Space Summary
The Twitter Space From The Bodega hosted by BoredApeYC. From The Bodega Twitter space by @yugalabs delves into the world of Bored Apes and Mutant Apes as unique digital assets with social and community value. It explores how owning these ape jpegs acts as a ticket to Clubhouse membership, reflecting social status and fostering community engagement. The space highlights the significance of Yuga Labs in creating and curating ape-themed NFTs, contributing to the exclusivity and authenticity of these assets.
For more spaces, visit the NFT page.
Questions
Q: What is the significance of Bored Apes and Mutant Apes in the NFT space?
A: They represent exclusive digital assets that hold cultural and social value within the Clubhouse community.
Q: How do ape jpegs relate to gaining membership in Clubhouse?
A: Owning a Bored Ape or Mutant Ape acts as a membership pass within the Clubhouse ecosystem.
Q: What role does Yuga Labs play in the creation of ape-themed NFTs?
A: Yuga Labs is involved in the creation and curation of unique ape NFTs, adding to their authenticity and value.
Q: Why are ape jpegs considered a symbol of social status?
A: Ape jpegs serve as status symbols within the Clubhouse community, reflecting exclusivity and belonging.
Q: How do ape-themed NFTs contribute to community building?
A: The ownership and display of ape-themed NFTs foster a sense of community and belonging among Clubhouse members.
Highlights
Time: 00:10:45
Unique Digital Assets of Bored Apes Exploring the uniqueness and collectible value of Bored Ape NFTs.
Time: 00:20:32
Clubhouse Membership through Ape Jpegs Understanding how owning ape jpegs grants entry into the exclusive Clubhouse.
Time: 00:35:18
Community Dynamics and Ape Ownership Discussing how ape ownership strengthens bonds and interactions within the community.
Key Takeaways
- Bored Apes and Mutant Apes serve as unique digital assets with community value.
- Owning an ape jpeg is a ticket to Clubhouse membership within the community.
- The Bodega Twitter space delves into the connection between ape jpegs and social status.
- Understanding the role of Yuga Labs in creating and curating ape-themed NFTs.
Behind the Mic
Introduction and Welcome
So don't make any changes. Hey, you. You wait for everybody to join us. I'm going to try to find some tunes real quick. Man. You ever had one of them days I think we haven't wanted? I think I'm having one of them days, but we ain't gonna let us, let it stop us. Welcome to live from the bodega. I'm your host, Illa. Not sure if my God captain is joining us today. Looks like he's not cause he would have beat me here. But we have some amazing guests joining us today and we're gonna have an amazing show. So waiting for a couple more of the guests to pull up, I see Ernest in the crowd and invite him.
Welcome and Guest Introductions
Did I get rugged? We got you all right. I know I'm not tripping. Hey, friend, welcome to live from the bodega. We're joined by our, some amazing guests today. We got my guy, Ernest Lee, we have Guccida, we have my guys. Shaman or shaman from Gen City labs. Nailed it. We got. Is it shaman or the real last name is Shaman? Most people go with shaman. Okay, so we're gonna go with shaman because I like that. I like the mysticism. And then we got my guy, probably bored. Dev, behind the happy ape account, which is, you know, I love children's books. That was, I thought I was gonna have a path in that world before I jumped into music. So love that they're on. They're joining us today and yeah, we're just gonna kick it off, man.
Music and Community Building
I was trying to find some dope music because that's how I like to get things started. But that's not gonna happen today. I will, maybe we'll end it off like that. But regardless, we're here. We're here to celebrate all these amazing builders. You know, as an ape, I always say this. The thing that makes me the most proudest to be an ape, well, there's a ton of things, to be honest. But one of the things that makes me the proudest being ape is that we are definitely a community filled with builders. That's something to be super proud of, right? That's something I hang my hat on. I brag and boast about it and, you know, that's what this space is about is like, you know, this is live from the bodega where we actually do a monthly space to amplify the amazing NBA builders that we.
Amplifying Builders
That we actually amplify once a week on our board. Apiaco page, we page, we meet once a month and we have everybody come up on stage, because it's one thing to do a post, but it's another thing to actually do. The Twitter space. You hear. Actually hear the voices, put a voice to the PFP. Actually get to dive deeper into the. The journey of these amazing builders. And that's what this program, that's, this show is about. Live from the bodega. So, as I said earlier, we have some amazing guests up here today, and maybe I'll have somebody from the yuga team come up and join me. Maybe Mister Ethan wants to jump up or Baron or Boris. I'll ping them in the background.
Continuing Guest Introductions
But I'd love for everybody if we just do, like, go around the horn past the mic, and everybody do an intro right next to me. We got earnestly. So we'll start with earnest, that. We'll go to Guccida, we'll go to Shaymin, and then we'll go to board Devon, the happy eight. Earnest, how you feeling today? I'm feeling great. I'm doing great. Living the dream. Markets are doing some funky stuff today, so I've been. I haven't even got out of my pajamas. I'm sitting here trading. But, yeah, we have an MBA license for our tax service, decrypted tax, and one for combat motors, where we build motorcycles.
Discussion and Conversations
Awesome. Awesome. I can't wait to dive into the combat motors. Mandy, I checked out some of those bikes, and, whoo. I didn't fire, bro. Absolutely fire. But before we dive in, let's keep passing the mic around the horn. I see next to Ernest on my screen. At least we got Gucci to. Gucci to. What's going on, brother? Appreciate all the fly gear you already know. How you feeling today? Good, man. Good. Thanks for having me. Yeah. I mean, despite the. The blood in the markets, you know, hanging in there, not the first time been through it. So just holding on tight with all that, you know, building regardless. So, yeah, I got house Og.
House OG and Future Projects
It's apparel brand, NBA number 10,000, and real passionate about that and working on that. So we'll talk about that later. But, Ernest, dude, I'm a bike rider. I've got a bobber, a Harley that I had custom made, and I also drive sport bikes, Ducatis and stuff. So I might need to hit you up for a combat motor at some point. We got a new one coming out next year. We got a new hellcat coming out. She. Look at that. NBA's doing business together. That's what I love to see. I haven't. I haven't jumped on a bike since. Shit. Since I was a jit in Florida, man. Dirt bikes.
