the friends being valuable to the three events that people are going to will be announcing be con 2023 out early this month, which is why?
Of what we did last year, we've learned a lot Uno, collaborations, merchandise, collaborations, a Reebok sneaker collaboration that is coming trading cards. That if you go to eBay right now, have completely dominated, which has been huge for me. So, you know, like little subtle things like you trying to expand the IP like I grew up, loving Flintstones Vitamins. I did a collab with Mary Ruth,
that's awesome. You know? And so,
you know, I've been doing a lot
What I haven't been doing is look, I said my piece. I put out an obnoxious amount of content in the height of the height of the height. And I receive smiling are David. So you know we're about to go. I have unlimited receipts of saying 99% of the projects that were booming in the boom. We're going to 0. So why I believe that because I saw the behaviors I didn't feel like I felt it was internet stocks.
I started constantly you guys both know this. So what I've been doing is the thing, I said I was going to do which is operate and work to build a 45 50 person team. I've got another 30 hires, I have meetings every day. There is capital from Andreessen Horowitz because I want to be around. I don't know how look we're in a bear Market. I don't know who's excited. Forget about crypto. Is anybody paying attention to the severity of the war in the, your
Europe, the pot, the macro politics there, the inflation. The underlining reports from FedEx. Housings about the crash, I really believe that a lot of companies comes consumer, confidence is down and so, I don't know, like I don't expect the great winter, you know? And so like it's not like this, my stock portfolio doesn't look good either compared to last summer and might
Then cards don't look great and I don't know what you know people expect like the economy's, don't go on forever. Right and so you know what have I been doing? Everything? I said I was going to do, right? Which is like really work, really, really hard. And I'm very proud of the work I'm doing and we've got a lot of work to do and to get to the audacity of saying things like Marvel or Scooby-Doo or Hanna-Barbera or Transformers. That's going to take the rest of my career and that's what I plan on.
I'm doing, this is forever for me and I've got to create demand and interest and character development. Like I've got an ecosystem and then I have to do incredible. Interesting technology like one thing I'm not alluded to at all. I know my discords about to blow up. Let me go into my disk or deceiving because I know a lot of them are watching. You know, I've been doing a lot of tech Innovation, they have a hefty Tech Team, who's been building something. I'm very excited about.
We'll hit the day of life this year and it's pretty Advanced Tech. You know, you got a lot of web to a lot of web 30 playing a lot of web. Two point five. Do you need everything to be anonymous? That's how it felt 18 months ago. Now is username and sign and worth it, to make the utilities of the things like, it's super fun. And, and then, to your point, when a mouse I've been doing, I've been staying mentally strong, while the, you know, Market in the macro has been a credibly affected, and I'm incredibly compassionate.
Passionate that there's anxiety and concern and angst, and winter Vibes. I, you know, I hope and pray that everybody heard. Rule number one, which was consistent, which is do not spend money, you can't afford to lose in these high things. You know, a lot of people did and you know I continue to try to provide value. Like I love that you can continue to add utility, right? I did this incredible meet up at my dad's store, the Wine Library for people that had the wine cellar. There's a great time.
We've done some great stuff with my my pickle ball team meetups and then unofficial things. I'm in Germany. Giving a keynote. Let's go meet up with 200 be friends holders so just really focused you know just incredibly focused and focus like an athlete like my New York Jets who beat the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend. They were down by 10 points. Very late in the game. The fans in Pittsburgh, were shooting with seven minutes to go laughing at my Jets, the Jets fans were concerned.
Concerned booing their own players. I have to be an athlete on the field. I can't even my most Ardent Believers pre be friends have said things in Discord in Twitter that hurt my feelings. But I understand why they have Financial losses on paper if they haven't sold yet, and it doesn't feel good when something's worth something. And then it's not but I have to stay focused on the field and tune out any positive or negative comments. Just like, when I was getting the accolades last winter, I didn't hear it.
the focus on the mission and that's that's what I'm focused on like a falcon from the stockings a big Deep Run I'm focused like a falcon and I'm in a let history be the judge not me, fuck me and definitely not
Anonymous accounts on Twitter who got opinions, have never operated a paper bag. Let alone a big company
Gary. There's a lot of just nft projects out there and some some like you said I've liked, you know, trended 20 others are keeping their head above water. Others are doing fine. What are you doing that? You think is working like what's the secret sauce to make an NF T Project work? These days and what things my a nephew project need to jettison if it's not working that's like what things are we keeping?
