The Hollywood sign is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, symbolizing the glamour and excitement of the entertainment industry. Erected in 1923, it has become an iconic symbol of Hollywood, attracting millions of visitors each year. As the sign celebrates its 100th year anniversary, it is worth looking back at the history of this famous landmark.
In the early 1920s, the film industry was just starting to take off in Hollywood. The area was still mostly undeveloped, with a few small towns and ranches scattered around. At that time, a real estate developer named Harry Chandler had bought up a large parcel of land in the Hollywood Hills with the intention of building a luxury housing development.
Chandler knew that he needed a way to attract buyers to his development, and he hit on the idea of building a giant sign on the hillside above Hollywood. The sign would spell out the name of the new development, Hollywoodland, and would be visible from all over the Los Angeles basin.
The Sign Takes Shape
The sign was designed by the artist and illustrator, John Roche, and constructed by the Crescent Sign Company. It was originally intended to be a temporary structure, and was built from wood and sheet metal.
The sign was erected in 1923 and stood 50 feet tall and 30 feet wide. Each letter was 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide, and was made up of thousands of light bulbs. The sign was lit up at night, and could be seen from miles around.
The sign was an instant success, and became a symbol of the glamour and excitement of Hollywood. It was used in movies and television shows, and was a popular tourist attraction.
The Decline and Restoration
As time went on, the sign started to fall into disrepair. By the 1940s, the sign was in a state of disrepair, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which had taken over ownership of the sign, decided to remove the last four letters and restore the remaining ones.
In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce contracted the Los Angeles Parks Department to rebuild the sign using concrete and steel. The new sign was 45 feet tall and 350 feet wide, and was supported by a steel frame. The new letters were made of metal and covered with sheet metal.
The new sign was unveiled on November 11, 1978, and quickly became an iconic symbol of Hollywood once again. Over the years, the sign has been modified several times, with changes to the letters, the lighting, and the surrounding area.
Preservation and Security
The sign has been the target of numerous pranks and vandalism over the years. In 1976, the sign was altered to read “Hollyweed” as a prank by a group of college students. In 2017, the sign was altered again to read “Hollyboob,” in support of breast cancer awareness.
To protect the sign, security measures have been put in place, including surveillance cameras and fencing around the perimeter. The sign is also regularly maintained by a team of volunteers who repaint and repair the letters as needed.
As the Hollywood sign celebrates its 100th year anniversary, it remains a beloved landmark and a symbol of the entertainment industry. From its humble beginnings as a real estate marketing tool, to its status as an iconic symbol of Hollywood, the Hollywood sign has come to represent the glamour, excitement, and allure of show business.
As we look back on the history of the Hollywood sign, we are reminded of the importance of preserving our cultural landmarks and symbols. The Hollywood sign is not just a sign, but a piece of history and a part of our collective memory. As we celebrate its 100th year anniversary, we should take a look and pay homage to the characters and personalities who brought us to where we are today.
Mogul Presents: Mogies. Celebrating 100 years of the Hollywood sign.
It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone! As a team, we have been ideating and building Mogul since 2016 and have seen many different market cycles and narratives. As we look back on 2022, there were certainly plenty of ups and downs to learn from and share our insights with the community. From major world events, to a looming recession, to major product developments, and successes, 2022 was a year of change.
Some of the biggest headlines of the year included:
The war in Ukraine
Celsius, Voyageur, 3AC, & FTX bankruptcies
Increasing interest rate hikes across major economies
Netflix share price down 50%
The successful ETH Merge
The abundance of layoffs in tech and crypto
As we reflect on the past year, it’s important to remember both the highs and the lows; evaluating each to see how we can improve our business and community. It is through these experiences that we grow and learn, and it’s what will help us to succeed together in 2023.
Mogul Accomplishments in 2022
Showcased Mogul at ETH Denver with prominent artists
MEXC exchange listed STARS on their platform
Partnered with Bybit NFT
Showcased Mogul and the upcoming Mogies launch in Dubai at 3 different crypto conferences
Sold the first-ever NFT at Art Dubai
Launched our NFT marketplace contracts across ETH and BSC and integrated them into the Mogul platform
Alongside Netflix, Mogul headlined the CMPA Prime Time 2022 digital conference
Launched Mogul quadratic voting on BSC (already on ETH) to support more cost-effective governance and voting across the Mogul platform for STARS holders
Showcased Mogul at Crypto Bahamas and invited Access Pass holders to the events
Integrated fiat to crypto purchasing on the Mogul platform to allow users to purchase crypto directly on their Mogul dashboard with a credit card
Launched the new Mogul website with an emphasis on attracting more creators and moviemakers to use the Mogul platform
Sold out the Gowns for Good NFT collection auction for an average of 7 ETH per NFT; featuring Mogul on an Oscars commercial on national television
Successfully monitored the ETH merge and stabilized the Mogul platform
Improved the project submission process on the Mogul platform with the integration of DocuSign for creators to directly submit their projects on Mogul for consideration to be listed on the Mogul Movie Launchpad
Partnered with the Steve Harvey Foundation and showcased Mogul at their annual golf tournament in the Bahamas
Ascendex exchange listed STARS on their platform
Partnered with FalconX, a premiere market maker in the industry, to support the STARS token ecosystem
Had business development team members attend Bitcoin Miami to create partnerships
Unveiled our Mogies collection at the ETH Toronto / Futurist Conference in Toronto; selling out the Mogies pre-sale in the process
Released the Mogies trailer
Sold out of Mogies collection via a unique dutch auction process
Announced the creation of the Mogies animated series and released the animatic trailer to our Mogies holders
Twitter verified the Mogul account on their platform
Mogul team members spoke at NFT Seattle to showcase Mogul and our Mogies collection
Made significant UX/UI upgrades to the Mogul platform dashboard to allow users to see all of the activity across Mogul
