Everything you need to know about NFT Bubblegoose Ballers

“Sometimes you get so many voices in a room telling you what to do that you can lose your own voice. It is not uncommon for a television network to want to reach or market to a specific demographic. This can detract from the authenticity of a project – and this ‘authenticity’ has no place in our current cultural space.”

The quote above is a core tenet of Carl Jones’ latest project – part of the fuel launching the talented Boondocks producer and actor into the Web 3.0 realm. The project? Bubblegoose Ballers.

This Web 3.0 project is here to not only become the top project on Solana’s NFT blockchain, but also to disrupt the streaming/TV space. The renowned animation producer has been a creative force on projects such as The Boondocks, Black Dynamitee, Tyler the Creator’s Jellies, The last OGas well as several projects under way under his own animation studio called March blueberries.

Showing as The Boondocks have become culture disruptors, cult classics – still as relevant as ever due to their nuanced animation, strong social commentary and gut-wrenching jokes. But despite all that success, Jones will be the first to tell you that building a property with your own unique creative vision and voice is no easy feat, and can be downright impossible — even if you’re a veteran of the industry.

TV networks and streaming services tend to focus on creating things that reach the largest possible audience rather than something authentic; plus sole creative ownership is a rarity in television.

But things change. The new emerging technologies shaping Web 3.0 are putting a lot of power back into creative hands – especially blockchain technologies and Non Fungible Tokens (NFT). Now, before you roll your eyes, bear with me for a moment.

What is Web 3.0? For the uninitiated, Web 3.0 is a term coined to describe a new version of the internet that combines ideas such as decentralization, blockchain technology, NFTs and cryptocurrencies.

The biggest takeaway from Web 3.0 is that it has the potential to decentralize and even democratize many of the systems in place. If anything, these technologies are a skeleton key for creatives like Jones, opening the door to different avenues to get their story out there the way they want it without giving up ownership or relying on a gatekeeper.

Enter Bubblegoose Ballers.

What are Bubblegoose Ballers?

An idea born out of his childhood in Fayetteville “Fayettenam,” North Carolina, Bubblegoose Ballers is a 10,000-piece NFT collection with a growing and passionate community around it. With their help, Jones aims to develop a new series starring Bubblegoose Ballers – a show expected to be honest, edgy and even crazier than Black Dynamite or The Boondocks.

Using Web 3.0 technologies, the producer believes he can create original content and develop an active community around it—one that not only gets the opportunity to creatively shape Bubblegoose Ballers in real time, but also financially benefits from the project’s success. If done right, Jones believes he can build a multimedia company with a broad spectrum of creatives who can cultivate IP, build worlds and establish communities. In short, he plans to create the next generation of Pixar.

We sat down with Carl Jones to dive deeper into his Bubblegoose Ballers project, Web 3.0, NFTs and his animation studio.

Check out the Carl Jones Bubblegoose Ballers interview below.

The first idea for Bubblegoose Ballers can be traced all the way back to your childhood: How did you come up with it?

I grew up in a town called Fayetteville, North Carolina, “affectionately” known as “Fayettenam” during the crack epidemic. The ballers in my neighborhood wore “Bubblegoose Coats.” They were status symbols in the same way that sneakers are, or even NFTs today. It was all about the flex. The jacket told people you were successful and tough.

Looking back, the coat was ambitious for me. With that context, as a child I started drawing this goofy little goose in a Bubblegoose coat – a character that in many ways reflected my personality. The character just stayed with me over the years until I got the opportunity to launch a new TV series on Adult Swim.

We did a pilot episode around Bubblegoose Ballers, but I ended up walking out of the deal due to creative differences. The character remained in my sketchbook until I entered the Web 3.0 world.

Why did you feel now was the best time to pursue it? In your own words, why would the average Boondocks or Black Dynamite fan buy a Bubblegoose Baller? What about this NFT community that resonates with these target groups?

You can buy a Bubblegoose Baller. But I don’t really like to think of myself as someone who sells NFTs. I say that because NFTs have been stigmatized a lot because of the bad actors in the space. I like to focus more on the brand and the community building side of things. So this project is more of a continuation of what I’ve been doing my whole career. Blockchain provides just the technology needed to pursue the creative freedom I have been seeking.

I see this project as an extension of some of the properties I’ve worked on in the past – with the same distinct voice and cultural point of view. But now the fans participate in the creative choices that are made.

The community so far has been extremely supportive. I believe 100% that if we make this project successful, it will open the door for us to build an Adult Pixar in the Web 3 world, which is my ultimate goal.

What is your view on self-financing comics/media via NFTs? Do you feel like it’s going to change the kind of storytelling we see?