Things are we doubling down on what things are going to
seing? I don't, I don't judge something working based on floor
price. Hmm sure. Yes. But like and like Community energy Community like in like
cetera. You can't, you can't value that either. Too many people are financially incentivize and everyone's getting smoked. Hmm. And then like like like if
the main well okay, whatever, whatever criteria of success you want. Well that's I'm setting it up, right?
Like to your point in but I think people are very confused about businesses. Like Facebook was a disaster. This man.
Months in like I'm pumped for invisible people. I'm pumped for, you know creatures I'm come from World of what people are working.
The problem is they're all publicly traded company DNA, now, right? Like people care about it day to day. I just want to tell everybody because I was close to these companies there to fucking receipts. Right there. This is, this is like back to receipts. I'm in a fucking Robert salad. Like, this is an email from Uber thanking, my brother, for being the first Rider of uber in New
York. Wow, that's very cool.
He's a fucking receipts brother. Like, and I can tell you right now, 18-24 months in none of these companies looked great.
I'm not fucking willing to judge fucking boar deep yet. I'm not willing to judge any of these projects yet and so I think like, you know, I don't know, like, what to answer your question, the people on building an organization, I'm focused on the people, the process, you know, like there's there's missteps along the way the gift goat has not gone as well as I want to. I've jumped in and try to work, it takes months for these things to you know you know execute on. So I focus on that I'm excited about you know like the
People are moving in the talent. You know I just my partner in empathy wines John Troutman just finished his earn-out a consolation is coming to consult with be friends. It's a note you know when you're a head coach and you bring it back, one of your assistants, you know, like I don't know. I'm fucking I'm focused out here. So anyway to answer your question, the things that are working, what you keep is the people on your team that can do shit. What's not working? People that can't do shit and you've given them a chance but they haven't, you got to really go. And so
I'm an operator like and I'm not willing to put my head up from the sea and see what the stock ticker says it has nothing to do with anything for me.
Meaning I'd love for everything to be Rosy but I'm not in control of that. I mean call Putin and say go attack Ukraine.
That wasn't me. I've got to focus on fucking be friends. And what I'm doing is laying the foundation for a lot of people to care about these characters, which will build a real company, which will allow me to do incredible things for the people that hold the end of TS.
What's interesting to me is, right? So as you said, like, over 99% of these nft projects are going to die this bear cycle, right? Like, we have to be real about that, but one percent might survive in. Might be a fraction of 1%.
- take what does it take to survive during the bear market and Gary?
What's what's it going to take
to restore confidence and entities like when our nft he's actually going to come back? Is there some feature that we have to unlock? Is there a focus areas like all about utility now? Like what's the new meta? And how do we get out of this bear Market? A
couple things I want to apologize to do. We parent who just said I in the comments I think this guy's Inseparable insufferable. So,
So obviously I want to apologize for that cause I don't want to do we upset, you know, I think people have to provide value to your point when Marvel comic books came out in the 40s right thirties. What have you after years of cartoons and toys and other Comics people then cared and all of a sudden you cared to own, you know, a Spider-Man or a Superman DC or Batman. And and so if you're talking about collectible value, like I just want to own this like a like a Andy Warhol or a Spider-Man.
The one or a Jordan sneaker that takes decades.
It you know, which is why I made those videos about 99% 20, like it wasn't going to work, like it went too, high more like beanie babies, or stocks like pets.com in in the meat, in the short term to your, to your point. It's going to be utility what that utility is access other items, physical items, you know, community events. The thing that I started be friends with, like, be friends were sold with an underlining three-year super conference that justified the initial
Then shit, got crazy. And depending on, when you got in it, change the variable. But the original layout was thoughtful to this moment because you need to provide value, right? And so I think you know every project needs to think about can this is the beauty of the blockchain. Can I add more value for the person that's holding it value comes in a million different things. I just did something with the gift goats I mention that I'm not happy with you know the gifts that I've been saying, I need to do a better job. I added an
These as part of it early on and I think that might have fucked with my psychology, but they want the gift. And then I added a new thing, this October, the gift coats and I are going to be in Atlanta for two hours in an epic basketball court right with Shaquille O'Neal. That's just a very small group. Probably only 100 or 200 of the 555. Get coats can make it because they're all over the world, you know, an intimate, two hours of business, QA some fun, and games some photos.