Partnered with over 20 different companies, including: CryptoCart (to use STARS to purchase gift cards), Ism Toys, Nearverse, Darkhorse Films, Earn Craft, Beem, Trace Network, Bubble Maps, and many more
Launched a 12-month STARS staking program for our holders directly on the Mogul platform with custom smart contracts
Launched 6 movies through the Mogul Movie Showcase (most of which will be launching their NFT movie collections exclusively on Mogul this year). These movies include: Babel, Billionaire Bunnies, Jancroon, Retrogression, Lazarus, My Father’s Son, Revival, and Antara
In an effort to streamline the Mogul product and have more movies launched on our platform, we launched the Mogul Creator Portal product. This product allows movies partnering with Mogul to create movie-based NFT campaigns with no code using the Mogul administration system
Produced over 15 episodes of Mogul Live with industry experts such as Jordan Ver Hoeve, Erick Tran, and other Hollywood experts
Conducted over 35 Twitter Spaces with industry experts such as Mario Nawfal
Presented the Malibu Crush premiere in Los Angeles and Australia; inviting our NFT holders to attend this exclusive event
Burned nearly 3.5M STARS tokens through Supernova events
Integrated Wallet Connect to the Mogul platform to allow all self-custody wallets to use the Mogul platform
Moderation of our communities, specifically in Telegram, has been taken on by community members passionate about the project, which is an amazing sign for the growth of our communities and shows that Mogul is stronger than just the internal talent working day-to-day on the project
Our efforts in 2022 have been to support the following goals:
Reward our NFT holders with in-real-life (IRL) events close to Hollywood
Scale the Mogul platform to launch more movies and thus pass on more rewards and benefits to our NFT holders and STARS holders
Make STARS more accessible globally and give more use cases within the Mogul platform
Advertise Mogul across the world in a cost-effective manner to grow in users and the size of our community
Improve the Mogul platform to increase revenue for the Mogul ecosystem to pass on these rewards to our community
What’s in store for 2023?
Mogul’s mission is to reimagine film production, distribution and fan participation using the power of the crowd through blockchain technology. The benefits of using blockchain include transparency, tracking, security, and stakeholder ownership.
Our vision is to be the future of film through the power of the crowd.
The core Mogul platform has been over-developed in 2022 in a great way – we now have the tools to accomplish these goals in a more efficient manner and the dashboard experience to support a growing user base. We expect, with the exception of Mogieland, that development time on the core Mogul platform will be significantly reduced and more time can be spent improving the product.
The Mogul product has made major strides in this mission, launching a film financing portal where filmmakers can raise funds and exploit NFT rights on their film through NFTs, creating partnerships with networks of over 6 Metaverses with film studios for films launching on Mogul to stream and premiere their films in Metaverse locations to engage their NFT holders, and re-engineering the Mogul quadratic voting portal, where fans can vote on key aspects of the production process.
Our goals are in scaling and becoming the premiere place where Film3 lives and projects come to to leverage NFT technology to exploit movie rights and engage fanbases. In addition, a big focus will be in the creation of protocol revenue for the community. When we analyze successful products and tokens in tangential niches to movies (music, sports, etc.) they are all excellent at creating protocol revenue and passing those rewards on to their supporters to continue growing.
We want to be introspective while listening to the community, partners, and industry titans in entertainment in how they can best leverage Mogul. This will help us to grow, scale, and align with top partners.
From Mogul, expect:
More movie launches
Progress on the Mogieland launch
Progress on the Mogies animated series
Metaverse collaborations
STARS accessibility partnerships & integrations
More IRL utility for Mogies & Access Passes
More multi-language communities being grown and built
Bear market marketing strategies to grow the community
Premiere partnerships
In regards to Mogieland, which many of our community members are very excited about, Mogul President Lisa Sun posted an introspective explanation of Mogul’s thought process and timelines that you can read here.
In summary, Mogul’s thesis has never been more true. Studios are learning and becoming more inclined to use NFTs for their movies. With the Metaverse, the short-term hype has died down since the rebranding of Facebook and the subsequent run-up, but fans and moviegoers are still showing that they want a way to deeply connect globally to their favourite films. Mogul is not simply launching Mogieland to increase hype, but to build a connected ecosystem of content consumers and content creators. Right now, metaverses across the industry are lacking users, posing barriers to meaningful partnerships to be made with top studios. We are continuing to build and strategize a proper rollout for Mogieland so that the launch meets expectations across the industry.
The lack of consumer interest in metaverses throughout the back half of 2022 is illustrated by the Google Trends analysis, showing the search volume from consumers for the word “Metaverse” across the last 5 years.
Where are we looking to improve?
We want more movies to launch on Mogul now that we have the best platform in the world to support FIlm3.
Other goals to improve on are:
Launching more voting opportunities for our community to vote on aspects of movie production in partnership with the films launching on Mogul; whereby giving more use cases for STARS on the Mogul platform and including our community more in the script-to-screen process
Qualify, close, and launch more mainstream movies to launch on Mogul that have global appeal
Streamline our business development process to decrease the time to market for films
Decentralize and involve the community of token holders more in the decision-making processes through voting
Growing our leadership team to bring in esteemed professionals in entertainment to help bring Mogul to the next level
Partnering with public film investment vehicles to bring more capital to the Mogul platform
To accomplish these goals we have revamped our business development process and coupled it with our technology to operate at a better scale.
We have improved our movie vetting process, have decreased our time-to-market for NFT campaigns by months, and have adjusted our onboarding documentation for filmmakers to make it clear on how they can succeed using Mogul.
We will be putting these to action in 2023 and evaluating how we can continue improving these processes.
How does value accrue to our community?
We want Mogul to become a circular protocol, where Mogul is striving to achieve goals that benefit our community, and vice versa. This can be done with small tweaks to operations to make sure that we’re providing circular value.
