No rest for the wicked…

Hope you’ve all been well, if you’ve been watching my stories via @Eric.Spiv.is.ur.plug over the last few months, been to my Events or heard me at one of my DJ sets or Speaking Engagements… You’ve probably seen me going a little crazy (in a good way, for all the right reasons, surrounded by all the right people). Needless to say, I’ve really been struggling to create time to send out this monthly mailer to all 40,000 of you. I’ve got some new exciting stuff to share though, so I figured we’ll bring it out of retirement. Here’s to hoping I can continue to deliver value to you all 🙂  

Quick storytime, so during Art Basel this past year between Moderating Panels for Coinbase, DJ’ing at various parties from The Moxy Hotel Rooftop to CitizenM and doing a handful of Speaking Engagements, helping my friend blow up factory town and even a nightcap of working on Kanye’s first Vultures listening party.. Somewhere within all of that, I came up with this wild idea to pitch having an Official New Friendship Tech Stage at this years NFTNYC Conference in New York at Jacob Javits Center. This is something they’ve never done before or allowed as they strictly do internal programming and have for 7 years… In the past i’ve gone from a speaker to fireside to keynote and even main stage host so naturally, I felt like this was the next progressive step and what’s the worse that can happen, they say No? At the end of Feb to my surprise, I got approval ( with a 30-day window) and the next thing you know I was scrambling handling the million moving parts that go into bringing ideas to life from raising budget, booking 24 speakers after sorting through and interviewing countless submissions, designing assets, producing panel topics and descriptions, creating a sponsorship deck, etc etc. Beyond all that, I ended up moderating these panels back to back to back, throwing afterparties, booked to Rap & DJ a handful of times across 7 days with events at OuterHeaven, a private gallery in Soho, another in the LES, some indoor skatepark in Brooklyn and even threw a banger with the DotConnector community at a speakeasy basement in the heart of little Italy. Needless to say, I left feeling like a million bucks, but also like I got hit by a million pound Cybertruck or G Wagon. The whole thing was documented and I can’t wait to share the valuable and extremely important conversations that were had on my 6 stages… After NYC I went to Toronto for a week as well, to scout venues as i’ll be looking at launching a New Friendship Tech TO come June. If any of you’d like to participate on a Sponsorship, Vending or other type of partnership, please don’t hesitate to reach out at [email protected]

I’m extremely grateful for everyone who participated, attended, sponsored and learned as without you, there’s no me/us. We had literally 100% retention on my stages and at least 2 women per panel (which has been a constant rule that I’ve kept as a way to lead by example since starting New Friendship Tech in 2022.) I just realized in 2 years, I’ve done a lot with this brand that I’ve not even formally announced publicly, bc of the momentum I’ve been running with.

• 20,000 Attendees across the top 4 major metropolitan markets in the US.
• 150+ Industry leaders in Art, Music, Fashion, Tech & Culture on my stages.
• Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible programs (that stark in contrast to the majority of global conferences, music festivals, and the tech & music industry at large.)

• 90% of the events included Free Entry, Drinks, Food, Education & Ent.
• Activations in the HQ of DeviantArt, as well as Samsung & at Top Universities.
• $250,000 Redistributed to attendees at the Ace Theater in Los Angeles
• Partnership Pop-Ups in Seoul, Tokyo & Singapore and much much more.

So I guess what most people would ask at this point is:
A. Why do so much and B. What’s Next?

A friend of mine named Illmaculate once said: “Since life is a test, I strive for the best, and use the art of war as my personal guide to success.”

That bar hit for me, because I’m constantly challenging myself and reminding others its never too late to reinvent yourself. The only way out is through, and sometimes you’ve gotta get out of your own way and just play f*ck around and find out. So the why here in this case is bc “I want to”, not bc “I have to” but that kinda flips when you have a ambition, a big purpose and mission involved.

As for what’s next? New Friendship Techwear & New Friendship Techno i’m most excited about, but you’ll have to wait and see what I rollout first :)

Beyond all the NYC activations, prior I got to DJ my friend Ashlee Belzo’s Puffdao 2 Year Anniversary, as well as Freize Art Fair Closing Party for another talented friend (Mary Lai) … The same week met Nas, Hit-Boy, Common & Brian Armstrong (founder of Coinbase) annnd as if that’s not enough, did a creative sprint Hackathon with A16Z & The Weeknd’s NPO HXOUSE … I’d like to say Karma did me well.

Not sure if I can chop it up as a Best Week Ever, but it’s definitely up there and i’ve got nothing to prove, but everything to share to hopefully provide some optimism, hope and faith in trusting the process and just goin out there and getting it. The opportunities are literally limitless in the world today, and it’s only gonna get better. Remember: The businesses of yesterday were created to sustain and survive the last 40+ years. It’s our job to create what the next 40+ will look like.

And as someone who doesn’t do much outreach or have the time to submit to things, nor has an agent, manager or rep to do such… I’m always extremely thankful for any type of considerations or top of mind people have me in. As an Advisor, Consultant, Marketing Strategist, Event Producer, DJ, MC, Host, Speaker, On-Air Talent, Designer, Creative Dir., Exec Prod., Talent Buyer and Mentor. it’s extremelyyyy difficult to exist in this manner, without having to niche down or dilute your personal brand to be considered because people A. dont’ know what you do or B. pin you as a generalist vs a specialist despite your abilities, network, knowledge, experience and accolades. Without people putting my name in hats in rooms i’m not in, this wouldn’t be sustainable, so again. Thank You.

