Back in 2021, I was early to NFTs and launched what quickly became the highest grossing collection on Algorand ever. It was a wild time. Looking to find sustainable income streams for the project beyond royalties, we explored multiple strategies including building our own marketplace. With the goal of expanding the IP beyond crypto and into something bigger; I’ve spent the past year working on animated content and gaining a peak behind the curtain into the world of film and tv production.
In crypto the pace was frenetic, we built fast – from idea to product launch in days or weeks. Exploring more traditional media production, the change of pace has been painful. As an outsider, the more I’ve learnt, the more I’ve been scratching my head at how things operate. To put it simply, things move at a glacial pace and cost eye watering amounts of money.
Studios will shell out $100 million on a blockbuster, no hesitation, yet 80% will flop. Decision makers call the shots but generally play it safe, banking on reboots or a shortlist of go-to creators. All of this all while the audience stays clueless until it’s too late.
Simultaneously, I’ve watched meme coins explode. Gen Z and Millennials – shut out of homeownership, yawning at 7% returns – fling cash at tokens tied to a trending clip or a snappy hashtag. It’s messy: coins spike, then vanish in a series of co-ordinated rug pulls. They’re cultural blips, not much more. But they’ve got something – You can quickly test ideas, see if it clicks, and raise funds at scale. Hollywood’s 12-36 month haul from pitch to screen? It’s night and day.
This has become my obsession these past six months, working with entertainment pros who’ve seen the machine up close. Hollywood’s too slow, too top-down; meme coins are quick but shallow. What if you fuse them? Take that rapid-fire testing, community ownership and match it with genuine creative IP that’s got real franchise potential – animated stories worth building on, not just a flash in the pan.
We’re gearing up to launch ATTN Cap. A platform that hands the reins to fans and creators, cutting the nonsense to get strong ideas moving fast. No more $100M coin tosses, just projects with proven demand and communities ready to support from day one.