As you know, as part of STARS token economics, STARS are removed from circulation via supernovas when STARS are used on Mogul. Mogul movie profits are also used to reward holders and vote on where the funding will go. Thus far, the movies launched on Mogul have not yet reached profitability due to delayed distribution and production on the filmmakers. These are variables that Mogul does not control and was a primary reason why we, in 2022, embarked on producing our own animated series (Mogies) where we could control more variables to reward our holders.
In order to create larger supernovas, provide more perks to our holders from movies, and have protocol revenue to allow holders to vote on, we need to launch more films via the Mogul platform.
More films launching means that more STARS will be spent on the platform, more movies will offer rewards to our community, and more movies will have a chance at reaching profitability.
We expect Q1 2023 to bring our community more leadership to the Mogul team, more capital partners, and partnerships with premiere exchanges.
The film industry is no stranger to technological innovation. From the invention of motion pictures to the proliferation of streaming platforms, the industry has always found ways to adapt and utilize new technologies to reach and engage audiences.
In recent years, Web3 technologies have emerged as a promising new tool for the film industry to consider. Web3 refers to the third generation of the World Wide Web, which is characterized by the use of decentralized technologies like blockchain and peer-to-peer networks.
There are several ways in which the film industry can benefit from using Web3 technologies, and in this blog post, we’ll explore a few of the most significant ones.
One of the most compelling reasons for the film industry to consider Web3 technologies is the potential for increased efficiency and cost savings. In the traditional film industry, there are often multiple intermediaries involved in the distribution and monetization of films. These intermediaries can include distribution companies, licensing agencies, and streaming platforms, all of which take a cut of the profits.
With Web3 technologies, it’s possible to create more direct and transparent relationships between filmmakers and their audiences. For example, filmmakers could use blockchain-based platforms to distribute their films directly to audiences, bypassing traditional intermediaries and retaining a larger share of the profits.
Web3 technologies could also enable filmmakers to more easily monetize their work through micropayments and other innovative payment models. For example, a filmmaker could use a blockchain-based platform to offer their film for streaming on a pay-per-view basis, allowing audiences to pay a small fee to watch the film on demand. This model could be especially beneficial for independent filmmakers who may struggle to get their work distributed through traditional channels.
Another way in which Web3 technologies could benefit the film industry is through the creation of new business models and revenue streams. For example, filmmakers could use blockchain-based platforms to sell exclusive content or merchandise directly to their fans. They could also use these platforms to offer “smart contracts” that allow fans to financially support their work on a recurring basis, similar to the way that Patreon works for content creators.
Web3 technologies could also enable the film industry to better manage and protect intellectual property. The use of blockchain-based platforms could make it easier to track and enforce copyright licenses, reducing the risk of piracy and enabling filmmakers to more fairly monetize their work.
In addition to the practical benefits outlined above, Web3 technologies also have the potential to foster greater creativity and innovation within the film industry. By enabling more direct relationships between filmmakers and audiences, Web3 technologies could encourage the development of new and more diverse forms of storytelling. Filmmakers could use these technologies to experiment with new distribution and monetization models, leading to a more vibrant and diverse film industry.
Of course, the adoption of Web3 technologies is not without its challenges. One of the main challenges is the need for infrastructure and support to enable the use of these technologies. This includes the development of user-friendly blockchain-based platforms and the creation of educational resources to help filmmakers understand and utilize these technologies effectively.
Another challenge is the need for greater understanding and awareness of Web3 technologies among filmmakers and industry professionals. Many in the film industry may be unfamiliar with these technologies and may need help understanding their potential benefits and drawbacks.
Despite these challenges, the film industry has the potential to significantly benefit from the adoption of Web3 technologies. By enabling increased efficiency, cost savings, and new business models, these technologies could help filmmakers to reach and engage with audiences in new and innovative ways.
“Revival” is helmed by Award Winning Director Jivan Avetisyan, with the full length feature film to be shot in Armenia/Artsakh, Iceland, Lithuania, Israel, and France
Revival tells the story of one Woman’s secret that forces three destinies to intertwine when a young robotics student living in France is determined to root out the truth of his father’s wartime death in Armenia / Artsakh… his girlfriend, a young French woman sets out to reunite with her estranged volcanologist father in Iceland to trace her indigenous Canadian roots… his esteemed French professor, a descendent of a Holocaust survivor, reclaims his abandoned Jewish roots in Israel in search of the meaning of life. Along the way, an artificial intelligence system evolves via their hardships and forced sacrifices that bring them closer to their true identity.
Director Jivan Avetisyan spent 38 days in Artsakh during the brutal September 2020 Artsakh War, which lasted until November 9, 2020. Avetisyan also spent a substantial amount of time documenting all the atrocities and war crimes committed against the Armenian population of Artsakh, including his family. He will integrate these photos and videos in Revival and his future film projects.
In the film, Avetisyan has presented fragments and glimpses of the stories that he has heard, read, witnessed, and memorized at different times. In a sense, the film is based on actual, lived stories and historical events. The narratives are intertwined in an interesting way and become a part of a completed single continuous chain. These stories are presented, for example, as the protagonist’s storyline, or as elements or episodes in the stories of other characters. Revival also adds a key element of Artificial Intelligence development to the story as AI plays a prominent role especially since it is meant to change the face of warfare. The AI component appears in the film with the character of ORCHID (ORganizer of CHaotic Input Data), which has some “water-like” characteristics. The film is not a sci-fi movie but will beautifully show the evolution of the ORCHID, an AI system, and how the final step of it is self-consciousness.
Peace is one of the main messages of the film project Revival. “I try to show the route leading to peace that I long so much for. The war overwhelmed my thoughts when I was nine to ten years old. At that time, I didn’t understand all the tragedy, but being at the center of the events, I felt its upcoming danger every day. And now, each and every day, I wake up with a hope that my children will never see and feel such horrors. In order to have that peace, I believe self-knowledge is necessary to gain peace of mind. Therefore, what occupies an important place in the film is the retrieval and preservation of the identity of generations who suffered from wars and disasters at different times. The question always haunting the characters is, “Who am I?” This is the driving force of their quests.” – Jivan Avetisyan
The NFT collection launching on Mogul will be designed to give Indie Film Fans the ability to get closer to the action and filmmaking process through a variety of different utilities such as; access to the Premier and After Party, Gated content with BTS footage, Visits to the shooting set, Digital film poster with Director’s autograph & more. The support of the film via the NFTs will also directly contribute to the financing of the film and expedite the production.
