The overwhelming majority of blockbuster Hollywood movies that you watch are created and financed by a very exclusive group of stakeholders with a lot of power and money, and little motivation to change the way things work.

This might be good for the powers that be, but it’s not so good for the creatives, producers, financiers, and fans that aren’t part of this exclusive group.

Blockchain technology can change that. It can democratize the film production value chain in a way that’s more equitable for all stakeholders involved.

Let’s dive deeper into what a blockchain is and why we at Mogul are using it to change the future of film.

What Is Blockchain Technology?

When you think of a database, what images come to mind? Perhaps you think about spreadsheets, or maybe a server that stores sensitive information related to business, banking, customer data, or other vital pieces of information that you might use either for work or personal reasons.

Ask yourself, what do each of these vital pieces of information have in common? They all typically live on centralized servers that computers need to access in order for you to make use of the data.

The problem with hosting on centralized servers is that centralized servers can be hacked.

A blockchain is a decentralized server. It is essentially a community of users lending their computing power to a network that doesn’t have a focal point of attack. Data can be stored in a secure and trustless environment in such a fashion that a hacker can’t get to it because there is no central server storing all of the information in one place.

Another Reason a Blockchain Is More Difficult to Compromise

Imagine a strand of DNA. You know, the classic image of a helix you learned about in high school biology class?

A blockchain organizes data into groups or blocks, and these blocks are tied together. The only way to reveal the data hidden within each individual block is to unlock every other block in the chain.

While it is technically possible to do this, once you have thousands or millions of blocks of data in reality it’s nearly impossible to steal that information.

What Can Blockchains Be Used for?

Mogul uses the blockchain to allow users to vote on movies they think should go into production and be financed by the Mogul community. We also use the blockchain to distribute STARS tokens to users and provide proof of ownership to the NFTs we create.

That includes not just the NFTs that represent Mogul Access Passes, but also the unique works of art and intellectual property created by Mogul-funded films and events, like the artwork created by Marvel and DC Comics artist Rob Prior.

The reality is that blockchain technology itself is just a decentralized database where information is stored, secured, and validated by users. The information itself can be related to anything you can think of. In the case of Bitcoin, the data stored on the blockchain is related to currency or exchanges of value.

In the case of Ethereum, data can be related to currency, NFTs, and decentralized applications. IBM uses blockchain technology to store data related to supply chain management and logistics. Governments can use the blockchain to store information related to healthcare or passports, or other sensitive details that could normally be stolen from a centralized server.

But our own personal favorite use case for blockchain technology is decentralizing the financing of movies.

Here’s How Blockchain Technology Can Help Finance Movies

If you’re a movie buff (if you’re reading this, you probably are), you’ve probably not only watched your share of movies, you also know that a hit movie can both spend and make a lot of money.

The Hollywood movie industry is not just about the glitz and the glamour of the red carpet or which actors and actresses are dating each other. It’s big business and it’s big money.

What you might not know is that most of this big money is controlled by 5 major film studios in Hollywood:

1.       Universal Pictures

2.       Paramount Pictures

3.       Warner Bros. Pictures

4.       Walt Disney Pictures

5.       Columbia Pictures

What does it mean when very few players have control of most of what happens in a given industry? It means it’s very difficult to get a movie made if you’re not in the know with one of these five companies.

Mogul uses the blockchain to connect creators, movie fans, film financiers, and other contributors to projects that may not get funded by the above film studios, but can still have tremendous value both at the box office (including its digital and streaming equivalent) and in terms of the artistry, storytelling, and excitement that they help bring to life.

Many movies that wouldn’t otherwise get made might get pulled off of The Black List, for example, by a select few industry insiders and become Oscar winners.

The Mogul community allows users to participate in the making, financing, and potential of such movies without the backing of a major studio. Mogul becomes a de facto digital studio, driven by the fans, using blockchain. 

How to Get Involved with Blockchain Technology and Mogul

Taking a sneak peek inside the Mogul community is as easy as registering for a free account.

Once you do that, you’ll have access to a dashboard, a showcase of the latest films being voted on for financing and production, a community portal where you can stay up-to-date on upcoming Mogul events, and a farming platform that allows you to benefit from the STARS and Ethereum tokens that you contribute to growth farming pools.

Using all of the above tools, you can benefit from the next great movies being produced with input from our community and share in their success the way the five major film studios and industry insiders have been doing for decades.

