The Bad Posture Podcast by Daniel Witcoff

Latest Episodes:

BP#9: Will Perliter (Co-Founder, R&R Records) on Selling Art Without Selling Out, Finding Your Edge, and Knowing Your Art History Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

On this week's episode, we're joined by artist manager and label owner Will Perliter. In addition to being one of the most thoughtful and creative minds that I know, Will has fought alongside some astounding musicians. From Dijon, to Adam Melchor, to Mt. Joy, to Baauer, to songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. (currently sitting on a # of Grammy nominations for his work with Adele), Will's roster is a beautiful example of artistic integrity that sells. Will also possesses a unique balance of creative and strategic intellect. If he wanted to, he could score his own film and then calculate all of his own royalty earnings! In this episode, we talk about quite a few topics, ranging from art history to the exact moment Will knew he'd be more useful on business side of the arts than he would be as the artist, himself. Whether you're an artist, someone already in the business, or looking to get into the business, there’s something in this conversation for everybody. ----------- Follow Will on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/perliwhites Check out Will's label: https://rr.digital/ ----------- Interested in learning more? Subscribe to "Bad Posture" on your favorite platform and: Follow Bad Posture on Instagram - https://instagram.com/badposturepodcast Follow Daniel on Instagram - https://instagram.com/danielwitcoff Follow Daniel on Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@danielwitcoff Follow Daniel on Twitter - https://twitter.com/dontfightghosts

BP#8: Playlister Melanie McClain on Writing Your Own Story, Setting Boundaries, and Knowing When To Jump Nov 09, 2022

Show notes

For today's episode, I brought on my good friend Melanie McClain, a curator, founder, and absolute powerhouse. I first met Melanie a few years ago when she was a publishing A&R at Secretly Group (Bon Iver, Phoebe Bridgers, Khruangbin). Funnily enough, we both went on to have a then-client write for Beyoncé's latest album. A 2021 Billboard Magazine "Change Agent," Melanie helped break artists like Burna Boy, Rosalía, Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion, and G-Eazy, and is the current Head of Community at P00LS, as well as the founder of Blurred Lines. In 2020, Melanie founded the international tastemaker-focused community and agency, Blurred Lines. At P00LS (a web3 company), she helps brands and polymaths in music, fashion, and sports like Ronaldinho, Evan Mock, Aluna, Carlita, Lasha and Cultured Magazine build worlds and give their community access to experiences with social tokens. Melanie’s past roles include Hip-Hop and African Music Playlist Curator at YouTube Music, Publishing A&R at Secretly Group, Head of Digital Culture at Sean Parker’s Airtime, Experimental Music Manager at Budweiser and Staff Writer at Solange's Saint Heron. In this episode, we talk about the importance of writing your own story, setting boundaries, and how to know when it's time to jump careers. - Follow Melanie McClain: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/melknee/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Melknee Website: https://melaniemcclain.com/ Interested in learning more? Subscribe to "Bad Posture" on your favorite platform and: Follow Bad Posture on Instagram - https://instagram.com/badposturepodcast Follow Daniel on Instagram - https://instagram.com/danielwitcoff Follow Daniel on Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@danielwitcoff Follow Daniel on Twitter - https://twitter.com/dontfightghosts

BP#7: Director Justin Clough (Halsey, Florida Georgia Line) on Managing Egos on Set, Why Execution Is King, and How to Give Feedback to a Creative Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

For today's episode, I brought on my good friend Justin Clough, a filmmaker who has worked with Halsey, Florida Georgia Line, Morgan Wallen, and many others -- and he's only 28!

I first met Justin during the Summer of 2016 while shooting the music video for "Crossfire, Pt. II (Feat. Talib Kweli)," a follow-up to an immensely popular song by another friend of ours, electronic artist Stephen. It was my first time in Nashville, the shoot was three days away, and the first words out of Justin's mouth were "we need to build a giant glass box that can fit the lead actor...and then we have to do that two more times."

For the next three days, I watched in awe as our director hand-built these boxes in the Southern heat, his body turning bright red from the blistering sun. Needless to say, nobody should ever question Justin's work ethic. Justin also excels as a story-teller, editor, and on-set collaborator, with an ability to manage his own ego that's highly unique on a film set.

In this episode, we hear Justin's thoughts on perfectionism, the various complexities of working with big personalities on a shoot, the balance between creativity and execution, the best ways to give, receive, and seek creative feedback, and why "Titanic" is the perfect film.