Revival gained international interest in 2020 by the selection committee of Berlinale Talents, at the Berlin International Film Festival. Avetisyan was selected amongst 3,400 applicants to attend Berlinale Talents 2020. Within the talent program, he became the subject of a documentary by German international Broadcaster Deutsche Welle, DW Documentary.
You can learn more about the Revival NFTs on the Mogul Platform and stay up to date with the Revival film developments via their Twitter and Instagram pages..
About Mogul ProductionsMogul Productions is revolutionizing film financing, allowing a global audience of fans to participate in the financing of movies and other forms of entertainment through NFT sales. Mogul’s NFT marketplace serves as a bridge between the NFT arena and the world of entertainment financing. It’s a platform for film fans, by film fans, empowering users to take an active role in the script-to-screen process. Access Pass holders get even more insider benefits and perks, including access to exclusive events held around Mogul-produced film releases.Website | Twitter | Instagram | Reddit | Telegram | Medium
Jake: Hey everyone! We are about to kick off our AMA with Aubrey from the Chain Fangs team.
Chain Fangs: Hey Everyone!
Jake: How are you doing today @Chain Fangs?
Chain Fangs: We are doing great over here!
Jake: Nice to hear! So for those tuning in – Chain Fangs have an NFT collection dropping on Mogul this coming Monday. We’re excited to discuss the collection and how people can get involved. Firstly, can you please explain what Chain Fangs is and what was the inspiration behind starting this?
Chain Fangs: So basically during COVID our founder spent a lot of time hiking and out in the limited nature space within Hollywood…and she began to notice that developers have started to come in and build mega-mansions that are being used to host parties for the rich and famous. They aren’t even being lived in! So she found out that there is one plot left in this area that a developer is trying to squeeze a giant house onto. We realized it was such a shame and a terrible use of the natural resources and homes of many animals, so we decided to do something to stop them and that’s when we launched this project.
The house being built would completely cut off an entire corridor and a very clear deer trail. It’s such a shame so we are hoping to start with this piece of land and then once we finish this piece, we want our community to bring more ideas, more pieces of land we can save, or even different resources we can begin to tackle.
Jake: Thanks for providing that context and background info! I think when most people think of Hollywood it reminds them of all the entertainment and development although it is interesting to hear it is also a diverse place for a bunch of different animal species that live there too.
What are some of the Animals you can typically find within Hollywood?
Chain Fangs: Its actually super interesting! LA is actually one of the most diverse areas in all of the United states. The main animals around here are deer, squirrels, and a lot of big cats!
Jake: So cool! Although definitely wouldn’t want to run into a big mountain Lion lol!
Chain Fangs: For our collection, we have actually had photos donated by our partners at Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife. They have had trailcams set up on the land right next to the piece of property we are looking to purchase and they have captures images of all these animals out in the wild.
Yeah definitely! There are so many types of big cats living in and around the Hollywood area. There are a lot of stories of them grabbing fish out of people ponds in their back yards or rolling around in the grass. They are really the kings out here and we want to do everything we can to protect them.
Jake: That’s fantastic that you have aligned with other conservancy groups to shine a light on the work you guys are doing! Quite clever creatively how you can tie in the actual images of the Animals that are living on the land you are helping save.
What has been the reaction from Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife and other conservancy groups that you have been chatting or partnering with?
Chain Fangs: Yeah it was a really great opportunity for us to boost other organizations who work so hard day-in and day-out doing this work.
So we have actually also partnered with the official Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy and we will be allowing them an easement onto this land from their adjoining lot. For those not familiar- that basically means that this land is always going to be protected by the conservancy and no one will be able to build on it without their permission.
We have also had some great fireside chats with others in this space over on our Youtube channel as well: https://youtu.be/E_XSm-FQ8xU
Jake: That sounds like you have put a lot of thought into how to establish this for a long term strategy to ensure the land remains not developed. Thanks for sharing the fireside chats video.
Chain Fangs: Yeah we definitely want to keep this going and launch more drops and do our part in the conservation space.
Jake: I’m sure when you are chatting to your partners, NFTs and blockchain must seem quite foreign to most of them. What are you guys most excited about with leveraging NFTs to drive your mission and why did you pick that as the vehicle to help drive your fundraising?
Chain Fangs: Definitely very foreign to many in the conservation space. What excites us most is being able to really start a movement here. We have a fireside chat with a really interesting project called tldr.earth on our Youtube channel….and “tldr” obviously means “too long. didn’t read ” which I think is so fitting for the conservation face. Sadly it’s almost comical how long it takes for “official” conservation organizations to drudge through red tape and bureaucracy in order to get one tiny thing done. We don’t need to do all of that! We are cutting out all of that stuff and saving physical land and real animals way faster than any of these other projects could do by using the power of crypto. The power of community really.
Jake: Love that answer. Definitely speed and efficiency is crucial to getting things done before things get worse – i.e someone buying this vacant land to build on and destroying more local habitat. It’s great seeing NFTs being used as a force for good with all these new use cases.
Chain Fangs: Yeah we are really battling a clock at pretty much all times!
Jake: In terms of the NFT collection – How is this constructed? I know you guys have created puzzle pieces, would you be able to expand on why you chose to do this?
Chain Fangs: So basically, we have taken the full trail cam shots that were donated to us by CLAW and we have broken those images up into various sizes of puzzle pieces. So the buyer’s goal is to collect all they can of the pieces in the same puzzle to create the full image. Additionally, we would really love all of our members to display their piece in all of their profiles as a badge of honor as being a part of the project.