Get familiar with blockchain technology and understand how it has the power to decentralize both data and finance.

It’s time to help the next Oscar winner come to fruition and Mogul is the gateway to make that happen!

We’re excited to announce that STARS tokens are officially usable on Binance Smart Chain (BSC). The launch means that movie fans, financiers and creators are going to be able to use STARS tokens on ApeSwap, the fastest-growing decentralized exchange living within the BSC ecosystem.

What is ApeSwap and what does the integration entail?

The answers to those questions are hopefully going to get you excited, so let’s focus on doing just that!

What is ApeSwap?

ApeSwap is an automated market maker and decentralized exchange living on BSC. The platform itself allows users to swap, hold, farm, and purchase cryptocurrencies on the BSC network.

ApeSwap’s smart contracts are a fork of Pancake Swap and have been fully audited for the safety of their users, and the platform has been experiencing immense growth in their community of extremely engaged followers.

One of the key differences with ApeSwap is that it offers its own native currencies called BANANA and GNANA. BANANA is what users provide to the platform in order to earn more value through yield farming. This means staking tokens and providing them to liquidity pools so that other users can make trades in a decentralized format and the platform itself can pay for development.

It’s a win-win for everyone involved. And now, because STARS tokens are going to be available on the platform, it means the Mogul community wins too!

Why Integration on ApeSwap Is a Win for Mogul and the STARS Users

Crypto enthusiasts using BSC to acquire the tokens of their choice are ultimately looking for two key things. First, they want to save on smart contract fees. Secondly, they want to be able to complete transactions faster than they could on the Ethereum blockchain for example.

ApeSwap offers these two key benefits by offering a Uniswap-like interface on the Binance chain.

Add that to the fact that ApeSwap offers not only yield farming and liquidity pools, but also the ability to launch Initial Ape Offerings and Non-fungible Apes on the platform, and it’s easy to see why more and more users are heading towards ApeSwap.

In light of the fact that ApeSwap is becoming more and more popular, and more and more developers and crypto enthusiasts are now aware of the advantages of using BSC over other blockchains, it makes sense to move an exciting project like Mogul and our accompanying STARS token to the platform.

It’s time to bring all of the benefits and advantages of an automated market maker living on a decentralized platform to the ultimate DeFiFi project.

It’s a match made in movie heaven!

How to Move Your STARS Tokens from Ethereum to BSC and ApeSwap

The process of switching over an Ethereum compliant STARS token so that it is compliant with BSC is called bridging. You have to do this in order to benefit from the lower fees and faster transaction speeds that BSC and ApeSwap offer.

The result of bridging your tokens from one platform to the other is that your STARS tokens move from being ERC-20 compliant on Ethereum DEXs like UniSwap to being BEP-20 compliant and thus, compatible with Binance related platforms like ApeSwap.

Read this guide found in our knowledge base and follow the easy steps that will allow you to bridge your STARS from Ethereum to BSC.

From amazing guests on Mogul Live, lots of action in the press, to one of our advisors winning an Emmy award — this month had it all!

Mogul Live Season 1 ended as a smashing success and we had interviews with a top Hollywood actor, concept artist, TV studio, manager and PR agent! Such an amazing first season.

But….. great news! We announced Mogul Live Season 2 guests. Tune in this month to listen to top producers and casting agents in the industry, including:

• Justin L. Levine — Toronto-based Producer with Stardust Pictures and partner in Cast Caller (watch Justin’s interview here)
• Kathryn Courtney Prior — Founder of Singapore-based company Yaplat Casting
• David Cormican — Toronto-based Emmy®-nominated Producer and Co-Founder & President of DCTV
• Josh Gloer — LA-based Writer & Producer with G10 Creative
• Cindy Cowan — Hollywood Producer (won an Emmy last month for producing Miracle on 42nd Street, featuring Alicia Keys and Samuel L. Jackson!)

If you missed Season 1, head to our website or YouTube channel to watch all of the episodes.

Remember to follow us on Instagram to tune into this month’s season of Mogul Live!

Mogul Official Statement

In light of recent events in Minnesota, please read Mogul’s official statement:

“Mogul stands with the black community and people of color, and recognizes that until they can truly live without fear, silence is simply not an option.
We must hold ourselves accountable and interrupt the cycle of systemic racism that exists in our world through our daily actions and in the words we choose. We must seek to understand and strive for justice and respect, and to make each day less racist than the one before.
Mogul continues to remain committed to create more transparency, inclusion and diversity in storytelling!”