Shaman's Introduction and Gen City Labs
But I saw some of those bikes that earnest makes. I'm like, damn, am I gonna have to do this? Like, some things look sexy. I'm not gonna lie. Next on my screen is Shaman. Shaman, how you doing? Let's give a quick intro and you know, and we all know what Gen City labs is, so maybe they don't know who Shaman is. So just a quick intro if you can. Yeah, I'm good, my man. I appreciate it. No, we, you know, gen city labs, if you guys were at ape fest in Hong Kong, we helped build out the Apez takeover experience. We are a creative technology studio, really kind of an agency, building digital experiences for big brands.
Gen City Labs and Future Conversations
I'll dive into it in a little bit. And I'm the CEO and founder of it. And, yeah, looking forward to having a chat today. Thanks for having me. Amazing, amazing. Can't wait to dive into that experience of building out a fest. Cause that was the one to remember, man. There was some dopes, some the experience. There was definitely one for the book. So last but not least, happy ape. How you feeling today? I believe that's probably bored Dev behind there, or maybe I'm wrong. So if you do a quick intro. Joe, what's good? Gm, everybody.
Bored Dev and His Work
Yeah, this is Xerox board dev. My account is down below, so, yeah, talking from the happy ape account here, trying to get some more followers. So if you haven't followed yet, show me some love. NBA 394. Basically creating a brand to cultivate kindness, compassion and positive mental health. And it starts with children's books. My ape, I created a kid version of it. And, yeah, we have one book I'm working on publishing soon and then another one on the way to explain the blockchain, which is going to be super dope. Yeah, I just got approved for an AIP, so, yeah, you know, I'm working with Iyk to produce NFC chips and I got plushies coming out.
Exciting Projects on the Horizon
So lots of stuff going on that, you know, I'm happy to talk about here. Amazing. Amazing. And a lot of stuff that we can't wait to hear. But first, my guy cap popped up. Cap was going on, baby. I didn't know if you were going to make it or not, so we just got. We got the ball moving. Yeah, my bad. Appreciate you getting things rolling and I. Interesting storms, little curveballs. But we're. We're back in operation here. So I appreciate you kicking things off. Of course. Of course.
Cap's Arrival and Current Events
Leave you down here. I'm down here in Miami. There's some hurricane stuff going down. Well, it was going down. Today seems a lot better, but it was an interesting weekend. Blood on the markets, storming outside. We went, we're not gonna even talk about what's going on in the political sphere and, like, the, with, over in the Middle east and all that. It's. It's a lot, but we here. We here to celebrate our builders. We had the round of intros. I think we're gonna, you know, unless cap wants to do an intro or has anything on his mind, we can just, we jump right in, because I got some questions from my guy earnestly about these bikes.
Diving into the Discussion
Let's do it. Let's get after it. I'm happy to be here at the bodega and talking nbas. It's. It is the, this is the preferred topic of the day, so appreciate, everyone. Let's get it. Ernest, man, when I went on your page and I saw these bikes, I'm like, see, this is something that if you're out in the world and then you see the eight branding and then you see these bikes and you put these two things together, this IP and this, these amazing custom built motorcycles.
Ernest's Inspiration Behind Combat Motors
It's like, that's my version of BYC. It's edgy, it's sexy. It's, you know, I'm saying it's all of those things. So what was. What was the catalyst? What was your inspiration behind this MBA? And, you know, give us your background in building these amazing bikes, because I know you from. For an account, for being an accountant. And then I saw this. I'm like, oh, shit, Ernest is cooking. Yeah. Well, I own a few different businesses. I invest, and I I invested in the company.
History of Combat Motors
This company, motorcycle company, had been around since 1991, and they were selling their brand and all their designs. They were going electric, and so they went off and did their electric thing. I took the brand. I rebranded as combat Motors. I'm retired military myself. They had a little bit of an unfortunate name when I took them on. It was confederate motorcycles. And so I obviously rebranded combat motors. Works for me because retired military, some of the people who work with me are also former military.
Moving Operations
And so, yeah, we've been building bikes in Birmingham, Alabama. But last year, September, we moved to hurricane, Utah. And I'm loving it here, about 2 hours outside of Vegas, and moved my tax practice as well out here doing taxes for people who have digital asset exposure. But I'm a lawyer by trade, so I I do a little legal work too. So a little bit everything. Smart man. Like who? Is there anybody that I know you probably don't like to name drop?
Bikes Built for Celebrities
You know, I'm the same way, but anybody that we would know, anybody exciting that you've built a bike for and how many bikes have you built at combat motors? So combat motors has built. Well, since the beginning. Since 1991, the company had built about 2500 motorcycles. I can identify the people who have been in public. So Tom Cruise had a bike. Brad Pitt had a bike. Nick Cage had a bike. But those are three that I can think off the top of my head that have been in public with their motorcycles.
Building Ultra Rare Motorcycles
Yeah, they, you know, they're. We've been building bikes that are ultra rare, ultra expensive. They're limited production bikes. Not so much custom, but limited production. The bike that I have currently that we're finishing up the run on is a combat wraith and it retails about 165,000. But we're coming out with this new hellcat next year. Target MSRP is about 70,000, which is really hard to do all the work in the United States and keep the price down that low.
Maintaining Production Standards
But it was important for me to keep everything in the US. And so, yeah, we're building them here in Utah, about 2 hours outside of Vegas. Loving it. Ernest, are you incorporating the IP in any ways? Are there discounts? Yeah, so we're incorporating the IP in our marketing and we are, we're going to build some custom, so I shouldn't say custom, some motorcycles that'll be identified as made by apes and so we'll have some. We're going to. I have a designer who's coming up with some really cool ideas, so I'm letting him run with it.