Some hanging out, you know, like how do you get, how do you get Shaq on board?
I I use my business development skills, you know, I also have a lot of relationships. This is why I'm confident, this is why I keep believing in myself, like brother. I'm not going to stop until it's good. Like I don't understand how anybody doesn't understand that I'd rather fucking die and lets it be able to write the history and friends. Not being a good project. I can do this forever. I'm going to do this forever.
So are you like all in on like nft is II know? I mean I'm all turned
on. That of tikis the nft technology is remarkable it's insane.
Why do I people see a Gary? Because a lot of people don't see
it.
Because the first year of people discovering it their scam, easiest friend made 83,000 dollars selling a penguin with a penis and it's, I think about that. Of course, people don't normal people, don't get it there, right? It's the same reason, people didn't get the internet and 99. You had normal people saying, how the hell is pets.com with 85 billion dollars? They haven't sold any stuff yet. I'm not even sure to chew e.com has that valuation. You know?
So like, you know, they're because they're right, the greed took over the short-term, flipping took over and that shadowed, the incredible, you know, black and white of the incredible technology infrastructure of a global scaled Ledger that can affirm ownership that can unlock everything.
You know what's interesting about this market and that's maybe different than other businesses you've run. But like you tell me, it's like people aren't used to the volatility of crypto like it messes with their minds it messes with them psychologically, right? We've seen the internet before but like attaching prices and tickers to these things is weird is like the throws people
around. I'm a I'm a pathetic man. Money fucks up things. Yeah,
I mean, the highs are so high and the lows are so low and
the distal sense of they have to
Play with money, they can afford to lose. It's a volatile asset right out.
I don't like that ever changing,
of course.
when this becomes normalized, you know, of course, but I also think it changes in certain projects like
It has to be able to do something. It can't be a speculative thing. This is why I've always liked 10ft, is I understood that the entrepreneurs could create the thing. It does. Right. Like, whereas, with, with, you know, and that and currencies can too. But I just think too many people relying on comic book and art and Away flipping and baseball cards, not enough, on operational business like you need to think like Amex black card and Chase.
Zend Live Nation and tops. And Mattel, like, you have to think bigger
business. Are you seeing these big businesses like continuing to build during the bear markets? A David, and I just did an episode last week, and like, we noticed, like Disney is hiring lawyers. IP specialist to specialize in their blockchain IP technology. I mean, Sotheby's just rolled out an entire platform for nft art and these things during the the the bull run. I mean they were shattered from the
The rooftops. Everyone was talking about it. Now during kind of the bear run. Some of the developments of these like companies are completely unnoticed. No one even pays attention. No one cares. What are you seeing from your side are big companies entering the
game?
This is like, you know, my energy is very matter-of-fact the men because like it's almost as if nobody heard all the logical conversation of last year for me or anybody else, right? Like yes, this is one of the biggest technology shifts of the human race.
But everything was so caught up in the short-term flip game that just clouded. Yes to your point if you have Google alerts on nft right now and you read what's happening day to day, you would be polish. You're not bullish because you bought a and of tea for eight thousand dollars. That's now trading at $600 in your mad.
And you're supposed to be mad. I get it, but I hope that you're all. So mad at yourself that you knew you were taking a risk, like, don't be mad at anybody. But yourself kind of thing, accountability is important. Like I have a ton of things that have gone poorly and I'm like, I got caught up and got excited, but I also was buying for different reasons. I was trying to learn. This is why I was petrified. The only thing I tweeted more than 99% of the 10 was, don't buy what I'm buying because I know I was buying things because I wanted to learn how people were going to do things.
