NFT
Neo and consulting firm Degenz.wtf announced a $150,000 joint sponsorship for Shadowbrother Sunday, the directorial debut of actor Alden Ehrenreich. The short will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be followed by a charity auction in New York on June 9th featuring physical NFT memorabilia on the Neo blockchain.
Shadowbrother Sunday tells the story of a struggling musician who returns home in a desperate act to steal his younger brother’s computer on the day of his movie premiere to sell it to the paparazzi.
The movie represents a new direction for Ehrenreich, known for his acting roles in movies like Solo: A Star Wars Story And Cocaine Bear. With Francis Ford Coppola as executive producer, Ehrenreich ventures into writing and directing for the first time. Coppola’s extensive filmography includes influential works such as The godfather trilogy and Apocalypse now.
NFT memorabilia
The premiere will be followed by an after-screening party organized by COZ and Degenz.wtf, where attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an auction for a new NFT collection. These NFTs are linked to original, physical 35mm film frames from Shadowbrother Sundaybecoming the first Hollywood memorabilia to be minted on the Neo blockchain.
The memorabilia is embedded with the same “non-fungible item” technology as the OneBand, which stores a secure private key known only to the device and is wirelessly controlled using NFC. This NFI can be used to confirm ownership and power various digital applications.
This partnership came about after Neo’s activation event at Consensus 2022, where booth visitors could use NFTs to unlock a physical chest to win various Neo token prizes and special engraved coins. Degenz.wtf co-founder Tyler Pintar commented:
“When we committed to supporting Alden Ehrenreich and his vision for Shadow Brother Sunday, we immediately saw this as a unique opportunity to provide fans with an unprecedented level of engagement with the film. Working together with COZ and Neo, we have been able to bring this vision to life in a better form than we could have ever imagined and we look forward to working together in the future.”
Charity Auction
Following the more recent Neo activation at Consensus 2023, OneBand rings will be used to Shadowbrother Sunday auction bidding process. OneBand, a physical ring cryptographically bound to an NFT, was developed through a joint effort between COZ and AxLabs. In a press release, Tyler Adams, CEO of COZ, gave a mix of use case examples:
“OneBand has tremendous potential for use in a variety of industries, including gaming, brand activations, POAP, financial transactions, verifications and more, all contributing to the broader growth of the smart economy.”
Consensus 2023 attendees, along with some special A-list guests, are invited to the event. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to Red Eye, a non-profit organization dedicated to building a brighter future for children in the entertainment industry through 24/7 community support.
Ehrenreich also commented on the auction, sharing a positive view of the potential for new funding methods to empower content creators:
“I had a great experience working with Degenz.wtf and Neo; the support they gave made it possible to make my film exactly the way I wanted it to be. The idea that alternative forms of film financing can offer artists more creative freedom and opportunities for experimentation is very exciting to me.”