Future Collaborations and Celebrity Clientele
I'm not going to, I'm not going to front run him on his design. I. The club is going to get me to get a tattoo and maybe start riding bikes. I don't know, probably. You mentioned these celebrities. I'm curious, does any of them come in and have no experience riding a bike or are these people. They've grown up on a bike and it's. No, they, the ones I mentioned, they've grown up on bikes. I mean, we get others, we get buyers that buy the bikes just to display them.
Display Bikes in High-End Real Estate
I've got a, I've got a real estate developer, does residential real estate in LA that bought two motorcycles and he stages them in his houses that he has for sale. Because if you go around all day long looking at high dollar houses. And you've seen five with a piano in the living room. You remember the one that had that motorcycle in the living room. And so, yeah, some of them are display pieces, but we're trying to get more with the $70,000 hellcat.
Increasing Rider Engagement
I'm trying to get more riders, people who are riding their bike almost every day. Yeah, that's what, when I saw, when I went on the page, it really jumped out at me. So when you say Tom Cruise and you say, you know, Brad Pitt, and then you say, there's the real estate developer that's putting, staging him in these houses. That's what I felt when I saw these bikes. It was just like, oh, this is some, this is like a Porsche or something.
Exclusivity and Experience
Like a 911 GT, three rs or something that I'm seeing and it's being built by apes. Yeah. So super bullish on this. Yeah, they're really cool to see in photos, but you've got to see one in person, let me tell you. And we're going to be at the event in LA this weekend, on Friday night at the fucking Friday event.
Plans in LA
Yeah, if you're in LA, man, you got it. You got to come out and look. Yeah, next time I'm out there, I'll definitely dm you so I can pull up to the shop. All right. Make sure I get some in front. Like I'm riding one of these bad boys, man. Like, amazing. Amazing. And we'll make sure, earnest, man, we're going to make sure we circle back to you. Sure. Before the end of the show to see so you can let the folks know what they should keep a lookout for.
Meeting Gucci and Fashion Journey
Next on my screen, we got my guy Gucci to house Og, man, it was great meeting you in Miami. And House Og was trying to give me one of these fly ass jackets and I'm like, bro, you know, I'm really more low key. I was like, but I will bother the hell out of you for my hawaiian shirt. And I got that thing and it will be on deck at eight fest, man. So how's, yo, what was your journey like into fashion? Is this something you've always done or is this something that you're like, all right, I got my made by ape business. Let me, let me go ahead and do a fashion line. Something that I've always wanted to do, or is this something that's been like, something that you've always been into?
Background in Fashion
Yeah, well, I've been playing in fashion like you know, since I was a kid, my mom, like, would make clothing and, you know, get us involved in the process of, like, picking out designs and patterns. And then when I was in law school, I started a, like, a t shirt clothing hoodie brand. I bought a silk screen press, like a five header, put it in my garage, played around with it then. And then fast forward to 2021, when fidgetal stuff was just started to, like, be experimented with. I did a drop day collection in collaboration with a fashion house in Manhattan. It was like a one off, six piece collection that were, like, museum quality pieces, like, from fashion designers.
Rarity and Collecting
I made three djdehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe twins of them and shipped the physicals. And you know how to. So you can display the high res 3d renderings of these things because, like, some of these pieces you would keep in, like, acid free paper, you know, like, archive. So there's a way to do authenticity and display digitally. So. But that was like a one off. But I got to learn how to incorporate the digital side to fashion then. And then as I got deeper into the yacht club, you know, I just had this. I just wanted to create something that could be, that I could keep creating with, as opposed to this, like, one off collection.
The Launch of House Og
So using the web three culture, most specifically, like, the ape culture, I thought was a great idea to launch this house og brand. Also, my closet was full of hoodies, and I was like, all right, we need some gear that's a little bit higher end apparel stuff that takes a little bit more time to put together. I saw a niche in that sector of more thoughtful clothing. So, yeah, I got to work on house og. This month will be a year since house Og came into existence. I've done six drops. The most recent drop is live right now. It's a summer collection. But, yeah, that first drop was a hawaiian shirt that you got your hands on.
Incorporating NFT Elements
And one cool thing I like to incorporate into some of my drops, like that hawaiian shirt, for example. It's the m two attribute from the mutant Ape yacht club. But what I did was I incorporated these, like, things that we like about collecting nfts into the physicals. So when you bought a hawaiian nt shirt from house og, you didn't know what rarity you would get. You know, some had different, they all had different buttons, they all had different embroidery. They all had all these different elements to it. So, like, when you got that physical in the mail, you opened it up. You don't know if you had a common one with, like, wood buttons or a legendary one with vintage gucci buttons. And embroidery.
Psychology of Collecting
So I liked playing into that psychology that we like to see or like, we like to do in collecting and moving that to the physical. So. So, yeah, coming up on a year and getting ready for year two with my eight, that's gonna pull some ip from that guy. Love it, man. Let me go ahead. I say, I love how you're incorporating the rarity into your collections and tying into the traits. What? I don't want to get too far ahead, but I would love to talk a little bit about this fashion show. And, you know, happy hour you have planned for Ape fest, because the other thing that I love about your brand is how you're working with and feel like incorporating so many others in the space.
Details on the Fashion Show
And I think the, you know, the event you're doing at Ape fest is no different. So we can certainly come back to talking about this drop and everything else you've got going on, but I. Do you mind touching base on this. This fashion show and. And happy hour at Ape festival? Yes. Would love to. Yeah, this is where my head's at right now, is pulling off this event. So the events called it's a house og happy hour fashion and art show. It's. It's the 2 hours leading up to the eight fest kickoff party on. On that Friday.
Event Details
And the idea is get, like, everybody together for, like, a meetup pre party before we go to, you know, the a fest event. And while we're there hanging out at the happy hour, I'm going to have. I'm taking submissions right now from community members. So if you're creative, you know, you don't have to have an MBA, but if you're creative, like, hit me up. So, basically, there's going to be five to ten fashion pieces that are created by community members and five to ten canvas pieces by artists. And they'll be on display, you know, at the event, and we're gonna have giveaways, and it'll be a, you know, fun little way to bring us all together with, like, something creative to kind of anchor it.