If it was in my wallet see if they like I was in discovery mode supporting people that I just met on Twitter because I want to because I want to that's not a good investment thesis. You know, I like this person I want to support their art like you know.
So there are worse investment thesis out there than that though.
Yeah. There is and I think thank you and I feel good about it, but like, you know, I'm going to be curious pot. I have a lot of eyes on me, and so I'm empathetic to it, but yeah, brother, like Disney's really, not bullying around. Mattel is not fooling around like
Like you know, Pokemons not like this is real stuff.
Yeah, we've actually been given the privilege of having this embargo. Now, released announcement for what you were doing with a Toys R Us, which is something we want to get into. And how this kind of emblematic of just more and more companies, starting to take the nft pill. So Gary won't want to talk about that. Along with your very engaged, almost 1000 followers, or like a community members here in the YouTube comments. So we're going to talk about all this and more right after we talked to some of these fantastic sponsors that make the show possible, in all of my years in crypto,
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Talking all about NF. T s where'd they go? Are they back? What's going to be the next thing that is going to happen in the end of T World. Gary I'll tell you one thing it's going to happen because you guys announced it today this is a big V friends announcement and this is on what we were just talking about. Big companies entering the game here you've got a collaboration of collectible characters with Macy's and Toys. R Us is that what's happening
is a big deal for me. All all 400-plus.
He's around the country that have Toys R Us store with. In stores will be getting be friends, literally, you know, right next to g.i. Joe and My Little Pony and Transformers and Pokemon be friends and caps, everywhere, plush and collectible. And then, and then Blind Bags, little ones to huge deal. It's also huge. Haven't talked about, I'm giving you kind of exclusive, the flow code is going to be a big deal right now, it's a preview page but long form content around
The character development think he man so he man came out as toys earlier than the cartoon was ready. So they put little comic books in the toy so that you could get into He-Man because there's no way to get into He-Man 99%. The people that are going to see this in Macy's Toys R Us stores around the country, have no idea, what be friends are. So kids are going to kind of like hopefully fall in love with the imagery. This wizard is super cool.
Right. And so like, you know, but the storytelling like I'm really on this Mission guys. So anyway, huge Distribution on macys.com right now on presale International. It's coming in two weeks on V, friends shop will be doing a fulfillment and for international. But this is how you do it. This is how you get people to start getting involved in. Like the more people fall in love with the be the bigger person character.
Right? The more things start to happen where I can do something with those 260 holders of series 1 and Series 2. Big be the bigger person like this is super exciting. I think people are missing, what real operators are going to be able to do. And I think real operators have to build Affinity in the characters toys books, cartoons movies but then also build technology and utility for the original nft holders and I'm on that Journey. So this
Is like, this is like an
IP play almost, right? It's kind of like
Marvel. It's kind of like Star Wars, and I
people. So, what's interesting about the way you're doing it, right? Is like, you start with the digital, they nft. Yes. And you're working towards the physical korres, like traditional like a district or, you know, some other big IP player. They're starting with the character and then moving to another direction,
right? Well, they started with whatever they started with Pokemon started with a card game and then of the, okay, and then a cartoon that's Harry Potter started as a book.
It's like magic, the Gathering. Like,
like, you know, like so know you start with what you start with, right? I've got a huge thing coming out with Reebok, right? So Reebok, huge collaboration coming out. Ha ha ha. So I've got, you know, with with, again, the aspiring alpaca like, I'm really, really trying to build this and so just broke a v friend. This is very upsetting, guys. Live here. We tried
To be
cool. So there's no nft element to these things. They're just the visible. Oh my God, what
happened?
I did bad
nothing it no surprise inside of there, what's it smell? Like but okay, so with it with these products there's no nft aspect or like web. Three aspects are just a physical product of a metaverse
nft. What? My job is to bring value. Now, if you own, these characters in Ft form, you're getting this stuff for free, but my, but I'm doing two things at once. One access, if you own The Wine Cellar background,
In series 2, you came to the store. You got free wine, you got to figure QA experience, right?