Interested in learning more? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform and:

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Follow Daniel on Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@danielwitcoff

Follow Daniel on Twitter - https://twitter.com/dontfightghosts

BP#6: JJ Parker (Manager, Harry Hudson) on the Mindful Pursuit of Greatness, the Power of Somatic Therapy, and the Truth About Trauma Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

For this week's episode, I spoke with JJ Parker, longtime manager to pop artist Harry Hudson, as well as a creative director who formerly ran a record label for Will Smith. JJ and I first met at a mutual friend's art exhibit and have been connected ever since. One of the most thoughtful people I know, we dive into what it was like growing up with a professional athlete, his multiple chapters in the music industry, somatic therapy, hustle culture, and finding balance whilst pursuing greatness. For anyone struggling with that last bit (most of us), there are plenty of gems in here. Interested in learning more? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform and: Follow Bad Posture on Instagram - https://instagram.com/badposturepodcast Follow Daniel on Instagram - https://instagram.com/danielwitcoff Follow Daniel on Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@danielwitcoff Follow Daniel on Twitter - https://twitter.com/dontfightghosts

BP#5: Wil Lee (Founder, The Littles NFT) on Building an Audience, Finding your Voice, and Work-Life Balance Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

For this week’s episode, I chatted with Wil Lee, the visionary founder behind NFT project The Littles. A shorter episode (~ 45 minutes), I was blown away at the philosophical and poetic nature of Wil’s mind and can’t wait to have him back in the future.

If you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing and leaving a rating/comment!

A serial entrepreneur based in Vancouver, Wil has been successful for a long time. And yet, like so many in Web3, he has finds himself energized like never before when building family-oriented NFT project The Littles.

In this episode, you'll learn about Wil’s backstory, how he got into Web3, the incredible backstory behind The Littles, how to grow a following, finding your authentic voice, work life balance, and much more.

Follow Wil on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wilxlee

View The Littles: https://thelittles.io/

2:00 - Background and how Wil got into crypto

7:00 - Origin of The Littles and the importance of emotion to an NFT project’s success

12:00 - How to build a twitter following, find your voice, and endure criticism

26:00 - Work life balance and the irony of starting a project inspired by your family, only to find yourself drowning in obligations

36:00 - Daily practices for cultivating clarity of thought and the humor in basing your blueprint for success based on someone else

41:00 - What’s next for The Littles and book recommendations

Interested in learning more? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform and:

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Follow Daniel on Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@danielwitcoff

Follow Daniel on Twitter - https://twitter.com/dontfightghosts

BP#4: Digital Artist YON (Peaceful Groupies ) on Finding Your Style, How NFTs Contribute to Art, and Artists' Responsibility to Collectors Feb 03, 2022

Show notes

Growing up in the rural province of Chaco, Argentina, YON wasn't exactly destined for artistic success. As one of the poorest regions in Argentina, most households are focused on getting their kids educated and employed; they can dream when they're asleep. Growing up with neither resources nor the support of his parents, a young Yon made the decision that he was going to pursue life as an artist, regardless of the outcome. If he ended up broke and alone, at least he'd be doing what he loved.

In this episode, you'll learn about Yon's backstory, cultivating internal validation, getting banned from Reddit, how NFTs finally clicked with him, and navigating the difficult balance of his dual responsibilities to himself as an artist and those that have invested thousands of dollars in his work.

Follow YON on Twitter: https://twitter.com/botfrula

View the Peaceful Groupies: https://t.co/p984EtqzRn

Check out the Discord: https://t.co/A2wBk5yXOp

0:00 - Intro

1:45 - Growing up in Chaco, Argentina

10:00- - Internal vs. external validation as an artist

13:00 - How Yon’s “Assface” character convinced him he was a real artist

15:00 - Making album covers, getting paid in crypto, and getting banned from Reddit

21:00 - Being bewildered with crypto and blockchain

25:00 - Selling Counterstrike Go weapons for Bitcoin and finally understanding NFTs

35:00 - The origins of PEACEVOID and the Peaceful Groupies

38:00 - Overcoming FOMO, launching and selling out PEACEVOID

50:00 - Mo’ money, mo’ problems

54:00 - Launching a project in bull cycle; dealing with holder anxiety during bear cycle

62:00 - Navigating the balance between responsibility to holders and responsibility to the art

71:00 - What’s the big vision for PEACEVOID?

75:00 - What’s on the horizon for the Groupies?

78:00 - Yon’s advice on how to get noticed as a Web3 artist

Interested in learning more? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform and:

Follow Bad Posture on Instagram - https://instagram.com/badposturepodcast

Follow Daniel on Instagram - https://instagram.com/danielwitcoff

Follow Daniel on Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@danielwitcoff

Follow Daniel on Twitter - https://twitter.com/dontfightghosts

BP#3: Andre Benz (CEO, SoundMint) on Building Trap Nation, The Problem With Songs As NFTs, and SoundMint's Solution Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

In 2012, Andre Benz launched Trap Nation on YouTube in order to create a playlist he and his friends could listen to while playing RuneScape. Just 15 years old at the time, the nascent channel exploded almost overnight, with Andre masterfully scaling it into one of the most successful music networks on YouTube, as well as a formidable record label which was approached for acquisition by every major label on the market.

Today, Andre is the co-founder of SoundMint, a generative audio-visual platform that believes the current version of music NFTs aren't incentivizing enough for fans...or even the musicians minting them.

To date-, the most popular incorporation of music into NFTs is to fractionalize ownership of a song and imbue it with some type of utility, whether that be giving holders a special access to the artist, letting them have input in the creative process, or discounts to merch and shows.

SoundMint believes that this format is more akin to a Patreon than a way to provide true value to holders, and they think they have the solution, which you'll learn about in the episode.

SoundMint is doing their first public drop with musician KLOUD and visual artist Alex Hookertomorrow (01/14/22)!

Learn more at https://soundmint.xyz/

0:00 - Intro
4:00 - Building one of the fastest-growing channels on YouTube at 15 years old by waking up at 3:00AM every morning
18:00 - Losing $100,000 during the 2017 ICO ("Initial Coin Offering) boom and getting jaded on crypto
23:00 - Skeptically returning in 2020 and how the utility of blockchain and NFTs finally won him over for good
28:00 - The origins of SoundMint and transitioning from the music industry into Web3
33:00 - How SoundMint uses generative technology to revolutionize music-based NFTs
37:00 - Why should musicians care? Why should collectors/fans?
43:00 - How SoundMint actually works
50:00 - Should every Web3 company start as a DAO?
56:00 - The long-term vision and biggest threats to that vision
59:00 - Andre's closing thoughts on protecting your mental health in Web3

Follow Andre, SoundMint, and its founders on Twitter:

SoundMint - https://twitter.com/soundmintxyz

Andre Benz - https://twitter.com/benzspeaks

Paris Blohm - https://twitter.com/ParisBlohm

De-Fi Brian: https://twitter.com/DeFi_Brian

Interested in learning more? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform and:

Follow Daniel on Instagram - http://instagram.com/danielwitcoff

Follow Daniel on Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@danielwitcoff

Follow Daniel on Twitter - http://twitter.com/dontfightghosts

BP#2: Moti (Community Manager, Cryptoadz NFT) on Building Great Communities, the Power of CC0 Licensing, and Pseudonyms in Web3 Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

In Episode #2, we interview MotivateMe.eth the pseudonymous community manager for Cryptoadz by Gremplin. Moti (moh-tee) came for the flip and stayed for the community, helping to launch one of the most successful NFT projects to date, bringing in more than $200M in only a handful of months. He's self-aware, cohesive, and incredibly patient, helping maintain the !vibe for more than 14 hours every day. If you're interested in how to build great NFT communities, why a project would choose to use a creative commons license (nobody owns the IP!), or how to participate in Web3 without being rich, this is the episode for you.

Learn more about Cryptoadz:

Follow Moti on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MotivateMeV2

Check out the collection on OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/cryptoadz-by-gremplin

Get updates on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cryptoadzNFT

Hang out with the community on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/cryptoadz

0:00 - Episode Overview
5:00 - How a community manager allocates his time (14+ hours online per day!)
9:00 - From CryptoPunks to Cryptoadz
17:00 - Moti's favorite NFT projects (based on strength of community)
20:00 - Why he uses a pseudonym rather than his real name
28:00 - Vulnerability, mental health, and how the lottery dynamics hijack our emotions
33:00 - Dealing with jealousy and how to network in Web3 (without being rich)
40:00 - Building great communities in Web3
44:00 - How he evaluates NFT projects
46:00 - Why Cryptoadz uses a CC0 license and has no roadmap
54:00 - How a community manager recharges their mental health

Interested in learning more? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform and:

Follow Daniel on Instagram - http://instagram.com/danielwitcoff

Follow Daniel on Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@danielwitcoff

Follow Daniel on Twitter - http://twitter.com/dontfightghosts

BP#1: Daniel Allan (Musician) on Self-Reliance, Being an Independent Artist in Web3, and Raising 50ETH (~$200,000) Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to The Bad Posture Podcast, hosted by Daniel Witcoff.

Every other week, we'll bring you an interview with the artists, entrepreneurs, engineers, and innovators building the metaverse.

In Episode #1, we interview Daniel Allan, the 24 year-old musician who made headlines by independently raising 50ETH for his Overstimulated project. At the time, that amounted to ~$200,000. Not too shabby.

From learning English as a second language, to teaching himself to make music, play D1 tennis, and reinvent himself as musician in the age of Web3, Daniel's entire story is interwoven with a beautiful self-reliance and willingness to bet on himself.

You can listen to Daniel’s latest single here, and take a look at his crowdfund campaign here.

Follow Daniel on Twitter:https://twitter.com/imdanielallan