Theme of the Show
And the. The theme of the art show fashion show is attributes irl. So, you know, like, reimagined attributes from the Boyd Ape Yacht club or the new name Yacht Club. So, like, I, in my flyer here in this pinned tweet, you see my mutant measuring up my ape and turning that hawaiian shirt into a puffer jacket. So that might be a foreshadow what house og submitted for the art show. But that's the idea. It's like, create a painting of, like, you know, reimagining the collection or attributes from it, or create a physical clothing piece inspired by some of the attributes.
Invitation to Creatives
And, like I said, you could be. You can have an MBA in fashion, or you could just be, you know, new to the club and, like. And, like, want to, you know, flex your creative muscle. There's a submission form online on my website and submit your idea, and let's get you in on this art show. Are you gonna be in the. You're gonna. You're gonna hit the catwalk? Yeah, man, if, you know, I think my next ape is gonna definitely be hawaiian shirt.
Passion for Hawaiian Shirts
I don't know the fur yet, but I just love fucking hawaiian shirts, man. So he said hawaiian puffer, possibly. Am I hearing that correct? Like. Or is that, like, don't want to, you know, like, I like to be, like, audacious sometimes. I know I'm low key, but I feel like it was a hawaiian puffer. I might have to put that on, you know? Yeah, well, you gotta. You gotta see it in person and tell me what you think. But, yeah, dude, speaking on the hawaiian shirt. So I'm from Fort Lauderdale, so I'm a South Florida native, born and raised.
South Florida Connection
Let's go. So, like, you know, I know your cheetah game, illa, but, you know, cheetahs got that. Cheetahs, the Caribbean, you know, the southern kind of big cat. The hawaiian shirt represents the islands and the beaches and, like, you know, hawaiian and Cheetah. That's. That's that mix for that South Florida vibe. Come on, man. Broward. Dade county, baby. You know what it is, man. Like, let's go. You're. No, we go circle back to my guy, Gucci to, man. We're gonna hear more about this. This puffer, because I would love to get that in the hand of, like, some emerging artists or some big artists so they can.
Collaboration and Experience
Some. So they can motherfucker flex. Maybe we get them on a combat motorcycle with the. Damn. With the puffer, and we outside when it for real. Like, fuck they talking about. You can't stop and bake NBA and apes. Mandy cap. I'm about to start really, like, trying to connect some dots in the entertainment space with our apes, man. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'm really on that mission. I'm really on that mission. If I can get a handful of apes connected into the entertainment industry and put some money in their pockets, then I feel like I would accomplish something really, truly, truly special, man, for the club.
Recognition of Success
I love it. I love it. Music and fashion. I never thought I would be even adjacent to this world, but. But here we are. I did pin up a few other posts up top. When you get some time, go give those some love. If you are want to submit for that fashion show that's up top. If you're going out to fuck it Friday, that the post on that is in the combat motors one up top as well that they quote tweeted from fuck it Friday. And then last but not least, the if you are going, the one that opens up from Gucci to if you are going to Abe Fest, bookmark this.
Creator House Events
This tweet the board. In a creator house, there's eight community events. That is where the art show will be. And in that thread, there's an opportunity to buy a pre bundle kit that it includes. It's a hat from house of Og. Is that right? Guccida? Yeah. I'm doing a limited run, four different colorways in rarity, embroidered hats. Only way to get them is if you support the creator house and a quick plug on that ticket. Yeah, you get the hat and then you get free food and drinks and access.
Upcoming Events
So. You'll get all that stuff and support the creator house. And one of the things I'm really looking forward to at a fest. But Illa, who's up next? Up next, we got my guy, the shaman, the mystical, mystic. The mystical, magical shaman from the chef man shaman. What was your experience like at eight fest? Oh, man, it was awesome. You know, it's funny, we, you know, and quick background on me, I started an agency called Helios Interactive back in 2008, right?
Experience in Event Industry
So I've been in the event space doing digital activations for a long time. And then quick background, we got bought in 2017 by a big company called Freeman. Anybody who's ever worked in the event space is run into Freeman. They do all of the labor and garbage cans and trucks and all sorts of stuff. And then I fell in love with web three and got my ape in 21 and actually helped start a project called Non Fungible Heroes, if you guys know NFH, which still is running one of our communities and also an ape, and also made by ape agency, is now creating comic brand on non fungible heroes.
Building Experience for Ape Fest
But all throughout that, like, you know, BYC has kind of been the anchor for me. And for Ape Fest in particular, we built an experience similar to a lot of stuff that we build for brands, you know, at stadiums. We do a lot of work for brands at the Olympics. Right now we're actually doing a lot of work with Nike helping them build out their stores. If you guys are in Seoul, Korea or Singapore or Toronto or Mexico City, you've probably seen a bunch of our work because we build up big digital activations.
Visual Experience in Events
That's screens, that's content, that's general experiences. So really amazing opportunity in Hong Kong to be able to work with Yuga to help create the ape takeover. If you guys were in the space, you probably saw a giant screen, lots of tickers with messages on them, little flipboards. The team had a vision for people to be able to submit their ape to take over the club out there. And so we built all the backend were on site for installing handle all the screens and all the rest, working with their partner, Jack Morton to help create that experience.
Collaborative Efforts
So awesome. Really? Seriously. I know it's super cliche, but dream come true to be able to work with Yuga because just inspiring to be able to work with the brand. That kind of got me into the space. So that's great. And, you know, we have a few tricks up our sleeve for Lisbon as well, so pay attention to what's coming. Oh, exciting. Yeah. I was going to say it's great to actually, you know, have you up on this space because I always hear Gen city labs, Genesis, gen City Labs internally at Yuga.
Event Planning Insights
And, captain, today's space is like, I know we have a bunch of great spaces, but today is like super power creative space. The bikes that go top cruise my guy Guccida with the fly ass merch that, you know, even I was hounding him down. And when I got my hawaiian shirt, my fiance is like, why are you so hype about it? I'm like, man, you see this shirt? This shit is gas. Like. And then my guy and I found out he from South Florida. So, you know, that's my dog for life for now.