And then building, Affinity this collaboration, this execution is about getting many, many, many more people in the world to care about these characters, which manifests and in many different ways. Ultimately, for me, the catch-all is the people owning the entities especially series 1 like I stay up at night thinking about this. I've got 40 years, 50 years forty, six, forty fifty, sixty years.
And I've got to do as much demand creation much Affinity storytelling, and I've got to do a lot of technology and utility and and I've got to bring value.
What's a typical V friend holder? Like I mean, you've you must have
probably on the damn it. You know as you guys know I brought so many new people into the space. It's because I had a big audience and they run the gamut like true investors collectors flippers. Just people that have appreciated. My content that just want to own one for collectible.
Same reason, I like Jets. I mean, why do I have this Carmelo, Anthony. He brought me happiness, Carmelo. Brought me happiness, you know, the next didn't, you know, he, I like him. So I buy that like a lot of people like that, I taught them common sense and so they're going to buy this, you know, it's like there's a lot of different reasons, but, you know, and then just other people in the space that, you know, I think there's a lot of people that are starting to realize during this, you know, not as hot Market that it will
Come down to the operator. Like everyone's like the community the community. Well, what happens when a community loses 90% of its value in the community, turns on the project? And I think, you know, it's up to the operator to reach, Ainge that momentum and so I've been. I've been quiet. You know, I've been quiet because I've been focused just very, very focused on what I have to do here
in the in the chat we got Brian low. And also me asking this question, what would you say? What do you have to say for a 20 year old like me who
Start his own nft project or perhaps somebody like Bank lists or somebody who is in content or Media or just like adjacent
and 48. It's like making a nap. Everybody wanted to make an app when I was exploded. Everybody asked me Gary, what app should I make? I said one that brings people value, nothing changes. What your bank was do. Like, I don't know, like, you guys have a real fucking show. I have a funny people feeling that people would like to come and see it live, create an FTE that gives the, you know, access to the twelve live.
Appearances in 2023 where there's a party and
yeah, I can get Ryan John Adams to leave his house. 12 times in 20 feet your house. Then I'll just
so, you know, I think, I think yes to the 20 year old, I also would say to the 20 year old, you know, I worked in my dad's liquor store for 14 years, building it for my dad, and but I earned my stripes and learned operations. And so, you know, one thing that a 20 year old should consider is special right.
Out where a lot of people are not hiring as much. They can probably use, good young aggressive Talent, maybe go get a job at one of the top, 100 projects and get paid to learn. Like, I don't understand, people, people are willing to go into massive debt for college to learn something fake, but like then are mad at companies when they don't pay him as much as they ideologically think yet they're learning a ton. I'd much rather. If I'm a twenty-year-old curious in the space get paid
Minimum wage to work for Doodles, then to go into debt at Wisconsin.
Totally agree. And I mean, fuck the time to do it is now 2 is the bear markets, not during the Bull,
Run, 100, it's always the bear Market. That's awesome. I'm so pumped right now. Like I'm loving this. Like nobody's like I'm just trying to like work and build and make good decisions. I mean I made a decision for gift out this morning that won't manifest until August of next year and it's a good one.
That I really need for that my girl Community, but like, they're not going to, you know, I'm not going to get the benefit of that until August, but that's what it requires and see if they have the stomach to deal with like, people being patient. So, I'm excited. Like, you mentioned, you
mentioned like technology a couple of times. And I'm curious from your state as an operator, as a builder in the nft space like what still needs to be built out? Like what's hard? Like I mean we're trying to do things around the
many things that eliminate friction, right?
For example, we're going to have a massive upgrade to our website. Like we're going password and email for the people that want to do it because and that's a web to function but that was like you can't do that 18 months ago, it had to be all web 3. So I think what I call Web two point five a lot more web, two point five, strategies, I think matter but there's a there's a lot of things that quote unquote need to be built warm wallets, right? Like, you know, like are starting to room like there's just
A lot of cool stuff like unlimited stuff like nft readers Q, our readers are nice now. Right, credit card with a chip, readers are nice right now. Both those didn't exist 10 years ago in America Europe on the QR on the chip, right? Like that stuff, is way better and so like we need more of that, right? We need we need like, could you imagine you have an mft, there's a replicant made that can sit in a hot wallet that doesn't allow somebody to steal your actual nft.
