The FULL Aku Story with Founder, Micah Johnson | Overpriced JPEGs #31

✨ SUBSCRIBE TO THE OVERPRICED JPEGS CHANNEL ✨ https://bankless.cc/jpegs  AkuDreams recently made headlines for their $34M smart contract mistake. But long before that, Aku founder and artist, Micah Johnson, was making headlines for his groundbreaking project. Aku became one of the first NFT projects to be optioned by a major Hollywood studio and is currently working with former Lucas film executives to develop a feature-length film using Aku IP. In his first press appearance since the Akutar auction, Micah Johnson, the former MLB player turned artist, joins Carly to discuss how to create lasting IP, what it was like transitioning from being a professional athlete to a professional artist to a CEO, why Unreal Engine is so important to the metaverse, and, of course, that notorious smart contract error. This is a project built to last a bear market, so don't miss it! ------ 🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER: https://jpegs.banklesshq.com/  🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST: https://availableon.com/overpricedjpegs  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🦊 METAMASK | THE CRYPTO WALLET https://bankless.cc/metamask  🔐 LEDGER | NANO S PLUS WALLET https://bankless.cc/Ledger  🖼 RARIBLE | MULTI-CHAIN COMMUNITY NFT https://bankless.cc/Rarible  ⚜️ GILDED | THE NFT TOOLKIT https://bankless.cc/Gilded  ------ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:05 The Smart Contract Error 13:06 How/When Micah Knew Aku Had Legs 19:44 The Transition From MLB to NFTs 22:24 Deliberate Practice in Business & Burnout 28:20 The Akutars Team 30:15 Why Unreal Engine & Interoperability 33:51 How the Suits Feel About NFTs 37:19 IP Business Model Shifts & Wallets 46:25 The Making of the Akutar Movie 50:37 Roadmaps, Community & Licensing 56:35 Aku vs. Akutars 1:01:25 Content Distribution 1:04:54 Timeline & The Future of Aku 1:07:32 NFTs & Professional Athletes 1:09:07 Updates on Micah's Nephew & Inspiration ------ Resources: Micah Johnson https://twitter.com/Micah_Johnson3  Akutars https://twitter.com/AkuDreams  ----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research. Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures