NFTLA - ParlayMe Style

Author: Ben Yurcisin

We sent two of our ParlayMe Tech Reporters to LA to experience first hand NFTLA and interview some of the most curious and creative minds in the Web 3.0 space!

Hear first hand from our reporter Ben Yurcisin about his experience.

It is difficult to put the magic that was NFT LA into words, but we will try!

It was truly one of the most epic weeks of our whole lives, and certainly one of the coolest business conferences we’ve attended.

ParlayMe Reporters Ben Yurcisin and Robert Galos

The energy felt throughout the community for the duration of the week just went to show that the power of blockchain is beyond the metaverse, it is real.

Although many of us never met or were known by online pseudonyms - it felt as if the room was full of old friends, with connections, laughs and friendship being shared left and right.

Aside from all of the education on web3 throughout the week, the amount of business relationships built and projects inspired is just a testament to the growth and scalability of the space. In short: NFTs aren’t going anywhere - and it is still early.

As we arrived in LA from the east coast, we naturally spent Day 1 chilling poolside in the sun to enjoy that Cali warmth after a long NJ winter! As we soaked in the rays (and caught some awkward looking sunburn), we mapped out what would become a week of epic proportions.

But before we kicked off the week, we had two orders of business: hit up In N Out Burger immediately and get some sweet wheels for transportation. We looked into renting bikes for the week, but in the spirit of entrepreneurship and Web 3, we instead bought used bikes off of Facebook Marketplace, with the intention of selling them for a profit at the end of the week. So we found two perfect bikes a few blocks from where we were staying, took them for a test ride and then rode off into the sunset to conclude our first night.

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The first official event we attended was hosted by the official partner of NFT LA: Superchief Gallery in collaboration with Rarible and Unicorn DAO.

“Superchief Gallery is an independent artist-run galler founded in 2012 by Edward Zipco & Bill Dunleavy in Brooklyn, NY - Superchief has a history of supporting artists from disparate scenes & collectives, enabling them to participate in the larger community. As a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary platform, Superchief Gallery is an extension of the cultural landscape in its most raw and honest form.”

The night kicked off with a DJ, a breakdancing pit, and networking with awesome creators in the web3 space. This energy really set the pace for the week with everyone super excited to chat with everyone about what they’re building in the space and potential opportunities for collaboration. We built a friendship with ChrisWood.eth, who we later found out is pioneering new forms of poetry and gave us an incredible performance during the conference. The night progressed into an insightful panel discussion featuring NFT enthusiast, Head of Community Programming at NFT protocol ZORA, and musical artist Latashá and other key heads from Rarible, Unicorn DAO and Superchief, followed by an awesome performance by Latasha! The week was already off to an amazing start - even before the conference kicked off! Needless to say, we were ready to dive into the week firing on all cylinders.

DAY 0

We kicked off with an awesome luncheon at Superchief celebrating the OnChainMonkeys project.

Ed the Superchief founder

including the amazing causes they’ve donated to and their upcoming Karma collection

The Food Network & Lisa Vanderpump's chef, Chef Penny Davidi prepared a beautiful display of meats, cheeses, fruits and more in a display that was a work of art in itself.