Bill Murray walks into members-only NFT party: I thought it was the ‘National Federation of Tennis’

Bill Murray is the face of one of the most prominent celebrities NFT collections, but like many that are not connected Web3 world, he didn’t really grasp the concept at first.

“I thought it was some kind of sports league,” Murray said Decrypt of the NFT acronym. “I didn’t know if it was the National Federation of Tennis or Tumbleweeds or what. I didn’t know exactly what it was. So when I found out what it was, I was really confused – even more confused [than] when I thought it was a professional sports league.”

But like his son Jackson described to Decrypt last yearthe 72-year-old comic legend of “Ghostbusters” and “Lost in Translation” fame became hip to the idea of ​​a tokenized project that was part fan club and part autobiography, but also a pass to events where holders can party with the comedy legend himself.

Last weekend, Murray and his partners at Web3 startup Project Venkman and comedy website The chives delivered on the biggest promise associated with The Bill Murray 1000 NFT Project: a members-only bash at a golf course in Oceanside, Calif., where the star cracked jokes, led putt and cake contests and chatted with fans for hours.

In the process Murray – which is known for crazy meetings with fansbut also be unavailable to even family and business partners—gave his die-hard fans their own “Bill Murray stories” while proving the model for an exclusive benefit NFT celebrity project.

But as Project Venkman eyes an even larger online collective of Murray fanatics alongside future live events, can it scale the project without diluting its appeal? And does this model translate to celebrities who don’t have the enigmatic allure of Bill Murray?

The Murray Experience

Goat Hill Park was festooned with Murray references big and small, both to his famous films and personal stories committed to Ethereum blockchain via its NFT collection.

During the six-hour event, the 100 or so Murray superfans could grab a golf club and take a swing at the flowers in the dirt — as he did in “Caddyshack” — play mule and prank ball games tied to his flicks, admire a demanding replica of the “Groundhog Day” ice sculpture, and eat omelets inspired by Murray’s apparent love of freshly laid eggs.

Fears that it would be a superficial appearance were quickly squashed as the actor graciously wandered into the crowd, greeting and hugging his paying admirers, taking group selfies and signing the leg of a die-hard The Chive (or “Chiver”) fan who had Murray’s face tattooed on the calf.

Members had been told in advance not to chase Murray, participants said Decrypt, but he didn’t seem to mind being in the mix during his three-hour stay. He even jumped on the microphone to take part in a pie-eating contest, describing the flavors and quality of the pastries to the audience.

“These are from Julian, California. Do not accept any substitute. They even try to sell pies in the same shape and design as Julian pies. Make sure you get the real thing,” proclaimed Murray. “Let’s hear it for the people in Julian: a proud, proud town of pie makers and drug dealers.”

He proceeded to fool the contestants — all bearded men, at his insistence — as they devoured the desserts in support of Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Murray then smashed the remains of a pie in the face of the winner, who called himself “Jabberjaws”, and then kissed the fan on his sticky lips.

“It tasted sweet with a sort of citrus finish,” Murray said Decrypt of the kiss. “But the blueberry really gave me those special, essential nutrients that you only get from blueberries.”

The “Caddyshack” icon later competed in a putting contest against the fans, and after sinking a long shot, threw the putter and kicked over a motorized gopher plushie inspired by the movie. He then ignited fireworks and pyrotechnics on the pitch – echoing another ‘Caddyshack’ moment – as Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812 Overture’ blasted over the explosives.

“Is anyone hurt?” he broke into spectators.

‘All are doing well’

Murray, who despite his sociable demeanor has a reputation as a challenging collaborator, said Decrypt that he only wanted to do NFTs if it could be fun and do some good in the process.

Sales benefited chive charities and other causes, while the event supported Goat Hill, which local took over and rehabilitated in 2014 after beating out rich developers eyeing the land. The NFTs themselves also highlighted stories and urban legends from Murray’s life and career, all compiled by the man himself before being put on the blockchain.

“It didn’t seem like such a horrible, mercenary thing for me to do. You know, I’m not much of a mercenary. I try not to work for money, but I accept it,” he joked. “It seemed like it could be quite an interesting project, and it made me focus on trying to remember the stories of my life before I forget them.”

