ZEROPOD SEASON 2 E2: "Positive-Sum Gamer" with Optimism's Chief Growth Officer Ryan Wyatt aka @fwiz
In Episode 2 of ZEROPOD Season 2, we dig in with Ryan Wyatt aka @fwiz about his first full year in the role of Optimism's Chief Growth Officer. Ryan shares how his leadership has helped to drive adoption of Optimism’s open source OP Stack and has attracted some S-tier partners for the so-called Superchain.We also learn about Ryan's interesting background as a lifelong gamer and esports streaming trailblazer, first with Machinima and later at Google as the head of gaming at YouTube. We discuss Optimism’s journey to becoming a powerhouse in Layer 2 solutions, what makes it the platform of choice for top companies, and the groundbreaking plans for seamless interoperability across the Superchain. Tune in for an inside look at what’s next for Optimism and the ambitious roadmap Ryan and his team have set for 2024 and beyond. And as always, if you enjoy this podcast, please mint and share it with your friends! --- Timestamps: 0:00 - The Bitcoin Millionaire Story: Ryan’s early experience paying creators in Bitcoin and its surprising outcomes 1:37 - A Swagged-Out Superchain Welcome: Introduction and Ryan’s first impressions of Optimism 2:15 - From Gamer to Growth Officer: How Ryan’s love for gaming launched his career in tech 4:00 - Navigating a Career in Gaming: The challenges and rewards of working in the gaming industry 6:36 - Early Days in Onchain Video Content: Ryan’s journey from Machinima to YouTube Gaming 9:03 - YouTube, Gaming, and the Crypto Transition: Moving from Web2 to onchain with optimism 11:06 - The Crypto Skepticism of Gamers: Ryan’s perspective on why gamers resist blockchain 12:50 - Memorable Moments at Google: Key lessons learned at YouTube and Google 13:50 - Why Ryan Jumped Into Crypto: Career shifts and finding inspiration in the onchain space 15:10 - Joining Polygon and Scaling Crypto: Early roles at Polygon and the vision for onchain scaling 17:57 - The Shift to Optimism and the Superchain: New challenges and the road to a collaborative L2 ecosystem 19:03 - What Does a Chief Growth Officer Do?: Ryan explains the role and responsibilities 21:01 - Unique Governance at Optimism: How collective governance shapes Optimism’s vision 23:01 - Retroactive Public Goods Funding: Exploring funding models that reward impact 25:05 - One Year of Superchain Growth: A recap of Ryan’s first year with Optimism and the ecosystem’s growth 29:33 - Coinbase’s Role in OP Stack Adoption: How Base helped drive the Superchain’s momentum 31:27 - Navigating Competitors on the Superchain: Collaboration and competition in the onchain world 33:50 - Solving Liquidity Fragmentation: Why interoperability is key to Optimism’s future 36:30 - The Future of Onchain Interoperability: Ryan’s vision for seamless cross-chain transactions 39:54 - Challenges of User Experience: Bridging, liquidity, and simplifying the user journey 43:16 - The Value of Open Source: How Optimism’s open-source approach benefits the ecosystem 46:13 - Looking Forward: 2025 Intentions: Ryan’s goals for the Superchain in the coming year 47:50 - Final Thoughts: How community and innovation drive onchain growth
The Future is Noun Space: Customized Web3 Experiences with WillyWonka and RealityCrafter
This weeks episode features Willie and Jesse, two trailblazers from the Nounspace team. Willie kicks things off by exploring the concept of fidgets—mini embedded frames and websites designed to enhance social media experiences. He highlights the uniqueness of this feature, noting that no other social app currently integrates it. Jesse envisions an AI-driven future where creating sophisticated web pages becomes effortless. You'll hear about Nounspace's innovative plans, like a platform for AI-generated mini apps and a fidget marketplace to boost user engagement. The conversation dives deep into AI's role in simplifying development tasks and the exciting possibilities of Web3 and decentralization, from customizable themes to token economies. Our guests also discuss the potential of open-sourcing fidget development and modular systems, enabling even the least tech-savvy users to create engaging digital spaces. Plus, you'll learn about Nounspace's strategic efforts to integrate fragmented tools for Web3 communities, aiming to make sophisticated features accessible without extensive coding skills. https://www.nouns.camp/proposals/647 00:00 Sold startup, built Bitfract, now at Shapeshift. 08:19 Support RFP process over Prop House for funding. 11:30 Big ideas, small community: customize your world. 20:06 Customize your space with tailored web3 functionalities. 22:21 Leveraging Farcaster for consistent presence and social experiences. 31:39 Building in AI, Web3, and decentralization. Exciting opportunities. 33:02 Creating apps easier; hosting and distribution challenging. 38:27 Underfunded project struggles against well-funded competition. 44:33 Focus on one target user; solve their problems. 50:16 Seeking funding; highlighting solid usage metrics, proposal simplified. 56:54 Exploring diverse communities for Noun Space hub. 01:02:01 Preparing to increase marketing and exposure soon. 01:08:33 Building a community-driven, rewarding, sustainable economy. 01:12:25 Exploring modular boosting features and programmable money. 01:16:19 Web three integration through accessible, user-friendly social networks. 01:21:34 Fortunate to build passionate, exciting, and meaningful projects. 01:31:21 Join nounspace.com: space token launch and community. 01:33:04 Subscribe, review, share, and vote on episodes. Music & Sounds By: Lakey Inspired ___ Want more content? Subscribe to my newsletter, Gramajo's Weekly (https://paragraph.xyz/@0xgramajo). Support the show (https://hypersub.withfabric.xyz/s/onchainalien)
Hyperactive Episode 5 - Red with Antimo FM
We walk-and-talk with freelance product designer, Antimo FM. Antimo shares his journey from growing up in Italy with a passion for comic books and illustration, his path to design, crypto, and Farcaster, and how he’s using Hypersub to build community and earn recurring revenue onchain.