Once you have a piece, you will be a part of our community and be able to vote on anything we would like to do with the land and even bring suggestions of ways we can improve our project. For example: if we wanted to put up a bird feeder with a live stream and what kinds of seed we would like to use to attach which birds.
Jake: Awesome – Thanks for that info. For those wanting to know the exact # of pieces in the collection etc, here it is:
Tier 2: 25 images x 140 individual pieces in each = 3,500 pieces.
Tier 1: 5 images x 36 individual pieces in each = 180 pieces.
Total = 3,680 pieces.
I understand you guys are doing a “Lazy Mint” structure, which is where everyone who buys an NFT, it is done completely at random – so no one knows what piece they will have until after the reveal (Similar to how we ran our Mogies sale)
Chain Fangs: Yes! So our members will get to mix and match and trade amongst other users to get the pieces they would like.
Jake: Fantastic!
And the drop will take place on the Ethereum blockchain with the price being 0.07ETH per NFT (Also purchasable in ERC-20 STARS)
Chain Fangs: We are very excited to be launching! All profits are going towards the purchase and maintenance of a real piece of property in the Hollywood Hills.
Jake: So exciting! Are there any other pieces of info you would like to share with the community or additional reasons for them to get involved etc? Also any additional links you would like to share?
Chain Fangs: All of our socials are @Chain_Fangs. We are most active on twitter so feel free to contact us on there whenever. We have a discord here:https://discord.gg/UfRQkfkYMS where we are going to be keeping our community updated. Always feel free to reach out to us whenever!
Jake: Perfect – thanks for sharing that info. Appreciate you coming in to talk with us and looking forward to mint day. Chat soon!
Chain Fangs: Of course! We are really excited about being able to launch!
Jake: Hey guys, Julian Bonilla is now joining us for a text AMA here from the Billionaire Bunnies Club which is a NFT collection dropping on Mogul soon. Hey Julian, welcome! How’s it going?
Julian: Hello Everyone! Pleasure to meet you all
Jake: Thanks for joining and excited to have you here today! Firstly, can you please give the audience a snapshot into what TBBC is and what you are looking to achieve with the NFT collection?
Julian: Yes, of course! We are currently in pre production of an animated crime drama series that will be utilizing NFT art and Blockchain Technology. We also hope to spread awareness in the Emotional Support Animal therapy community as we believe in proven fundamentals of therapy methods that work! The series is currently being produced in-house by our team here at Bunny Labs
Jake: Very cool! Love the aspect of you tying in the animated series and philanthropic side too! Take us back to the idea of the IP and what spurred you to want to use NFTs from the start?
Julian: For sure! Thanks Jake we appreciate that. We believe in fundamental methods and programs when it comes to the recovery phase of mental health and mental disabilities.
The idea of the IP came from the artist of the project as we both believed Bunnies were animals that everyone loves! We also saw a correlation where Bunnies are one of the animals used as Emotional support animals. Both the artist and I are crypto enthusiasts and saw the NFT market become a great way to reach consumers for new and upcoming brands or collections!
Jake: I personally haven’t seen any Bunny PFP collections, so it is nice to see something unique and creative! Plus who can not like bunnies lol. Would you be able to give the audience some insight into the storyline of TBBC and how this is tied into the animated series?
Julian: Yes! Lol that was our thought exactly. But of course! We are super excited to introduce everyone to the main family of the series very soon but,
The Billionaire Bunnies Club is a visionary animated crime drama that straddles the glamorous South Beach (Bunny Island) lifestyles of the rich and infamous and the underworld international drug (Karats) trade.
Bottom line? The Billionaire Bunnies Club is about La Familia and the quest for territorial control of other Billionaire Bunnies on Bunny Island. What makes it interesting and compelling for viewers is that there is no road to redemption. Everyone’s like a stranger on the subway, just trying to find their way home…
Jake: Sounds like an interesting storyline! The trailer you guys put together to showcase the look and feel of the brand was pretty cool. Will have to post that in the channel for the community soon.
Are you able to tell us more about the charity component you guys are working on around Emotional support animals and why you chose to go this route?
Julian: Thank you! Our series opening scene will relate to that team trailer we shot so definitely give that a look so you can feel the mood we are chasing for our series!
I would love to dive a little deeper into that. We are driven by bringing awareness to Emotional Support Animal therapy. We got the idea to focus on a method of therapy that can serve and help a large mass of people. More than half of people in America own at least one dog in their household. And the number for pets outside of dogs is even higher than that, almost in the 70% range.
There are steps in order to qualify for an ESA:
First, you must see a certified psychologist, psychotherapist, or social worker who has the proper mental health credentials.
Secondly, you must undergo a detailed mental health diagnosis.
Lastly, ASKING for an ESA Letter that certifies an emotional disability.
There is no special training required for an ESA. That means that if you already have a pet, you can get it certified as an ESA. Any domesticated animal may be considered as an ESA and they can be any age. If you don’t already have a pet, getting an ESA is pretty much the same as getting any other pet! You’ll need to decide what kind of pet is best for you and look up local places to adopt.
Of course, before getting any kind of pet, it is important to seriously consider the responsibilities that come along with it.
We know the ESA community is large with different categories so we want to really focus a lot of our support efforts on mental health, mental disabilities, and stroke recovery.
That’s our team and our community’s mission is to really offer helping hands to those in need through dialing in on methods of therapy that statistically prove they work. Again, we believe in the fundamentals as we believe it is the main foundation of therapy programs.
Jake: That’s fantastic – thanks for providing that context and info around why you went into the ESA route. Shows you guys have done a lot of research and are here for the right reasons!
How did you go about getting Marcus your artist attached? What was the creative process like creating a PFP collection?