Experiences on Site
And then shaman man, like, amazing work with, like, with that. The, the thing you. The experience you created at Ape fest with apes that can get to go in and get your name and you with the little flipping. The. What's it. What's that thing called? Their vesta boards, the little flipboards. Yeah, those are fun. Yeah, I was like, bro, this shit feels like the Matrix or some shit. And it was so futuristic and so cool and so creative.
Timeframe of Event Planning
Like, how long does something like that take to build, man? You know, typically we've got like eight to twelve weeks. You know, that's a fairly standard timeframe for us, we don't always get that much time and we work in the event space. Right. Like the events. We do retail work as well, but events is probably 75 80% of our business. So it's very standard for us to get, you know, not a lot of time.
Behind the Scenes Planning
So. But yeah, that one, I think were working with the team for about eight weeks. They had the concept a lot earlier, but really, you know, bringing that to life with everything else that's happening, especially out at, you know, the terminal in Hong Kong, which is a challenge in and of itself, was tough and we're just getting started, kicking off Lisbon now. There's some really, really cool concepts that we're going to be helping bring to life.
Future Plans
So, you know, I think what are we, eight weeks out about? So right in the sweet spot. Illa, to your earlier point, and this is no disrespect to any of our other builders whatsoever, it's just this group is one that where while they are building with or leaning into the IP, even happy ape with the book, I feel like all four of these are businesses and brands that are successful inside or outside of the club and the fact that they're choosing to build here in one way or another, all four of these are value adds to this ecosystem and this is kind of an unlock I had this morning talking to Jason NFT hoarder and there's so many individuals I am very familiar with what Shaman did for Hong Kong.
Recognition of Builders
Very cool. I didn't really connect those dots until just now. And it's just like the amount of value added builders in this space that have had tremendous success and continue to do so in and outside of web three. It really is just another reminder. Grateful to be here and yeah, congrats on everything you built, shaman. Appreciate it. I do want to say one more thing. Just what's really cool about the NBA ecosystem, it's not always going to get recognized by the general public, right.
Personal Experiences
But man, when I'm on the phone, we do work. If you guys are in Atlanta and get to Mercedes Benz Stadium, we've got a big footprint in there that we built out for Mercedes Benz. One of our Mercedes Benz clients, I'm on a conference call with a couple months back and he sees my ape because I use it as my, when you have cameras off on a Zoom or Google Meet and he sees that and he's like, hey, are you part of BYC? And it's like, yeah, we're actually a made by apes company.
Business Recognition
And so it does two things for me. One, if they are in web three, it provides domain expertise and says, you know what you're doing, right? Which is kind of just an automatic intro. B, if anybody is in the club or knows of those in the club, it's like an immediate secret society. It's been really unique, really interesting. It's really for sure helped our business just by virtue of the name recognition. So it's not always brand forward type of stuff.
Impact of Community
And I know there's a ton of consumer packaged goods, folks from ape water and jerky and cannabis products and everything else that are using it really is kind of the core brand. But if any of you guys are out there working, we're a services company, so you don't immediately think of how that connection can be made. But, man, just self identifying on a conference call with brands, with senior leaders, with other executives, and getting that recognition super powerful. And it's been a really big positive for us.
Final Thoughts
So wanted to fire all that out there for you just because it's, yeah, just been a super beneficial experience for our organization. Has there been any downside? I'm going to guess no. But has anyone. Oh my gosh, you're part of those scam nfts. We're not going to work with you. I mean, I'm going to guess that hasn't happened. No, it really hasn't. Or if it has, they haven't said it to my face.
Concluding Remarks
Like, I don't think it's cost us any business, I guess.
Positive Mindset Around Web Three
Certainly you get the occasional jokes about value or about some article they read, but no, honestly, it's been like nine out of ten people I interact with have a positive mindset and kind of positive perception about the brand and in general about web three. Overall, I think it's more curiosity than negativity. Except, you know, as, you know, you get into the gaming space, you've got some, you know, you've got some conflict still. And it's still fairly controversial in the gaming universe. Man, you could be LeBron James, I'll play a game. And there's gonna be fucking 15 year olds calling you a piece of shit and fuck you. Go ahead, cap.
Curiosity Versus Negativity
My bad. No, I think you, you're really nailing on something here, though. Like, I feel my experience has been very similar. You get outside of this space, maybe outside of gaming, there's a lot more curiosity. There's a lot of interest, a lot of very good questions asked about crypto and Web three. It's it's. I feel overly skewed in terms of the negative perceptions in this space amongst, you know, the, amongst the critics. I just, I have not experienced any sort of vitriol whatso all whatsoever as it relates to nfts and web three, outside of Web three, when you're having these types of conversations and, you know, salute that you're, you know, you're extending the brand into other industries and, you know, leading that, you know, that curiosity of others that, who knows where you, maybe nothing comes from it.
Building Business Relationships
I think to your point, if I, if they're in the space, it's, you know, the deal's closed. And I think the questions and the curiosity that you're inspiring, I think there's long term, we'll see big benefits from what you're doing as well as others out there doing similar. Yeah, it's definitely helped us close business. You know, last year with Nissan, we helped them build out the Heisman house tour. If you guys are college football fans, you've probably seen the Heisman house where they have all the former Heisman Trophy winners on commercials. We helped them drop an NFT on Solana last year. Right. Now, one of the reasons for that was I mentioned earlier, domain expertise. You're an MBA company. You know, the space that kind of verifies and validates you as having knowledge, not just paying lip service to.
Continuing Business Initiatives
Yeah, I could do that. Which a lot of agencies do. And so that in turn has led to us playing a bigger role in that campaign. And with Nissan overall, it's an interesting entry point, whether it's a web three project or not. And we've done web three projects for Intel. I know the by guys, we helped Ducati do some stuff on Ripple. I will say Ducati is not the, I don't know if they've actually continued the program or not because they cut us a little while back. But as brands floor, as brands are interested, it gives us a path there. And if not, you know, like I said, there's recognition and it's really interesting and it's been great.