Hyperactive Episode 4 - Narisofka's Gang with Sofia Komarenko
We walk-and-talk with artist, illustrator, and designer Sofia Komarenko. Sophia shares her journey from growing up in Siberia and Kaliningrad to becoming a professional artist. She discusses her influences from cartoons and games, her entry into the NFT space, and the challenges of the crypto winter. Sophia highlights the importance of physical representations of digital art and how she’s using Hypersub to earn recurring revenue, and build a community of supporters that help sustain her artistic practice.
Terminally Onchain with YB
We discuss the past, present, and future of YB's work, and how he's using Hypersub to earn recurring revenue onchain with Terminally Onchain.
The Tumultuous Road to Innovation with Brennen from Tavern
In today's episode, we delve into the VC world's growing interest in protocols, Brennen's unique perspective on the profitability of products over protocols, and his hands-on experience in the early days of Bitcoin and Ethereum. We'll also explore Tavern's journey, from its inception and funding struggles to its ambitious plans for improving user experience and integrating with other platforms like Polymarket. Brennen opens up about his ongoing battle with a grade two glioblastoma, the impact of heavy anti-seizure medication on his cognitive functions, and his determination to contribute to medical science amidst personal adversity. We discuss his philosophy of not comparing products before building, the importance of focusing on user activity rather than token-based incentives. We'll also touch on his past ventures, including innovative projects in digital art, decentralized wireless networks, and the growth of Tavern to nearly 2000 active monthly users. Plus, we'll get into his thoughts on the future of fully on-chain art and the crossovers between social audio platforms and betting markets. 00:00 Feeling stuck at work, started exploring entrepreneurship. 05:57 Mom's cancer led to quitting and startups. 15:24 Guy interested in selling product, collaboration begins. 16:53 Created Elementop, a decentralized wireless network company. 25:30 VCs invest in protocols, not applications or clients. 27:23 Investors seek higher risk, limited exposure opportunities. 33:04 Community-driven energy, financial connection, simplified user experience. 38:24 Health issues impact productivity and success. 43:36 Hospital recovery from coma, drugs, muscle atrophy. 50:24 Drug studies for large inoperable tumors take time. 57:20 Fundraising, code refactoring, scaling, open source goals. 01:02:46 Innovative approach to content sharing across platforms. 01:07:50 Excited about Polymarket, political integration, and communication. 01:13:50 Careful deployment is crucial for successful scaling. 01:15:05 Successful independent studio made most successful game. 01:23:47 BTC, binance, crypto, NFTs, ETH, art, expensive. 01:26:58 Discussion about wrapping up, asking questions, staying under 2 hours. 01:34:41 Thank you for listening, subscribe, share, suggest. Music & Sounds By: Lakey Inspired ___ CastOff/Episode Discussion, here (https://t.me/+oy6j0NBQObsyZjEx). Want more content? Subscribe to my newsletter, Gramajo's Weekly(https://paragraph.xyz/@0xgramajo). Support the Show (https://hypersub.withfabric.xyz/s/onchainalien). This whole podcast can be found onchain, check out my page if you would like to mint this episode. Want to ask me a question, want to hear about a specific topic, or interview a specific artist, send me a message. Want to give me feedback on this podcast? Please click here (https://app.deform.cc/form/514ed32c-fa61-47a5-8968-29d81aa2fbbf).
The Yon Experience with Yon Frula
We discuss the past, present, and future of Yan's work, and how he's using Hypersub to earn recurring revenue onchain with The Yon Experience.
Believe in Something with Jihad Esmail
We discuss the past, present, and future of Jihad's work, and how he's using Hypersub to earn recurring revenue onchain for Believe in Something.
many such cases ep 12: building for high-quality content with @dwr
on this episode (recorded “like a year ago”), @dwr joins @ted and @nonlinear to discuss the number one priority for farcaster right now: the challenge in creating a sustainable supply of quality content. we cover user engagement metrics, the current state of channels and what they could become, and how the team is thinking about enabling high-quality content through new features. @dwr also shares some of his insights on the power of text-based content and cultures on social platforms like twitter and what the emergence of AI-generated content may mean for these platforms. 00:39 farcaster’s top priority 01:29 challenges and strategies for building communities 07:30 reducing the barrier to high-quality content 15:20 the dominance of text-based content 18:35 in-group culture, power of memes, and AI-generated content 25:25 the future of channels
Going Viral Onchain
This episode welcomes Cooper Turley, Founder of Coop Records. Cooper is a recurring guest on the pod, though this time, we focus all of our attention on how to go viral onchain. Consider this a round table discussion where him and I share our insights, lessons learned, and debate our perspectives on the current state of the onchain creator economy. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