Julian: Marcus and I were actually old college roommates as well as football teammates at Pace University for a semester. Marcus displayed his art abilities to me by helping me pass my college art class with flying colors, no pun intended. Marcus and I had a barter system that worked in both of our favors but, it was on two specific pieces he did for me that I knew he was on a different kind of level with Art. It was an amazing replica Picasso piece and a Bob Marley portrait. Fast forward to now, it was about a year ago that I reached out to him with this idea of bringing his art skills into blockchain technology. What made us go down the Bunny hole in our creative process was that we saw cute harmless animals that we can give a cool edge to and turn them into Billionaires.
Jake: Love the backstory! Nice how you guys can come together and provide your own skill sets to develop the project. Interesting dichotomy around the Bunnies too
Can you explain the collection composition, rarity, traits etc?
Julian: Yes! Marcus is a sweetheart and it has been nothing but an absolute pleasure for me to say the least to have the opportunity to come back together and work with an artist as talented as him.
And yes!
The collection composition is based on a soft and simplistic style but, still keeping the integrity of Billionaires in regards to the Bunnies clothing and characteristics. We really wanted to pick a variety of different Billionaires from celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, different artists, etc.
Jake: Awesome! Can’t wait to see them all 🙂
Do you have any favorite animated series you’ve seen produced so far whether through mainstream distribution or in the NFT world?
Julian: Yes! Our artist is a huge fan of a variety of different anime ranging from bleach, yu-yu haku show and American classics like Boondocks and Rick & Morty. We also share passion for gangster films where we know the crime drama will be great to see in full animation.
Jake: Awesome! Interesting to see how the different creative influences inspire you to help craft your own stories
What’s your take on the NFT market at the moment and how do Billionaire bunnies intend on growing their brand and users? What are you most excited about?
Julian: Yes we have a great running storyline in our episodes coming for our club members!
But, to be honest I am really excited for the future of the NFT market even though we are weathering this current bear market. The opportunities are what we are most excited about as we know NFTs are a great way to grow a community that is proud of the brand they are involved with. We intend to lead with a community-driven development approach and transparency so we know that our members firstly know what they are buying which is the art and are ultimately satisfied with their purchase. We are excited to build through the bear market and see it fully through to the next bull run!
Jake: Awesome! Nice to see you guys have a long term viewpoint and are approaching this to develop the IP from a few different angles.
Lastly, Are you able to explain the project roadmap and some of the main perks/utility offered to holders?
Julian: Our roadmap will give holders access to member perks only. Holders can look forward to us creating and developing items that will offer them luxury and once in a lifetime experiences. We believe the current NFT market is one where we can be open and transparent about the different obstacles creators can face but collectively there are opportunities to grow and create a safe and secure environment for those who may be new or those who do have a passion for Art & NFTs. It is exciting to be able to share knowledge with others and also deliver impactful art to a global audience. We look forward to collaborating and partnering with those who can see our team’s vision.
Jake: Amazing – thanks for providing that detailed insight and appreciate your time joining us today to explain what you guys are doing!
Julian: Thank you so much Jake and the entire Mogul Productions Family! We will be launching on their Marketplace soon. Be on the lookout for The Billionaire Bunnies Club Collection and while you’re here.. Go and grab a few Mogies while you can!
Jake: Thanks again! Chat with you soon 🙂 Julian: Talk soon! Have a great day everyone
Jake: Hey everyone, today we are joined by Handuo, Co-Founder of The Babel Universe – a new NFT collection dropping on the Mogul platform soon! Handuo – would you please start by giving the audience a bit of background info on Babel and how you went about creating the IP?
Handuo: Great! Nice meeting you everyone.
The Babel Universe is a Sci-Fi IP I’ve been developing for the past 3 years.
It started as an academic thesis called “The Concept of Universal Language” where I researched the history of a trend of thought – the willingness to break through the linguistic communication barrier between individuals. In other words, connect our minds.
You may be thinking about telepathy or some other “pseudo-science” now but it actually has become quite technological these days, ever since Elon Musk’s Neuralink and the whole brain-computer interfaces movement.
Then three writers heard the story at the Cologne film festival in 2020. We then worked together to develop this into an Animated Series Bible and a Pilot Script.
Since the story is about a collective intelligence (formed by 10,000 connected minds) against an AI totalitarian world, we believe that such a story should also be made by a collective intelligence.
So I partnered up with crypto veteran Yanko at the beginning of this year and developed Babel into a Collaborative Sci-Fi Project.
way of working”, and that is BabelDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization consisting of 8 autonomous Guilds.
Jake: Wow, lots to unpack here! The story sounds fascinating.
Handuo: Yeah, a lot of stuff.
Jake: Congrats on your success with the development of the story so far, It’s evident how much thought has gone into it.
What spurred you to want to use NFTs/web3 from the start when going about developing the story and vision?
Handuo: So, on one hand, like I mentioned, having a collective intelligence to create a story universe centering a collective intelligence is the way we stay true to the story’s spirit.
On the other hand, our mission is to build an Inclusive, Engaging, and Ever-expanding Sci-fi Universe. To make an IP “Ever-expanding”, we believe we have to let others own it so it can live even when we’re not here.
We focus on three things in this IP’s co-creation, “Co-create, Co-govern, and Co-own”. While the first two you maybe able to achieve in Web2, the Co-ownership can be better implemented with Web3 technology.
Jake: The story and vision completely embody the whole Web3 ethos, so definitely seems fitting that you have decided to go down this route for it to have a life of its own! Really collaborative stuff.
Handuo: Thanks:
Jake: I personally also really like the art you guys have attached to the different NFTs – how did you go about designing these? Where did you pull the inspiration from? I hear you’re an artist too – did you design them?
Handuo: Haha, great to hear that!
My background is in film and media art. But 3D stuff isn’t my specialty XD
I gave the original concept for the NFTs to be “growable” from a Seed to a Sapling, then to a Tree.
Because in the original short story, people found the “universal language” through planting trees on a virtual planet for 10 years.
One of our designers Marco designed the shape of the NFTs. Then our 3D artist Nico made them into the badges they are now.
Nico used Houdini and Cinema 4D to simulate wind in nature to turbulent particles and recorded the paths they took.