Building the Happy Ape Brand
I think whoever's behind the board ape account and I see Baron in the crowd, if we can go back and clip that whole segment where Sean was talking about, he was on the phone with the Mercedes Benz guy and he asked if he had an A for. If we can clip that would be amazing because Shaman is up here cooking like he's a Michelin star chef. And I love the fact that we have amazing ambassadors such as yourself. Onboarding people, and you're, like, the first person they run into when they're thinking about web three and they see an ape and it's somebody who they're about to do, like, some super next level business act and experiential activation with. And you're rocking an eight, man. Like, that's powerful.
Personal Journey into Children’s Content
Super. Always rocking the ape. The ape stays on, baby. Come back to monkey. Like, Gordon would say, just, hey, man, come back to monkey. Yes, it was a blee. It was a bloody day yesterday. What was green? Whoo. Basie, baby, basie was green. That's what was green. Come back to monkey. You know, last but not least on my screen, you know, I. Kat, before you got here, I was saying, like, I had, like, a fork in the road in my. In my life. When I had my daughter, I was still doing music, and I. And for some reason, I'm like, I want to. I was watching yo gabba. This is before Miss Rachel and all that. If you got kids, you already know what I'm talking about.
Inspiration Behind the Happy Ape
Like, the yo gabba to Miss Rachel arc. And now there's beep, beep beer or something. Like, once you have a kid, you know all of the sauce, you know, minions, like, literally, so you know all of the kids shows and content, because those. That's your babysitter while you're trying to do your work, and you watch and you have your infant. So I was like, man, I'm making beats. I'm like, I wonder if I should write a children's book because I'm watching yoga Abba, Gavin. I'm like, I could. I know I could write a children's book. So when I saw happy ape, I was so excited. Now, I bet people were like, oh, Ella, the big. Why is he so excited about this? Because I understand the value of children's content, and I love that.
Collaborative Book Creation
That there's an ape that's thinking the same way. And as. And you partner with some of my favorite artists, and you guys have created this amazing. Another, like, because, you know, apes are about storytelling, so. And you guys really took that and made that your. Your NBA and your brand. So I'm super bullish about. About the happy eight. What was your journey into making the happy eight? Was it like mine, where you're watching kid content? You're like, I should. You know, I should do an NBA and jump into that. Or has this always been a dream of yours? You know?
Inception of Happy Ape
No, it was. It was never fully a dream, but I think it was towards the end of last year, where there was a lot of, like, kind of fud on the timeline and, like, everybody was like, oh, what's, you know, you're going to do for me or b a y c going to do for me? And it was like they gave us a superpower of web three ip, right? And then I. I've seen so many mbas that I had admired over the years, and. And I had always wanted to do something with an NBA. I just never knew what. And it was just at the end of last year, I had acquired this ape through a trade.
Character Development and Family Involvement
And, you know, it has the colorful suspenders, the big smile, really aesthetic. Like, I just really vibed with it. I had to have it and I got it. And, you know, it was just one day I was like, man, what could I do with my ape where I could build ip around? And it just seemed happy. And I was like, what if I did the happy ape? And actually, my wife, she's a stay at home mother, I have three kids, and I, she went to college for writing, journalism, all of that. And she writes. She's always wanted to create a children's book or a book in general.
Creative Process and Planning
And I was like, man, I could definitely do something around ip for my ape where I created maybe a childlike version, and she could write these books because she's so good at it. I asked her and she's like, yeah, I would love to. And we started just, like, rifting on ideas, and I started laying out all these plans, and 2024 rolls around, and I have, like, this huge. I mean, like, I have all these pages of things just filled out, like, everything that I want to achieve, whether it's like, small goals or, like, big goals that may not even be attainable, to be honest.
Publishing and Collaboration
But I just wrote them down because if I get there. If not, hey, I have all these other little goals. And so far this year, I've just been hitting each one where my wife wrote the first book, and it actually includes IP from four different communities, bored apes, pudgy penguins, bears on the block, and moonbirds. And I have Ip in there from all these collections. And that's something I want to do is all these books that I have planned include IP from. From other collections. I've got to meet so many people in this space, and the ones that I'm using, their ip, they've all been, like, super grateful, you know, they're like, oh, I love this.
Community and Character Building
I can, you know, show this book that my ip is in it. Something I'm proud of, and I really want to provide that for others. That's just like one aspect of the happy ape is to grow together. And, you know, the brand is all about kindness, compassion, positive mental health. And that starts with children. You know, that's something that, you know, when you have kids, things change tremendously in your life. And I just want my kids to grow up and be kind to others. That's how I was raised. You know, you're not better than anybody else.
Kindness and Compassion
Like, show compassion, show kindness. And that's what we need to see more of, I think, in my opinion. So in this space, like being able to connect with families and, you know, everybody outside of web three, being able to build a character that builds value in children, I think would be amazing. Right? And I hope to do that with a happy ape through these published books. And then also, you know, there's plushies, I hope to have animated videos, clothing. There's so many different things I have planned, but it's, you know, just building one thing after another, right.
Future Aspirations
Just little by little getting to that end goal. I love that you're already beyond the book. You're actually building a brand, the happy brand, around a children's book. And I'm glad you went to incorporating the other communities because that's one of the things that immediately jumped out to me was, yes, you're building with your ape ip, but it's not just your ape ip. And, you know, I saw you'd license a couple pudgy penguins and you mentioned, you know, the moonbirds and the others like that. To me, like, this is web three, and the community support you're going to get is going to be the web three community sport, not just the support from the club.
