Let’s get to know your origin story within the space. Can you walk me through when you first got into the space, and how you started out? Do you remember your first mint?

 

I used to work as a Fantasy Sports Analyst, and my buddies in Daily Fantasy Sports introduced me to NBA Top Shot in January of 2021. I got in early enough there to turn some profit before the February crash. In March of 2021, I started learning more about ETH-based NFTs that were mostly one-off artwork. My first two mints were generative tree projects, CryptoTrunks and ZENFT Bonsais. I flipped both of those for modest profits before buying land in The Sandbox Game.

 

Would you mind walking us through your involvement with MVHQ? How did you find out about the group, when did you first join, etc.?

 

I loved JakeAndBake’s NBA Top Shot Office Hours Notes that he posted on Twitter. He boiled down the lengthy calls into all the key points I needed to get an edge on Top Shot. When I saw he was running a Discord group  that covered both Top Shot and the Metaverse, I applied to get into the small, private group. That was in April 2021, and I immediately knew I found my Metaverse home. In July 2021, I became a moderator for the group.

 

How’d you get your start as a Metaverse Architect? You’re working on an amazing Sandbox plot for MVHQ, can you shed some light for the audience on some details about this project?

 

At Pixar I made digital puppets for over a decade and helped build characters like Elastigirl, WALL-E, Buzz Lightyear, and Mater. That modeling work–along with a coding background and experience in the gaming industry–all combine into a natural transition into Metaverse Architecture. I’ve always loved the intersection of art, technology, and entertainment.

 

Metaverse HQ owns a 3x3 estate in The Sandbox Game, and I’m developing a giant, interactive experience for those nine pieces of land. Our Sandbox Headquarters will have lava-drenched volcanoes abutting jungle ruins filled with waterfalls. As Sandbox releases more features for builders, I take advantage of their latest technology to create entertaining quests, large areas for social gatherings, and special MVHQ branding.

 

It sounds like Sandbox will allow builders to publish experiences to their land in Q4, but I hope to launch our experience by the end of Q3 in the Sandbox Game Maker Gallery for our members to enjoy. I’ll be available along the way to upgrade the experience as Sandbox releases more features.

 

As someone who worked for 15 years at Pixar, I feel like you have an eye for art that is catchy and plays to a wide audience. Have you noticed your Pixar experience bleeding over into NFTs in any way? The space really hasn’t seen an animated project breakout into mainstream status. Do you feel like that is due to the art side, or broader project/market reasons?

 

My experience at Pixar trained me to understand appealing character design, which has helped me identify successful NFT projects before they launch. There are several projects, such as Doodles, Cool Cats, and Pudgy Penguins, that have amazing artwork and the ambition to grow their mainstream audience. I’m eager to see which avenues will help them reach beyond the NFT space.

 

Merchandise, Partnerships, IRL experiences, Games, and Animated Content create possibilities. Building a game or developing a high-quality animated series requires a ton of time, so NFT project leaders have the challenge of growing their audience in other ways short term, while simultaneously building towards longer term goals.

 

We’ll start to see projects reach into the mainstream once they have more than 18 months of consistent success and revenue to build upon.

 

Judging by your tweets you had a great time at NFT NYC and had the opportunity to attend several events of projects that you hold. Can you describe for us some of the more memorable experiences you had there in NYC?

 

The highlight of NFT NYC was the last night of ApeFest, where my wife and I were in the front row for Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. We also loved Mix Master Mike at the Moonbirds party, where David Blane kindly took a selfie with us and performed at the smaller, Magical Moonbirds party.

 

Cool Cats’ Cooltopia won the week for immersive experiences, creating a multi-part interactive space reminiscent of a theme park. Playing the games earned you high-quality merch, and it was fun to revisit the space during the nighttime holders party. (Shout out to MVHQ’s Jarvis for his hard work on this project.)

 

The non-holder Azuki experience was also a large, impressive, interactive walkthrough, with entertaining

actors, delicious food, and an engaging performance.

 

It was fantastic meeting MVHQ friends in person for the first time at the stellar events planned by our hard-working Marketing Team. My NFT NYC experience exceeded all expectations.

 

Picture this: Pixar fully dove head first into NFTs with their entire catalog and you’ve completed MVHQ’s 3x3 plot in Sandbox. MVHQ Voice-Channel is thriving, and the bull market is in full swing. Which Pixar character are you loading in with as an avatar and why?

 

I would love to drive around any Metaverse as WALL-E. I spent two years working on this character at Pixar, and it was one of the best experiences of my career. WALL-E is such a lovable character, and it would warm my heart to spread that joy by interacting with other metaverse travelers.

 

Wanted to say thank you for taking time out of your busy day, 6MIL, I greatly appreciate it!

 

 

You’re welcome! Thank you for having me. I feel honored to be included.