T-that's validated that you go to Madison Square Garden right there. I'm looking at it and if you own the common-sense cow you can see the cows, the hottest band in the world perform a making up that the cows are now a hot band, you know, but like, you know, there's so much so much and wait to Apple and Facebook and Google like,
I mean, I don't know if did you see this Gary? So it's better beta previously. But last week it looked like meta just rolled out and if T, validation for Instagram now you can like
I like that's huge man. I mean it's a g was 1.5 billion. Something absolutely massive in terms of its reach and they are now supporting and ftes and this
is happening during the bear Market, they're all going to do it. They're all going to do it. It's look the conversation isn't about the underlying Tech or the smart strategic operations. It's about speculation of pricing. It's almost like everyone's paying attention to the value of the comic books, not
ability to print, you know, paper when, if like, if people ones and invented yet like like, you know, the analogy is like everyone's worried about, you know,
The the it's why Wall Street fucks me up. Like everybody worrying about the stock price, for all my clients at vaynermedia have worse businesses and they could because they all care about their stock price. Every 90 days instead of building a real business,
And so I think that's my hope that more operators, focus on not so many. You see this, you guys are paying attention. So many projects are doing such short term, things to appease a small percentage of people in their Discord who are flooding, who aren't who don't necessarily aren't necessarily doing the one thing, the word about their self-interest. They should they're human beings, but that's a bad job by the operator. Can you imagine every head coach?
Sports listening to the crowd and making his, or her decisions on the next play, based on
that.
All right. Thanks steering steering, a tail. Wagging the dog 100%. And it's only the operator that's going to have the vision for the long term. How do you like corral your community or just like get them to see the same vision that you do or there? Is there a trick to this? Or is it just like straight up being like raw and
authentic?
Yeah. And just like limiting, I think I was too involved in the community early on meaning like I was like part of it. I almost forgot it was mine. I was like we're fucking straight and you know for example, J or just said hand waved away, the only semi-technical softball question G is here to pump a bag jedward set. Like I'm really not. I'm like, like I because it's not going to work. I don't think people understand like there is no pump pumping.
Like, there is no pumping in this market. This is why I've been so utterly quiet. I just fuck with you guys and like, I had to go somewhere to talk about the toy drop, right. And I needed somewhere to like allocate some time and talk about what I've been up to because I've been quieter but like my preference is to stay unbelievably quiet and I'll tell you why. What's cool about when you're quiet is the real ones who really believe actually support. And then you're pumped when you know you're
Fucking God. I know I got it but don't mean it like,
You think it's going to matter? What the fuck? Anybody says, anywhere? It's not gonna matter, just like when I fucking sit this weekend, at MetLife, Stadium and eat my fucking popcorn and talk shit about Teddy Bridgewater. It's not going to stop Teddy Bridgewater from playing a good football game or a bad thing and so for me for me I don't I'm actually looking to get super duper quiet because there's an incredible feeling of knowing what I'm actually doing. And then letting the people that have held
And all the way through or the people that are coming in when it's least obvious, like you're happy for them. The thing that only part that hurts me right now is watching people sell when they don't when the when for no reason, you know, it's one reason somebody sold recently and I emailed him and said I'm happy you sold. I think you need, I get that you need it.
I was happy but people that are selling out of this like some Randomness thinking that's going to mean anything like find him. Well, a lot of people to sell
it because things drop. That's why they
sell somebody. Emailed me thinking area me, I'm emailing you. I'm selling these three to make a point and I replied and I was like to make a point about what he's like, well, you need to be on, like, I am.
And then I reminded that German I got on the call with him and reminded him that I've been building businesses for 25 years.
What you, what you want, the person operating to is different than what an operator may want to do. When
you say I am, is that it was that instant messenger. Okay?
DM.