When I first started in the animation business, I was an artist, but I wasn’t 100% comfortable with my art being used as a vehicle for other people’s stories. So I learned to write. This allowed me to write and illustrate the stories that matter to me.

Likewise, I quickly learned that it’s going to be picked apart by leaders who all have “thoughts and opinions.” Sometimes you get so many voices in a room telling you what to do that you can lose your own voice. Or it is not uncommon for a network to want to reach or market to a specific demographic.

This can take away from the authenticity of a show. This forced me to become good at articulating and defending my work, which the networks did not take well. So here I am now with an extremely supportive community that has given me the leverage I need to make the Bubblegoose brand a success in the Web 3 and TV/Film world.

What is interesting is that the communities that have built up these brands can now profit from the projects they are passionate about. It really levels the playing field. It allows us to be more creative and puts the networks in a position where they have to be more open to creators, the different types of stories being told and different forms of storytelling.

With Web 3.0, “the people” tell the world what is hot or not. I don’t think people want to be sold anymore, but they still want to buy. Nevertheless, they want to buy a product they can really relate to and in some ways make them feel empowered.

NFTs, give people the opportunity to identify with something, to be part of a community and financial freedom.

How do NFTs affect communities around content? As a lead creator, is the increased engagement exciting or terrifying?

It’s very exciting, but also incredibly terrifying, to be honest. I remember I pitched a joke in the writer’s room and it didn’t land at all.

I don’t want to set myself up as someone who is infallible or knows everything about this new creative space in the Web 3.0 world. Within this community, I am always transparent about what we do behind the scenes – while moving through this process in a way that allows for mistakes. I am constantly learning new things about this new creative outlet and Web 3.0.

As long as I am honest and the community trusts me enough with the property, we will do many great things together. This relationship is what makes this project so much more special.

Most of the stories I’ve told throughout my career have come from real people or cultural moments. For example, I remember when I was working at The Boondocks, going on WorldStarHipHop every morning like it was the news. These real people and things happening in culture, in real time, would inspire the stories and characters we created.

We want to do something similar now with Bubblegoose Ballers, drawing directly from people who are part of our community – basically setting up a writer’s room with our community where members can shape the Bubblegoose story. As I come in at the helm and make the final cut.

As someone who works with HBO Max and Netflix, where do you see NFTs landing in the digital media landscape? Do you think streaming giants like these will enter web3 as well?

If they don’t, they will cease to exist. They need to understand that they are no longer building brands for an audience, but that the audience is building brands for you.

So instead of being money hungry and going as broad as possible with the concept so you can reach everyone and everything, I think they need to start focusing on smaller tracks. Take streaming services for example. Everyone is trying to reach as many people with the broadest type of content. They have to start looking at things differently.

Your animation studio, Martian Blueberry, recently released a series of otherworldly visualisers for Megan Thee Stallion’s latest album. Give our audience a brief overview and history of the studio.

We launched Martian Blueberry during the pandemic. There are a couple of reasons why the company needed to exist in my mind. Throughout my career there was a need to create culture-specific content and creative work. But there was no animation studio that truly understood the nuances, perspectives and references associated with the culture as a whole. While working with other animation studios, we spent a ton of time and money fixing projects. Even when it came to getting a certain facial expression on a character, we would end up sending tons of references just for a studio to get it right.

It may seem small or boring, but it is what can make or break a story. That’s what made Boondocks and Black Dynamite so special and set us apart from the other shows at the time. We were adamant about capturing the subtle nuances of our characters.

I am the type of person who believes in being the change I am looking for. I couldn’t find any studio out there that could accommodate our needs. Together with Love Barnett and Omar Clinton we started this small virtual studio – a studio capable of creating, producing and perfecting animation from anywhere in the world.

The Megan the Stallion project made sense. Anime has huge support from black people. They even coined the term Blerds. But there is no anime that represents us. Megan the Stallion’s love of anime is great for the community and allows us to explore what a black character in this space might look like. We have some other things in the pipeline with her. It was a good look and was one of the first projects seen by the public.

What advice can you pass on to Black creators looking to enter the ever-growing NFT space?

You must be original and unique. You have to find your voice and not compromise it. Web 3.0 is hungry for authenticity, but this is not a “get rich quick” opportunity. That kind of mentality makes people dishonest sellers. Then you find yourself pushing digital art, and this technology offers much more than another payday. Really think about the “why” of it all and the long term goal of what you are doing.

Finally, do your research and take the time to look at all the possibilities the technology offers. This is a huge opportunity to change people’s lives. You should take full advantage of that.

Meanwhile, Marina Abramović hopes her NFTs inspire a new generation of heroes.