Dan Harmon’s new NFT series gives fans “Krap” control
The entertainment industry is getting serious about NFTs. For example, The Walking Dead metaverse has seen great success in the Web3 space, and even comic book publishers have used NFTs to change how they interact with their fanbases.
Now a major television network is doing the same. Co-creator of Rick and Morty Dan Harmon, Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL) and Fox Entertainment’s Web3 studio have teamed up with Rarible to release a series of NFTs for the upcoming animated series Krapopolisa show about a dysfunctional family of humans, gods and monsters in mythical ancient Greece, according to a press release shared with nft now.
The NFT series went live in a Thursday tweet with a video of Harmon graces his fans with the dark humor we love.
“Go get Krap Chicken now,” he began in the tweet. “I think we’re all going to be rich together. I think that’s how this works. If it doesn’t work that way, don’t sue me. And if you sue me, you have to do it for Krap Chickens.”
Fox Entertainment’s Web3 studio called the show the first animated comedy that fans will curate on the blockchain via NFT ownership. Krapopolis NFT collectors can unlock unique tools, including access to token-gated content, private viewing rooms, access to Discord channels, invitations to meet and greet with cast members and producers, merchandise, and voting rights to series.
BCL will release NFTs, a collection of Krap Chickens, on August 11th at Krapopolis.com. The collection will contain 10,420 unique pieces illustrated by Krapopolis animators and generated from a wide variety of attributes. All NFT artwork will derive directly from content displayed in the program.
Giving fans creative influence through NFTs
The ability for fans to use their NFT ownership to influence the show’s direction could be a model for the future of the entertainment industry.
“Bringing fans closer to content is always of the utmost importance, and blockchain opens up the possibilities for this in ways that have never been possible before,” BCL CEO Scott Greenberg explained in an email exchange with nft now. “[NFTs] will essentially streamline the opportunity for fans to offer creative input. After all, advertisers have been taking notes through Twitter and Reddit for years. The relationship between creator and fan has always been absolute. Even Vince Gilligan credits fan Kevin Cordasco with giving him the idea to reintroduce Gretchen at the conclusion of Breaking Bad. Dan came up with the idea for Krap Chicken NFTs and it will be amazing to see where the community takes it from here.”
Greenberg, the Emmy-winning producer behind it Bob’s Burgers, Central Parkand The Great North, says he is excited to be working with one of the premier NFT marketplaces in the Rarible ecosystem. The BCL team found Rarible’s low marketplace fees particularly appealing.
“This Krapopolis NFT Marketplace, powered by Rarible, will serve as a home base for the Krap Chickens community to buy, sell and trade their Krap Chicken NFTs with a one percent marketplace fee,” BCL President Melody Hildebrandt explained in an e- postal correspondence with nft now. “Over time, as we release more NFTs beyond the chickens, it will be like trading and bartering in ancient Greece, in keeping with the Krapopolis theme.”
As for NFT’s place in entertainment media, Greenberg says community building will follow as long as fans are the focus, and blockchain gives them a chance to hone that focus in a direct way. Given the enthusiasm of the fan bases of Rick and Morty and Society to engage with Dan Harmon and these shows’ creative teams, it’s a natural step to lower the barrier to participation in one of the beloved showrunner’s newest creations.
The BCL team is confident that the future of media and entertainment depends on how industry players use (or avoid) blockchain technology, arguing that Krapopolis is a model for the future.
“Traditionally, entertainment companies have operated in a one-to-many fashion,” Greenberg added. “This provides limited feedback and integration of those who consume the media. With the help of BCL, Fox Entertainment will transform that model by making this creative process more collaborative. This will change the entertainment industry and reshape the way people view content and how companies produce and distribute content .”
The show, which will premiere on Fox in 2023, features the voices of Emmy Award winner Hannah Waddingham, Richard Ayoade (of The IT crowd fame), Matt Berry (What we do in the shadows), Pam Murphy (Mapleworth murder) and Duncan Trussel (The Midnight Gospel). Dan Harmon will oversee the show’s production and its executive showrunner, Jordan Young.