An NFT is a blockchain token that represents ownership of a unique item, and while it can be attached to things like artwork and digital collectibles, it can also serve as an access pass. In Murray’s example, it’s all of the above: generative artwork by the actor, access to a written story from his life, and a ticket to a private community and live events.

The Bill Murray NFT falls on Coinbase NFT last year, primary sales generated a value of 857 ETH – over $1.4 million worth today. The first drop of Original Bill (“OB”) NFTs that gave access to the first event sold out in 30 seconds last July, Project Venkman CEO Gavin Gillas told Decryptand creators also take a 10% fee on secondary market sales.

Murray said that in the midst of crypto industry contagion the last few months, with fall of major exchange FTX and lowered crypto prices, he remained confident that his project would survive because it “deserves to exist” and “it’s good and it’s fun.”

“I don’t think anyone has lost their fortune, or their home, or their car, or their crib or anything like that,” he said of the Bill Murray 1,000 project. “I think everyone is doing well. I don’t think anyone was hurt at all.”

Murray described his role in today’s event as being on a film set and ad libbing on top of the script, adding his personal flavor to what his partners were planning. He admitted he wasn’t sure what the crowd would be like, but ultimately said the NFT owners remind him of other pop culture lovers he’s met over the course of his career.

“When I finally went to Comic-Con and met everyone, I thought it was a very, very sweet, very inclusive crowd of people — it opened my eyes quite a bit,” he recalled. “So this is my first real NFT experience here. And everyone is very much like Deadheads or Comic-Con people in that they have a cuteness about them, and they bring a friend or they bring a loved one.”

Repeat success?

Most of the attendees who spoke to Decrypt however, were not NFT supporters. They are not “dough” traders flip JPEGs for profit. They are Bill Murray fans and many have been part of The Chives community for years. Some described challenges in minting the NFTs, and said other members have helped each other learn the ropes of Web3 and avoid fraud.

Fans said the project had brought them into the NFT space, and some have bought into other collections; some have not. It is a collision with Web3, in that sense. But Murray is a unique force and personality, and his long-standing ties to The Chive (which he backed) provided a layer of confidence as OB buyers spent 1.5 ETH (about $1,850 then) to join.

Project Venkman, named after Murray’s “Ghostbusters” character and also backed by him, was founded around blockchain business solutions. However, after the NFT launch, it has completely shifted to supporting and expanding this project while developing similar clubs for other stars, along with other NFT celebrity models with a charity angle.

But does any of this really need an NFT? Fan clubs and members-only events predate Web3, of course. Venkmans Gillas pointed to the benefits of accountability and transparency on the blockchain, along with “flexible utility” for owners and the potential for network effects — that is, secondary market prices will pump as the project grows.

“If we don’t do a good job of keeping our community up to date, or do a good job of delivering, you could see a drop in price,” Gillas said Decrypt. “It keeps us honest, and it keeps us long-term invested in growing this community and working with our holders.”

Only “OB” NFT holders received a pass to attend the first event, while owners of the 882 later “Destinations” NFTs will gain access to select future events. The secondary collection’s theme suggests places outside of Oceanside, and Gillas teased that the next live event will be “nothing like this.”

Venkman aims to further expand the Murray NFT community with another drop focused solely on digital storytelling and experiences. However, considering that the biggest hook of the project is arguably the opportunity to meet and party with Murray, it may be a non-starter for fans.

From there, Gillas and the team plan to launch other celeb-centric NFT projects with tiers of access and benefits, using the Murray learnings as a template. However, most celebrities are not Bill Murray, who has been in the spotlight for nearly 50 years, yet still comes across as a relatively normal (albeit very funny) and relatable guy. He is unique even among entertainment icons.

Based on the excited reactions and comments, Murray succeeded in charming Oceanside attendees. Now the challenge is to sustain the project while throwing more lavish parties, attracting more fans without a live-event hook, and then trying to partner with other celebrities who can turn their own cult-like fandoms into tokenized clubs.

“We set the bar high today,” Gillas said. “Damn, I have to deliver beyond that.”