Jake: Very cool! Quite aesthetically pleasing how you guys decided to turn them into GIFs, the movement gives off the feeling of something living for sure.
Handuo: The seemingly chaotic intertwined threads form a shape that makes sense. It’s also how we imagine a collective intelligence will be creative.
Jake: Here is also the Eco Negative which will be available soon for those that are curious
Handuo: Yeah, there. Eco is the active energy to power the growth of our badge. For example, forging a Seed with 10 Ecos will give you a Sapling.
Jake: Interesting – would you be able to dive into this a bit further to explain to the audience how all the badges work synergistically and what they mean?
Imagine you’re immigrating to a new universe, the Babel Universe.
The Seed badge is your Visa which you can claim for free after completing two simple tasks: follow our twitter, enter our Discord.
Then the Sapling is like your permanent residency. You can receive better benefits, participate deeper into the co-creation.
The Tree badge is your Citizenship. You can now create tasks and bounties and earn our native ERC-20 token. While becoming a Tree usually means the person has a really deep understanding of the Babel Universe, these are the members who we want to hold our token.
Jake: Fantastic – thank you for breaking that down for us!
Handuo: My pleasure!
Jake: Building a brand around a new piece of IP from the ground up is really exciting, how do you plan on tying in the animated series?
Handuo: Great question. While many forms of work can be derived from a universe, we plan to have the animated series be the one work that brings the whole IP to the public. The animated series bible is written and so is the pilot episode script. We plan to fund the pilot episode production and connect with networks (i.e. Netflix) to produce the animated series. In a way, it is to be a high-quality series with an engaging story and high-standard art. We’re to do this with an animation studio.
On the other hand, it has promotional value to our universe IP and so it is to our native token. Think about characters spending $BABEL between each other on Netflix XD
And most importantly, all the artworks created during the series production (i.e. concept arts, sketches, music) can all be listed for internal auctions within the community. It does not only support the production, but give the community members access of valuable artworks that may go up in value once the series is released.
Jake: That’s really creative – also a great way to help scale the awareness of the IP by having a high quality piece of content to drive people back towards the stories Babel is developing collectively.
Handuo: Yeah, that’s the idea!
Jake: I know how much work goes into developing the animated series bible + pilot episode script etc as we went through that process recently with Mogies, so kudos to you guys!
Can you explain how you guys are forming a creator economy via a DAO where people can help have a say in the story / future development? Perhaps touching on the guilds people can be apart of too
Handuo: Sure thing.
These are the Guilds. They each work autonomously led by a Guild committee.
The Guild Committee representatives from the DAO committee and are in charge of allocating funds and grants to Guilds according to their proposals.
The Guild committee is elected by the Guild members, as the Guild representatives are chosen by the Guild committees. In a way, we are a DAO with 8 small DAOs in it. Here is a diagram that explains it all;
Jake: The visuals really help absorb the structure of it, thanks!
Cool how you’ve created the 8 guilds as there are so many different types of creative people, so I’m sure someone will at least fall into one of these buckets.
Handuo: So far, yeah. We received around 4.5k members on our Discord last week. We’re working on channeling them into Guilds. This week guild members are creating symbols for their guilds to be made into NFTs by the end of the week.
Jake: Nice work – that’s awesome! I know you’ve been developing this for a while now – like any new venture, nothing is usually a smooth road – what would you say have been some of your biggest learning experiences launching this as a new Web3 project?
Handuo: I guess…Web3 doesn’t wait until you’re ready…you just go and learn on the road.
Jake: That’s for sure … best way to learn is by doing
Handuo: Like we haven’t had a chance to celebrate since we only launched recently. It’s just all of a sudden you are in this trend that pushes you forward.
Jake: Absolutely – well said
Are you able to explain some of the main upcoming milestones in the short to medium term that people in the Babel Universe can look forward to as community members?
Handuo: Other than these, each guild is doing different things. Like the writing guild may begin expanding the story and create a Babel Universe Fandom page.
The visual art guild will be creating images for the story, while the PR guild are seeking for more channels to promote the project at the moment.
Jake: Got it – that makes sense. Cool how the different guilds are helping shine a light on what is going on within Babel. I know we are at the end of the hour so we will wrap this up – thank you so much for your time and we are looking forward to having the NFTs live on the Mogul platform, a little birdy told me it may be within the next week or so, more to come on that soon!
Handuo: So looking forward to that and happy to be here!
Jake: For those curious on anything further around the Babel Universe, here are some links with further information;
Babel Universe to launch on Mogul Productions and power an Animated Series
Background
Babel began as an academic thesis about a hypothetical “universal language”, a language that is powerful enough to overcome all communication barriers between individuals. If you’re familiar with the biblical story “Tower of Babel”, you probably know that the people there spoke a unified language until God confused their tones. That language led its speakers to build a tower to reach heaven. In another sense, it showcases a positive belief in the collective power of mankind when connected.
After researching throughout history, (Handuo, Co-Founder of Babel) found that the search for the “universal language” has taken many shapes over the past thousands of years. From religion to linguistics, from philosophy to computer science, the most recent attempt to realize such a language is the BCI (Brain-Computer Interfaces) technology.
Such a techno-universal language may become true in the unavoidable near future. (Not only because Elon Musk’s company Neuralink aims to make it.) Especially when it brings more productivity to the ones who “speak” it than the ones who don’t. However, just like the “Tower of Babel” story implies, we can be constructive when we’re connected, but destructive when such a connection fails. We’re not only facing a technological problem but a humanistic choice. Because technology is who uses it. Just as a language is who speaks it.
In mid-2020, Handuo wrote these ideas into a Sci-fi short story and presented it at the Cologne film festival. Three writers (Marina, Michael, and Hernando) saw his presentation and found him after. In the following half a year, they expanded the short story into an animated series bible.
The Animated Series
“After a VR game that offered them purpose and a sense of community ends in 2035, 10,000 individuals reunite through an overwhelmingly powerful mindsharing software given to them by the game makers, only to find themselves on the run from the authorities…”
Together with Marina Bendocchi Alves, Michael Grießler, and Hernando Sandoval, they wrote an Animated-Series Bible in early 2021 that contains 10 x 10-15mins episodes for the first season.
We follow three main characters’ journeys from finding “Heaven” (the software that enables the universal language) in an online game to forming a collective intelligence and confronting an AI totalitarian world.
On one hand, the story is a speculative future of our world. On the other hand, it also centers on a universal topic: Connection vs Disconnection. The universal language speakers can share their thoughts, experiences, emotions, and skills, but also their flaws. Will they be able to shine a light on the dark cyberpunk future? We invite everyone who participates in the project to decide.
BabelDAO
Babel believes that a story about a collective intelligence is best to be made by a collective intelligence. And the best people and tools for this large-scale co-creation are only to be found in Web3. Therefore, Handuo partnered up with blockchain veteran Yanko at the beginning of 2022 to establish BabelDAO: a decentralized autonomous organization to bring the animated series to life and expand the Babel universe in ways that we alone cannot imagine.
The BabelDAO members will hold NFT badges that represent their levels of involvement in the universe’s creation. Their NFTs can be earned without spending money. Members can upgrade their badges by completing educational tasks, participating in community events, and creating values (Creative, Financing, Marketing, and Management) for the project in their own ways. On the other hand, they can open a purchasable option for members to speed up their growth. This is to bring cash flow for the project.
Every part of the series production is to be co-created. Members with high-level badges (which usually means a deeper understanding of the project) can do things such as writing their own storylines, voting on creative decisions, auditioning for voice-acting, and getting paid for their work.
The BabelDAO funds their creatives with both USD and their native ERC-20 token. All members involved in the series production are also to be compensated a royalty when the series goes public (i.e. streams on one of the major streaming platforms).
There are eight guilds in the DAO. They are: Writing Guild, Visual Art Guild, Audio Art Guild, Creative Coding Guild, Moving-Image Guild, Design Guild, Finance Guild, and Public Relations Guild. A universe can only expand with the collective effort of people with different skills and passions.
For those looking to get involved, you can earn a Seed badge (for free) and join their Discord. The date for the Babel NFT Drop will be announced on Mogul Productions in the near future!
About Mogul Productions
Mogul Productions is revolutionizing film financing, allowing a global audience of fans to participate in the financing of movies and other forms of entertainment through NFT sales. Mogul’s NFT marketplace serves as a bridge between the NFT arena and the world of entertainment financing. It’s a platform for film fans, by film fans, empowering users to take an active role in the script-to-screen process. Access Pass holders get even more insider benefits and perks, including access to exclusive events held around Mogul-produced film releases.Website | Twitter | Instagram | Reddit | Telegram | Medium
PFP collection will also be used to drive ESA Therapy
The Billionaire Bunnies Club was founded by two graduates of Pace University and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in NYC. Julian Bonilla and Marcus Louis, who came together to empower others with the passion for entrepreneurship in Web3 and to also bring awareness to Emotional Support Animal Therapy.
The Billionaire Bunnies Club is currently in the process of creating an animated crime drama series that utilizes NFT art and blockchain technology. They are looking to create a unique experience for their holders and plan to provide an environment that emphasizes Web3 education curating a luxury lifestyle and culture brand which ties in together perfectly with other many global brand initiatives. Their focus is on becoming a globally recognized brand within the NFT industry.
Co- Founder, Julian Bonilla has a background in commodity sales and marketing. Julian has helped companies maximize their earnings and outreach to consumers through social media and network marketing opportunities. An accomplished entrepreneur with a long track record of success beginning when he was 21 years old eventually building well over $10M worth of revenue for clients and helping to build several successful ancillary businesses during this period. For nearly 7 years, Julian was associated with the new construction and FinTech sales business. He was responsible for bringing in over 90% of the revenue for those businesses. The Artist and Co-Founder Marcus Louis has a graphic design and fashion design background where he has worked with major brands in Tech and Fashion. Marcus, the creative lead of The Billionaire Bunnies Club has taken the art of this project to new levels and knows the foundation of it is the quality of the art.
Their roadmap is developed around producing the animated series and also offers access to other member-only events that will take place in real life and in the metaverse. The animated series will be funded by the community and also have member only perks that will allow the community opportunities to access behind the scenes content and much more! Owner of a Billionaire Bunnie will give lucky holders the opportunity to see their characters as cameo in different episodes of the series adding more interest to engage the audience and their desire to watch.
The roadmap will give members the opportunity to understand when the animated series will become produced in-house. They look forward to continuing building with a community-driven development approach leading the way. They are an ESA therapy driven team and the idea of this all stemmed from seeing a direct correlation where bunnies are used as emotional support animals. They believe in investing in the fundamental methods of therapy. An ESA can drastically improve a person’s quality of life, helping them through sometimes debilitating anxiety and depression symptoms. A lot of their efforts of awareness will be directed towards those organizations focused on mental health and mental disabilities who utilize these ESA therapy programs. As support animals are often overlooked as a method of coping, they want to bring awareness to the different types of adversity we all face in life especially since the events of COVID and the unsure economic standing it hits us all with. Bunnies happen to be a huge part of the ESA therapy community so they believe they can help a great variety of different families with their team’s mission. The Billionaire Bunnies Club will continue offering education within their community on safely selling, buying and trading NFTs.
About Mogul Productions
Mogul Productions is revolutionizing film financing, allowing a global audience of fans to participate in the financing of movies and other forms of entertainment through NFT sales. Mogul’s NFT marketplace serves as a bridge between the NFT arena and the world of entertainment financing. It’s a platform for film fans, by film fans, empowering users to take an active role in the script-to-screen process. Access Pass holders get even more insider benefits and perks, including access to exclusive events held around Mogul-produced film releases.Website | Twitter | Instagram | Reddit | Telegram | Medium
