In less than a week, a niche community of globetrotting token-toting deejay-dancing decentralizers will convene for a week of wagmi at the first-ever NFT LA in Downtown Los Angeles, March 28-31.
The sold-out conference, which kicks off with a highly-anticipated opening night party on March 28th, is centred around curiosity, connection, and co-creation. NFT LA touts conference panels and tracks featuring some of crypto’s most innovative and entrepreneurial minds. The 3-day event features 250+ NFT, web3 and culture pioneers to shape the conversation—fused with metaverse integrations, NFT art exhibitions, and keynote speakers. To facilitate the future of this burgeoning industry, NFT LA has been meticulously curated by its founders, Edge of NFT podcast creators Eathan Janney, Jeff Kelley, and Joshua Kriger, in partnership with executive producer and co-founder Zach Sekar. The conference takes place at the L.A. Live entertainment complex adjacent to the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena.
NFT LA Speakers include:
Mark Cuban, billionaire and prominent tech personality
Baron Davis, NBA legend and founder of Black Santa
Jennifer Esposito, actor, artist, writer and founder of FreshKills
Baron Davis, NBA All-Star and Black Santa
Robby Yung, Animoca Brands CEO of North American operations and
David Wachsman, founder and CEO of Wachsman PR
Organizers are poised to present what’s next in NFTs to a zealous audience of 3,000 official attendees. With many crypto enthusiasts travelling for the social currency and afterparties, estimates for total community participation are expected to be 15,000 people. “We want to do it for the community in Los Angeles—but also for the broader NFT community to see what’s happening in LA,” Kriger said. “Los Angeles should be a mouthpiece for what’s possible in a blockchain creator economy.”
VIP ticket holders will have guaranteed access to special opportunities including invite-only receptions, exclusive parties and performances, VIP networking opportunities, the VIP Lounge, and a gigantic inflatable immersive art and music dome park. In addition to partnering with Superchief Gallery to spotlight artists, NFT LA is working with Authentify Art to bring experiential gallery experiences. “It’s convenient that we already have a deep connection with the city already, Janney said.
Wisdome.LA
Rather than replicate a familiar event model used by other crypto conferences, NFT LA founders want to bring friends to the table and welcome the crypto-curious. Unlike trade conferences that utilize multiple venues, NFT LA will take place primarily under one roof on one main stage at the L.A. Live entertainment complex. More than a lecture hall, the conference has been designed to function like a bustling NFT university campus. Breakout sessions and special tracks of approximately seven talks among six different categories have been programmed to facilitate deep-dive discussions in smaller groups. Participants will explore ideas and subjects related to the creator economy, arts & fashion, impact and investment, sports & entertainment, and the metaverse.
Although this is the first NFT LA event of its kind, its founders share more than a decade of partnership and events management experience between them. “The key for us has always been getting the right people in the boat with us, and aligning with the right people that are genuinely interested in this space and passionate about what we’re doing,” Jeff Kelley said. “Our core team is here with us in the boat, working hard day in and day out, living and breathing NFT LA,” he added. “There’s so many moving parts to dial it in the way we want, and our vision flows from our core team outward.”
Edge of NFT podcast
EDGE OF NFT
NFT LA founders Josh Kriger and Jeff Kelley first began to collaborate with Zach Sekar in 2017. The ICO boom that provoked thousands of companies to hedge their investments with ethereum spiked a renewed interest in blockchain technology, which aligned them with Sekar through a shared interest in event-driven awareness for NFT projects. Co-founder Eathan Janney approached Kriger and Kelley with the idea of launching a podcast about NFTs as a way to spark curiosity and inspire learning. Edge of NFT became their initial platform to co-create a community, with ambitions to produce events as a natural extension. Their collective vision to unite the community achieves a major milestone on March 29th, when Edge of NFT celebrates its 1-year anniversary on the first day speakers take the stage at NFT LA.
Edge of NFT is currently listed among top 50 tech podcasts. “If you Google NFT podcast, we’re pretty much coming up number one consistently at the moment,” said Janney, whose extensive podcast experience anchors the team. Edge of NFT reaches a global audience across several platforms, with listeners in places like India, Japan, and Singapore, in addition to its U.S. audience. “Each podcast is like hosting its own event,” Janney added. “It’s like sitting down in a room with all those people.” While establishing its reputation, Edge of NFT became an access point to cultivate relationships they are now leveraging for the benefit of the crypto community at large.
Living Tree NFT
LIVING TREE NFTs
After giving away more than $50K in NFTs and prizes courtesy of the Edge of NFT podcast, the collaborative team of Kriger, Kelley and Janney are releasing a generative art collection called Living Tree NFTs. Each PFP tree in the collection of 5,555 tokens will vary by colour, branches, and a small icon that represents one of the first 50 Edge of NFT podcasts.
“Co-creation, collaboration, and community are all written into our DNA,” said Janney, who is the project’s conceptual artist and creator. “These NFTs are symbolic of this. They’re not only trees because we’re planting trees, but because we’ve formed deep roots; our lives are intertwined with our audience and community,” he added.
Living Tree NFTs will play a role in future events–like exclusive passes to NFT LA. By offering access through membership, tree holders have a voice for podcast suggestions, feedback and comments, show topics, and ideas for featured guests. “We can offer special benefits like presale lists for projects that come on our show or sponsors,” Janney added.
For each NFT that is sold, 25 trees will be planted. Living Tree NFT has partnered with Carbon Fund to facilitate tree planting, which helps boost crypto donations for nonprofits. Carbonfund.org makes it easy to reduce and offset climate impact through carbon offsets and reductions.
“What we’re doing together is special and integrated,” Kriger said. “Sharing our audience, growing together, spreading our roots, and turning ideas into blossoming possibilities.”