DM, DM? Okay, right? Okay. They just wanted you to be interacting with them and the community. Do you have a community manager who like fills the void in your absence, or is it actually
we have tons of mods like, but like, but like, I want to do a lot of the speaking but like
Indeed, the president met, there's plenty of them doing some speaking here in the Air corps, so many others, Daniel Tyler, but I like doing the speaking, but but I'm not so sold like that, you know, you got to find the right balance of speaking, you know, like you want to speak when there's something to speak about, you know, to me speaking about the Toys-R-Us Macy's collaboration makes sense like it's a significant distribution deal. This is not a direct-to-consumer thing that we've seen from every other and project.
Where you have to send your audience to your.com. This is a hundreds of thousands of people in the next hundred days. During the holiday season are going to stumble on this. These characters. Click the QR codes fall in love Google by NF T like it. This is real.
Yeah, I, you know, I think the only thing that can be done at some point with all of the Skeptics know, the people who throw a fun shade is just like out, build them, right and show them on the other side and sometimes that won't even shut them out. But
You know, that's not really what I like, but I like that. I like the thud.
Yeah, it does. It feel you. Does it, make you like more excited to build, or does it like? Because I know some people who just it's, it's, they see that negativity and they discourages
them. No, no, no, that's someone who's got to rethink, why? They like, what they're doing. Why should that discourage you? These people are entitled to their opinion. It's wonderful like freedom of thought, you know,
Gary what who else is in the crypto world and ft World, creator world doing cool stuff that you like, all right, what other projects are out there that Captivate capture your attention
You know, I'm not sure like I'll give an example. I know more what my mod Crystal does and her incredible talent in my world. Then I know what my homie Kevin Rose is doing with moon Birds right now or or like me cheering heavy for World of women, women of weapons Doodles. Like, there's so many people that I hope or crushing. I'm not in the phase right now where I have a great read of what you know, you know.
The projects are doing like you know I'm aware of that pubes that have t is ninth on on on open? See right now because I can look I can look at ABC ragna I can look at all this stuff by see it. I just you know I just don't have the time right now, I'm not in collector mode like I was a year ago. So I wanted to know everything about every project, I'm in building V friends mode for real for real and and that
That's where I'm at,
Gary. This has been a lot of fun, man. Thanks for updating us on so many things. Last last question for you just to kind of round out. We've been talking in ft's, we've been talking in Ft, we've been talking, the friends, but zoom out to kind of crypto for a minute. If you will, what's your temperature on like crypto assets these days, you know like the Bitcoins the Affairs of the
world. Yeah, the currency. If you look back to 18 months ago I've never really spoken about currencies. I don't have a good read. You don't even have a read.
Really, don't I own those two, I own Solana. I don't know what else I own and it's not where I feel comfortable because I understand branding and human behavior and what the creators of a project can do for utility with currencies themselves. There's a lot of need for it to do something and I'm sure those things will come it just not my passion place. I've never been a financial engineer. It's not
I'm good at, I think the D5 stuff is super fascinating but it's a little too math for me and it was Art and the human meaning. I love the math of it. I think it's very fast, your community builder at your core. Yeah, I'm a Storyteller, I like marketing. I'll I know why Nikes worth a trillion. I know why that's whoosh matters. I know what I'm doing and what I'm doing? And so I try to stay where I'm comfortable and that's a much more comfortable in that of teal and that I am in cryptocurrency land. That's cool. Well, thanks for stopping by and
so,
Just again, when can people see the friends at their local
Macy's? Mid October, October 17th? I think is when they really start supposingly, hit the shelves, I'm a retailer. So I know some people keep in the back until the next week, you know, every Macy's that has a Toys'R'Us inside of it and macys.com right now and please Gary Vee.com Discord. Come and hang like, that's where all the alpha, all the links, you know, the guests around or Google
quick question from YouTube will get toys be available in the UK.
Yes. V friends shop is going to launch on a 17, the day, they physically hit stores with presale and and actually purchased for international. So we're going full International as well.
That's awesome Gary. Thanks for hanging out again and guys yeah go stick around will include a link to the few friends Discord. Take care. Bye Gary.
Our time to remind you Banquets listeners, of course, written disclaimers. None of this has been Financial advice. Eith is risky, says Bitcoin, my God. And if these are volatile as well, David was not told this really loose what you put in but we're headed west. This is the frontier, it's not for everyone but we're glad you're
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