Connections and Collaborations
And when we talk about working with others and pushing the space forward, I'd love for you to talk about what you're doing with iyk, whatever you're comfortable sharing, because this is one of the things, like, you don't. There's probably not a whole lot of connected books or smart books out there, whatever you want to, genre you want to put this into, but the, I know personally, you know, I'll benefiting and anyone actually that's working with IyK due to the efforts that you're putting in with the team to get it launched, where we'll be able to mint on Ape chain. But is there anything on that you're able to speak about, or is that the unshared alpha?
Technology Integration
No, I can definitely talk to it. And coming from my background, is in tech, and I've been a software engineer, software architect for many years now, and building a brand, of course I want to have some type of tech included. We're talking about the blockchain. This is the revolution. And this is, you know, what's going to be supporting the future. I honestly believe so. Honestly, the timing was just like perfect because I was searching for something that I could embed into the physical product. So I have these physical products, but how do I tie it back to web three blockchain? How do I do that?
Marketing and Production
I just started researching, trying to get ideas, and I had seen some stuff done with NFC chips, and I know they've been around for a while, but I saw Iyk and what they were doing. In order to sample, they sent me some tags, and when I went through their site, they just had the easiest to use site that allowed you to basically mint an NFT on various blockchains and then tie that to a chip, which then links right to your physical item. So I'm like, wow, this is like, so easy to do. And ape chain was rolling around, you know, and I'm like, I gotta use ape chain.
Incorporating Innovations
I mean, you have to, right? It's a no brainer. So I was like, iyk, I have an AIP coming out. I was like, I want a chain to be selectable, not just for me, for everybody. And I was like, could this be possible? And they were like, it's EVM compatible. I'm like, yes, they're like, 100%. So I'm like, if I get my AIP passed, I want to see, like, I want to see it as a selectable item for everybody. And they're like, we'll do that 100%. So as soon as a chain goes live, you know, Iyk and I, we're going to be working to make sure that is selectable for everybody.
Potential for All
And when you're using Iyk, if you're getting NFC chips, it doesn't matter who you are, anybody, right? We see nine DCC, like G money. He's using it for, you know, his fashion brand. Like, they could switch to ape chain if they wanted. They can mint something on ape chain. Like, it's going to be available for anybody using Iyk to power their chips. And I think that's super awesome. Moving forward, I think we're going to see a lot of mbas using ape chain NFC chips. And this is just another way for the community, like yourself with Borshaw, to be able to use this product and support your MBA.
Appreciation for the Community
It's going to be so powerful, I think. Appreciate you. Go ahead, cap. No, I was just saying thanks. Go ahead and feel free to get in here. But no, I do appreciate all the work you're doing to build out not just a thoughtful, happy ape brand and experience around all that you're doing, but keeping the ape ecosystem in mind as you're doing it. And the web three community at large, it's not, it's not went unnoticed. I appreciate that.
Collective Community Goals
Yeah, it's, I hope to really like, you know, grow this communities together and I think that's the way forward, honestly. Like, it's going to be together and we're all here for the same reason. And yeah, I think it's going to be super powerful once it all comes together and everybody sees what I'm really building. And I think that's, you know, I don't want to be harsh to anybody, you know, especially after we're talking about children's books, but it's going to be a big middle finger to all these haters when, you know, all these different amazing ips pop from this space.
Successful IP Integration
Because you got to realize there was tens of thousands, maybe a hundred thousand projects that came in 2021, 2022 and promised this IP and all these experiences and games and all this nonsense. But it was only like five. I think there's five to six brands right now, Us doodles, Suzuki, Pudgy Penguins, moonbirds. Yeah, I'm trying. I'm stuck on who else but that are really proliferating IP, and the IP is actually going places. And I love the fact that you, you took the time and you, and made the effort to include these other ips in your project, in your experience, in your books, because it's amazing that, you know, this IP is actually going touch kids and I, they're seeing characters that were birthed in a space that's very young that some people really don't think has that much promise.
Evolving Perspectives
And they always look down at IP and it's like, well, you can look down, you seem to look down there because you don't know what to do with it. And, you know, I get it. If you, if you don't understand something, then you may talk negatively about it. But at the end of the day, this whole space, our entire space, most people don't understand I'm talking about the crypto space. So you shouldn't be a naysayer if you're participating every single day in the space, in my opinion.
Support and Encouragement
So I love that I love what you're doing. We support it internally and externally in the community, and I want to go around the horn. I'll start with a happy ape. What do you have coming that we should keep a lookout for? You may have touched on it already, but is there anything else you want, folks? Because I have a hard stop at three captain to jump to another meeting, but I just want to give everybody a moment to go around the horn and let the folks listening know what they're working on.
Upcoming Projects
Yeah. The biggest thing will be my first book that I'm hoping to publish soon, which would include all those ips, kindness at the park. And then after that, I already have another book that I have written. I just. Jacopo is the artist that did the first book. He's going to work with me on the second book. Amazing artists in our community love him. Huge shout out. he's going to be starting illustrations for that book. And that book is going to be so special.
Community Collaboration
I can't wait to talk about it because it's going to be the book that every ape is going to want to read to their kids, if they have kids. it's going to be amazing. So I can't wait to talk about that one later on. and then plushies. I hope to have that at ape fest. It'll be my first one. So excited to, you know, be at ape fest and. And have these products there. So that's my goal, man. I ain't gonna lie.
Market Competition
Curious George better watch out for his market share because happy ape is here, baby. We cook it. We cooking next. It is. Oh, I hope I didn't forget. Doodles. Doodles is fucking cooking with their ip right now. Like, I hope I didn't forget to mention them. Love what they're doing. Let's go to Shaman. Shaman is on my screen. He's next up, man and shaman.
Future Directions
Yeah. What do you got coming up? I know it's a lot. Boy, we. We do have some fun stuff. We do some work with the NFL, some various teams. So we've got activations rolling out for. Oh, man. I think we got something for the Detroit Lions. We are continuing our Mercedes Benz Stadium experience. I already mentioned Ape vest Lisbon, so that might be the one that everybody gets exposure to the soonest, man.