Finally the last thing i’ve actively been building is this Metaverse Experience for Ice Spice featured below (if you want to vote and see the other ones, you can click the IG photo linked). Some of you know I’ve been building virtual worlds for awhile now, some of you didn’t know at all. Maybe I showed you a .Swoosh/Nike or Lamborghini one, perhaps the Stevie WilliamsDGK / Sk8pes one? Either way, A lot of people don’t want to believe there’s massive utility, value and merit in these digital landscapes. Meanwhile i’m watching companies like Bank Of America use them to train tens of thousands of staff in theirs. I think the destigmatization of this technology needs to start happening faster because there is truly countless amazing use cases that are really changing the game as we know it. Hell, even a very simple use case that I’ve made is teaching Elderly with dementia how to use Dalle, StableDiffusion, Midjourney then Runway and Aiva to allow them to create at their hearts desire and rewire their brains with familiarity through this creative process. It’s really incredible. From AI to AR, VR, XR, NFTS, SmartContracts, Crypto, Blockchain it’s all extremely important to get your hands dirty and play with a bit so you’re not left behind in the future. (This again, is why NewFriendshipTech events are important) We’re going through a digital renaissance with revolutionary technology in a world that’s still very much sustaining on antiquated and legacy systems. While new monopolies form through older ones clinging on, the opportunity is in the arbitrage between that shift.

If you’re in Los Angeles, you might know I’m one of the hosts/residents to Bananas! 🍌 The longest running independent music showcase in LA. On May 11th we have the main stage at the @lacountyfair featuring tons of diverse and incredible performers of all walks, our standard DJ sets & freestyle jam, some special giveaways and more! Come check out the games, rides, food, sights and sounds May 11th at The Fairplex. The link above has some video recaps of our past events and a special shoutout from Doja Cat (one of our many alumni out of 1,500+ artists booked. ✌️ 🎤 🎧

The LA County Fair began in 1922 on 43 acres of a beet and barley field. Now 500 acres strong, it’s one of the top destinations in Southern California during its run. The Fair sees more than 750,000 guests annually… Yeah, it’s kinda a big deal and if you missed our block party in Leimert Park or our stages at @southlapowerfest this is for you… 🪄 ✨ if any event collectives, brands, sponsors or platforms want to collaborate in the future just drop me a msg 🤝

Now for some fun stuff! Last month we gave away a couple hundred dollars to people who entered this contest and we’re doing it again thanks to ICP! Click the image below and follow the steps, the whole process takes 10mins to participate in the raffle.

WRLD CHNGRS is a revolutionary Web3 platform empowering individuals to become heroes, both in the digital and real world. Through unique NFT ownership, personalized experiences, and a vibrant community, WRLD CHNGRS fosters personal growth and drives positive world impact. The platform leverages cutting-edge technologies like generative AI to create a dynamic and engaging experience for every hero. Join the movement and be the change you wish to see in yourself and in the world. 

Visit the holding page [https://wrldchngrs.io/] and enter your email address for more information and to join our impact list. 

Follow: @WRLD_CHNGRS on Instagram & X (Formerly known as Twitter)

Want to be more involved in our journey? Contact: [email protected]

Familiar with Eric Prydz & Anyma? or Afterlife immersive music & art shows? Well, I’ve got one happening in China in a 40,000 person Arena that’s looking for additional sponsors and investors. It’ll be the start of a series with the second event happening in the fall in Macau. If this sounds like something you or someone you know would be interested in more information on, please reach out for the NDA/Deck etc. I’m also finishing raising for 4 other projects and looking for partnerships for the unique companies Im an advisor to so keep that in mind or ask questions for answers.

All that said, with my last breath.. I’m also currently looking for new opportunities, people to work / play / collaborate with, new contracts & roles… Although, Most importantly,  I’m also looking for teammates and investors for New Friendship Tech as I continue building it out to be the next SXSW meets ArtBasel / TEDx & Masterclass for it’s Los Angeles conference/festival debut & international syndication in 2025. If you think you want to contribute at some capacity or want to make an introduction, by all means reach out. solopreneurship is no joke. If you’ve seen the work i’ve done over the last decade and products i’ve shipped with zero resources and no actual team or staff, you can imagine what i’m capable of with budgets and runway.

In the interim, partnerships in Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Barcelona and Miami. This could be with products, services, venues, talent and more.  Also please don’t hesitate to tell me what you’re working on, this is an open line of communication to me and however I can help good people doing good things for good people I typically do (depending on time/cost assoc.)

<Breathe..> Now I’m blown away that I got to the bottom of this without talking about Coachella, Drake vs Kendrick or a multitude of other things that will have this email become a novel.

So that’s it, If you want more info on how to support any initiatives, just shoot me an email [email protected] or respond to this one.

Thanks for lending me your ears/attention for a bit today, remember the most expensive art in the world is the art of showing up.

^{Did you know that if you put 100 black ants and 100 red ants in a jar, nothing will happen? But if you shake the jar hard, the ants start killing each other. The red ants consider the black ants their enemies, and the black ants consider the red ants their enemies. The true enemy is the one shaking the jar. The same thing happens in human society. So, before we attack each other, we should think about who is shaking the jar.
Credit: Kurt Vonnegut}

FIN.
^{_{( I vow to never spam & I promise to keep the next one shorter as this is almost 3 mos. of catch up. )}}

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