Hello! As a quick update to my last email, I’m delighted to share that we sold all our Eyes. This is the interactive on-chain media collectible, and writing key, that serializes curated fantasy stories inspired by Loot. A first of its kind. The summary can be found here in issue 239.
Good news is, I will be steering a ~$150k budget toward writers who want to dream up some fantasy stories with us, with a sprinkle of web3. This will be the safest, most encouraging space to play around with collaborative worldbuilding and to learn the ins & outs of on-chain media. Consider it a grant program that’s a sort of fellowship, think-tank, and lab comprised of established and emerging writers. I’ll play editor and producer. In theory, this probably doesn’t sound too dissimilar from a tact I’m taking with the NewCo I’m building. For another time.
If you’re a writer, rep, potential creative partner, or just generally into genre worldbuilding with great ideas – please feel free to sing out. You can always reply directly to this email or at dhd@wavemagnetventures.com (this is a placeholder name). I have a few tricks up my sleeve -- can’t say too much about the activation I’m trying to architect, but I’ll do my damnedest to make a positive impact.. and to set some new precedents along the way. I can’t wait, it’ll be a ton of fun.
I’m starting to talk to a few IP lawyers to more or less invent a new media category. Recs? I’m all ears. We need to retain nonexclusive on-chain digital publishing rights in perpetuity throughout the universe -- because that’s how the blockchain works -- to push stories to The Eye.
Web3 Worlding.
I also mentioned that I was doing a raffle giveaway… I’m feeling a bit like Oprah, so if you sent me your wallet address in the last two weeks I’ll send you an Eye. Worth noting that these do-good acts happen all the time in this space, all you need to do is participate. I learned this the hard way.
I’ll make the transfer in the next few days after “the merge” as gas (think: wire transfer fees) will cost next to nothing on the Ethereum blockchain. By the way, that also obsoletes the environmental argument against this space too. It’s funny, in theory I’ll have given away more “money” than I’ve ever generated from this newsletter. That’s fine, it’s always been a nights & weekends hobby.
On that note, this newsletter is soon going to change -- drastically. The comprehensive nature of the link digest is exhausting, as is the weekly cadence. I’ve got my hands full with a million different things, with much more coming down the pike.
I’m pretty sure that if I took my time to write a well-crafted op-ed/essay I could contribute regularly to a real publication (if you’re reading, holla). Warning: you’ll get my staccato style. I earnestly thought this would result in more opportunities all around, but alas. I do want to make it to 250 as a five-year milestone. Then, I’ll only publish with purpose.
Curtain Call ~
Next. I was meaning to write about style, spectacle, and substance as it relates to new creative systems (AI / blockchain) and their impact on the creative process, and of course their outcomes. In short, some things will change; nothing happens overnight. It all can feel a bit overwhelming; it is seemingly a never-ending barrage of profound developments. They’re just tools, plain and simple. Look at everything through the lens of media production, and its commercial, creative, and/or critical potential. One is generally in service to the other(s). It is an industry after all.
I’ll aim to write more about these movements next issue, this email is already way too long and it’ll likely get cut off by your email client.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. Entertainment as umbrella. See ya next week.
Tech
Stable Diffusion AI generator raising at $1b val Forbes
Stacked, Twitch for web3, raised $13m TC
Revolving Games, web3 games studio, raised $25m CD
Proof, Moonbirds and Kevin Rose brand, raised $50m (but why) Proof
Truth Lab’s “collaborative” NFT license ATtwtr
Warren James, helps creators launch merch brands, raised $6m TF
Animoca, crypto investor, raised $100m Bberg
Runways text to video AI tech ArsT
A16z on the can’t be evil NFT licenses a16z
Doodles, nft project, raised $54m (again, whyyy??) Forbes
Fortnite to become platform for branded worlds Verge
Arena Club, sports card biz from Jeter, raised $9m TC
Perfect Corp uses AI to match faces with beauty products Info
AWS build your own private 5G network AWSblog
Koop, helps sell NFT collector/creator passes, raised $5m Fortune
Draftea, fantasy for Latam, raised $20m lots of pros TC
Netspeak Games, social spaces game Sunshine Days, raised $12m VB
Xterio, high end mobile web3 games, raised $40m VB
Passionflix, romance streamer by a Musk, raised $9m from AMC (kill me) Dead
Regal, branded calls/texts, raised $38m (no) TC
Gameplay Galaxy, web3 competitive games, raised $13m VB
D’Amelios launch fashion beauty brand with $6m seed TC
Dust Labs, NFT communities, raised $7m DLtwtr
Syndicates collectives protocol (watch this space) Med
Muck Rack, pr tool, raised $180m Axios
Gradual ownership optimization Paradigm
Dom on the Sup/Blitmap (most web3 ppl following closely) HTMLtwtr
AI collaborative storytelling (watch this space) BigHead
Meta shuts down gaming app Engadg
Circle makes it easy to build online courses (prob the most successful content of all time if you think about it) Circ
Seatgeek raised $238m TC
Apple event recap 9to5
Media