Diverse Collaborations
We're doing Nike stores. We're actually doing a lot of random Nike stores and Middle east with, like, Alexandria, Egypt and Nikhil in Saudi Arabia and a bunch of other random stuff. So depending on where you are in the world, you may run into some of our work, you probably won't see our name bandied about too much because we are in the background a little bit, but no, we've got a ton of stuff coming up. We're growing.
Brand Recognition
Oh, and actually do keep in mind, if you guys are out in any college football games and you see a footprint print for Nissan, keep an eye out for your friendly neighborhood gen city labs, folks, because we will be a part of the tour again. So that and then a whole bunch more. Got a lot of stuff coming up, but no. Appreciate you guys having me today, by the way.
Looking Ahead
Thanks very much, cat. We may have to do, like, a live from the bodega recap or rerun and test tap back in with these guests in six months. All our apes to see how they're doing, right?
Excitement About Jet City Labs
Because I'm excited to see what Jet City Labs is up to. Jet City Labs, man. I will be on your page every day. Just try to. I'm gonna be in your DM's. Hey, man, what you cooking on, cuz? That's a tough. I love this, man. I love. I know it's like, it's. It's. We got to work with the small brands as well as the big brands. But I love that there's an ape that's working with these huge, established legacy brands, and if he's on a zoom and he's in the cameras is off. They see that ape shaman. We got to get you a better background color besides that, brother, man, you're.
Background and Colors
A green is where it's at, my man. Damn it, bro. Like, I wish we had a him on an orange or something, but. Or aqua even. I don't want to get jumped in to the comments, but he's repping that. That army green. He's the army green champ. So rf DZ, it's a tie between y'all, too, because RF DZ is the. Is the head meme for the. For the army green. So let's get to my guy. Guccida. Guccida. What's going on? What are. What, what do you have coming up that we should be on the lookout for besides that amazing puffer jacket? What do you got cooking, brother? Yeah, man.
Upcoming Events and Work in Lisbon
Well, I mean, this. I'm putting the next, you know, months of work into this event for a fest. So if you're going to be at a fest, you know, it's on the calendar. It's on the BAYC main calendar. So y'all will be there. I'm going. I'm actually going to Lisbon six weeks early. September 13, I fly out just to, like, I don't know, work from Lisbon, see what life is like living in Lisbon. Also want to, like, hunt down some good, you know, some local dj's for some of the events at the creative house. Maybe find some models to rock some of this gear. I don't know. But see us in Lisbon. House og happy hour fashion and art show is going to be off the chain.
Drops and Collectors
And then keep up with House og. Check the website, Houseoji xYz. Every drop I do, there's. There's a piece or two that's, like, really limited because I want to appeal to, like, the collectors, too. So the summer drops live, fall. I got some cool shit. I'm working on that right now. And, yeah, just follow along and looking forward to what's to come. Amazing. Amazing, man. Make sure y'all tap in with. With my guy, Gucci, the house og, the happy hour. He said it's gonna be Bob. Models and bottles, baby. My type of party. My type of party. That's right, cap.
Reflections on the Industry
Don't give me that look. I'm a South Florida boy. That's how we do, you know, saying, I think cap from Florida, too, he just ain't letting on, you know? And my guy, earnest, man, combat mode. Ernest, I think I may have thrown you a nice alley oop. I was so impressed by the story and so impressed by the craftsmanship. I sent it to somebody very special. Very, very special, and he was blown the fuck away. And he said he might be pulling up on you at the ape event this Friday. So just know that reference came from your boy. So when it's time for my bike, I need a little discount.
Upcoming Products and Collaborations
So let us know what you got cooking, brother. So, with the. Yeah, I appreciate that. I really do. Yeah. With the. With the new bike that we got coming out next year, the Hellcat, you know, we're going to be doing a lot of marketing, and I have some really good ideas for some cross branding with the ape. And then we also. We're. We've been in, I don't know, a dozen movies, three fast and furious movies, and background as background bikes, transformers. The last night was. Was actually Mohawk in Transformers. The last night was. Was our bike. And then. So we're. We're always. We always have our.
Brand Presence and Future Prospects
Our hat in the ring for. For jobs like that, and we. We have some stuff coming up. It's gonna be fun, man. You see, that was one of my questions that I didn't get to ask, like, has this. Has this bike been in any movies? Because there's so many actors that have been riding it, and you just dropped the bombs, like, oh, shit. Fast and furious and transformers. Like, man, yeah, the Transformers was really cool, but, you know, I was disappointed. Is that. Is that bumblebee blew his head off. The Decepticon? That was Mohawk. So unless they. I don't know, sometime working into the storyline that they super glue that dude back together, I don't think we're going to be in another Transformers movie.
Reflections on the Community
So. Is what it is. Yeah, they won't have to get. You know, there was multiple motorcycles and transformers. I think they better come back to combat motorcycles. I mean, the. That wraith. That bike speaks for itself. That thing is beautiful, man. Like, the craftsmanship. The craftsmanship. Like, so I'm telling you, cap, this has been one of my favorite NBA spaces. I know I'm gonna be, like, five minutes late to my. My next meeting because I got to give all you guys your flowers. I'm blown away. Ernest, you wanted to say something? Yeah, no, I'm good.
Final Words and Appreciation
All right, man. And we got. Last but not least, we got our. My guy, Apex press. Coco's on here. One of my favorite NBA builders, one of my favorite shit coin is my trench warrior brother and ape chain. I know all of us are bulls on ape chain. So Coco and Apex press run were in the request, so I had to bring them up, you know, see what's going on with my brother, man. How you feeling? What's happening, bro? What's happening, bro? I'm just out here.
Plans for Launch and Engagement
I mean, ace, we're ready to go. Like, the shit's built, we got it ready to go. We've been in the trenches. I've been in the trenches just trying to really kind of up my social capital so that when we do get to launch, I can move a lot of those people and port them over to a chain. So if you see me on the timeline acting like a maniac from my other account, you know it's all about the attention economy, right? So I've been. I just been going hard meme, coin in hard shit coining. But we have some really cool tools that everyone's gonna like. And another thing, I need everyone to follow this account, man.