Amzn delays Rings of Power reviews (this should be talked about more) Var
Time Inc acq Brandcast Axios
IG struggles to copy TikTok WSJ
Paradigm acq three talent agencies focused on influencer types THR
Disney AR film w/ Brie Larson Dead
Substack backs off perks for writers (should’ve brought on more smutty writers, I’m not joking) Info
Nflx on ads and weekly episode drops (congrats on coming up with cable) WSJ
PodX aims to roll up podcast cos Bbberg
AppLovin bails on Unity CNBC
Nflx working on gamer tags Verge
Summer box offices (OnlyFans outgrossed domestic BO) CNBC
Paramount+ and Showtime to merge bundles Var
AC Milan gets investment from Main Street, Yankees, Redbird SPM
Advertising revenue by major US tech cos Axios
Nflx India content strat Var
Miramax / Tarantino settle Pulp Fiction lawsuit Var
WashPo biz struggles NYT
Yahoo buys factual for credibility Axios
Chess to acq Play Magnus FT
Loeb backs off the Disney / ESPN attack DLtwtr
YouTube creator courses BI
Vice explores sale to Saudi firm NYT
Voice assistants and kids songs for profit BF
Beatstar paid out $16m in royalties MBW
Comedy Store lawsuit over acct firm messup on covid relief funds Var
D23 IP maximalism recap IW
Music pubs fight for more royalties Var
Francisco PE acq Kobalt MBW
Trailer Park Group acq gameplay prod co Dark Burn TP
Entertainment
Emmy winners NYT
Telluride lineup Var
Venice winners THR
JGL and Tessa T in Flying Lotus sci-fi thriller (take my money) Var
Focus lands Payne-Giamatti The Holdovers for $30m Dead
Joe Wright to direct Mussolini series Var
Endeavor Content now Fifth Season Var
Edgarton and Connelly in apple sci fi series Dark Matter Var
Soderbergh to direct limited series Full Circle for HBO Dead
FilmNation launches Infrared, new film prod label Dead
A24 multi-pic deal w Sphere Films Canada Var
Neon takes NA/UK to Handling the Undead Dead And also Oldboy Dead
Federation takes maj stakes in Vertigo Films Dead
Kinnaman and Cage partner on Yuval Adler thriller Var
Momentum takes NA/UK to To Lesilie w Risenborough (I stan) Var
Amzn settles on $4m of unpaid WGA resids THR
Ubisoft x Nflx partner on Assassin’s Creed games and more Kotak
Creative Arts Emmy winners THR
Utopia acq Unseen Skies about corp surveillance Var
Russo’s Citadel $200m Amzn series (ridic) THR
A24 acq Earth Mama Var
Aronofsky’s Monster Club comic HC
Bleeker Street output Level Film Canada Var
MGM takes US to Ayer/Statham action pic Beekeeper Dead
IFC NA rights to Force of Nature THR
Phil Tippett forms Cad film/tv label Dead
NASA blesses Good Night Oppy about Mars Rover (they’ve blessed a project I’m doing too) THR
Florian Zeller inks deal w Mediawan THR
Magnolia NA rights to Blue Jean Var
MTV Docs film slate Var
Will Eisner’s graphic novel to be adapted Var
Lionsgate India first feature Var
Snoop preps Doggyland show (Cocomelon copy strat) Bboard
Guns Akimbo preps comic series Monsters of Metal w Opus Dead
Collaborative
Maxime’s 2021 media/ent report in year in review MEpdf
AI and the limits of knowledge by top AI researcher (must read!) Noema
NWR’s Copenhagen Cowboy sneak peek YT
Summer island free digital comic made with AI PDF
Babylon trailer YT
Teens, social media and tech report PEW
Exploration on internet-native orgs Forefront
Ben Thompson on AI unbundling Stratech
Fableman’s trailer YT
Christie’s Throughlines interview series (this is sick af!!) YT
A look at FWB Fest Washpo
Kendrick’s We Cry Together short film YT
Iger on trad ent models (no bueno) Var
A look at the state of AR tech Bitkfraft
Adobe’s creator economy report PDF
Life extensions thru cryo and more strange stuff TF
Gamified addictions helps (?) former addicts APNews
Heizer’s City art piece in the desert Forbes
Retrograde teaser from Heinemann (unlisted on Natgeo for the Indiewire exclusive, interesting) YT
How esports rev models might drive the sports market RW
Vimeo’s Video Matters interactive mag Vim
Kim K starts a PE fund (I’d invest) WSJ
The YT PewdiePie breakup Verge
Salome Asega on future tech and everyday design Pinup
White paper on language modeling approach to audio gen PDF
Real money, fake musicians, the fake verification schemes (someone option) ProP
OnlyFans crushing it, cleared $4.8b in rev FT
AI transforming film production IBC
Howard Marks and the illusion of knowledge Oaktree
Johnson & Johnson LLC legal shields Newyorker
Catch up with Paparazzi founder Info
All Quiet Western Front trailer YT
Profile with Todd Field NYT
Mars needs a creative director Bauk
Sending telegrams in Japan as a show of thanks NYT
AI Grants program for $250k AIG
Bonobo ATK music vid YT
Armageddon Time trailer YT
History of black conquistadors IM1776
Launch House, AR frat house not a good place to work (oh rly) Vox
Utility in crypto products MBmed
Storylet interactive writing structures Emshort
Profile on Droga at Accenture Adage
Glass Onion Knives Out trailer YT
A look at Imagine x Washington Post partnership (rly not that innovative) VF
Dave Eggers 826 Valencia 20 years old SFS
Coop Records is a $10m music nfts fund Coop
Spikima Movies review YT
Future of immersive sound LBB
Gensler on crypto regulation SEC
Kiwi Farms scrubbed from the internet CStwtr
Preppers and their bunkers Guard
Michael Bullock on Heaven Tonight PW
IG pauses story experience NYT
Tribe’s takeaways on the web3 games space Med
Dr Slurp on glitch art Spot
Cort Theater reopens as James Earl Jones, $47m restoration Dead
Listen: Aryeh interviews Maverick Carter Spot
Read: Benedict Evans on revenue as a feature or not BEblog
Watch: Holly+ at TED