Next month we will be featuring Mogul team member, Lyriq Bent, as a special guest on Mogul Live. Lyriq will speaking about his career and experience, and what he feels is missing in the industry. This will be an incredibly timely event for our community and we’re ecstatic to have Lyriq speak about his experiences as a Canadian BIPOC creator.

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Mogul in the Press!

Check out these articles that featured Mogul this month:

• Hollywood North Magazine (front page!)
• The Daily Look
• Indieactivity
• IssueWire
• Patch
• Movie Debuts

Plus more!

Monthly Mogul

If you know of another member of the Mogul community who is accomplishing great things in the industry and deserves to be recognized by their peers, let us know! We’re always looking to celebrate and highlight the successes of outstanding Moguls!

This month’s Monthly Mogul is Cindy Cowan! Cindy is an advisor for Mogul and part of the Mogul community. Cindy had two big celebrations in May — her birthday, PLUS an Emmy Award for her role in producing Miracle on 42nd Street. Congrats Cindy!

Community Spotlight

Take a look at what members of the Mogul community have been up to:

Piers Tempest, Mogul advisor and producer of Love Wedding Repeat, has seen great reviews from the British rom com which recently launched on Netflix globally.
Dane Hallett’s work has been on display in a huge way. Extraction was one of the top films on Netflix last month. Dane was the concept artist for the film.
Congratulations to Mogul advisor David Cormican who is now guest lecturing at OCAD University on Advanced Cinematic Production.
And finally this month, a big shout out to community member Sarah Louise Collidge who signed with Play Management, a top Canadian talent agency and management company. Give her a follow on Instagram!

Shoot us a message if there are others in our community who have been Moguls this past month for a shoutout!

Industry Reads

Top, curated industry reads directly from our team:

1. The dark side of the film industry and making sure film workers get PAID
   2. Mogul Interview with Jessica Ross
   3. Using the Power of the Crowd in film
   4. How Tik Tok is exploding in Hollywood
   5. How Hollywood is coping with COVID-19

ABOUT MOGUL PRODUCTIONS (MOGUL)
Mogul Productions, established 2019, is a blockchain-based film financier and production company with a presence in Canada, the United States of America and Europe.

The Mogul platform connects contributors, film industry professionals and fans through technology that allows all users to engage and participate with each project throughout theirs entire lifecycle, from financing through to production and distribution.

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The “Power of the Crowd” is one of the main pillars for Mogul’s business model. The idea is that the traditional film funding model, which is based primarily on what company shareholders think are movies people want to see, is antiquated and that a new film model needs to take into account what type of movies film fans want to see. It might be more apt to describe this as the “powers” of the crowd as there are many benefits to bringing fans into the filmmaking process. The one being discussed here is the crowd’s ability to revive dormant franchises and IPs with financial potential. The most successful crowdfunded film project on Kickstarter is “Veronica Mars.”

Veronica Mars is a continuation of the 2004–2007 TV show of the same name. The TV show had garnered a big cult following but was not performing well in CW and UPN ratings and thus was canceled after only 3 seasons. The series’ creator Rob Thomas pitched a continuation film to Warner Bros in 2007 that the latter declined to fund, feeling a lack of money-making potential. Thomas’ script would go untouched until 2013. That year, he decided to create a Kickstarter to fund his feature film. The campaign would raise 2 million USD within the first 11 hours and would end its campaign with 5.7 million dollars. This makes Veronica Mars the most successful crowdfunded film project on the platform by money earned. Warner Bros. subsequently decided to release the film to a limited theatrical run and VOD platforms on March 14, 2014. The film grossed 3.5 million at the box office. While that may initially seem like a failure, the truth is far from it. Since it is a continuation of an existing cult TV show, the theatrical release was very small. Clearly, the movie recouped its budget in the VOD market because after 2 novels and a web-spinoff, Hulu announced a series revival in 2018 that was released on July 19th, 2019.

Hollywood film studios these days are very conservative when it comes to what franchises they decide to fund. As big budget filmmaking gets more and more expensive, studios can only afford to really focus on 1 or 2 massive tentpole franchises where they can expect to get a big return on investment. The big 5 majors would rather spend $250 million dollars on one massive film they know will gross 1 billion dollars at the global box office in 1 theatrical run rather than spend that money over twenty $5 million dollar films, ten $25 million dollar films or five $50 million dollar films. What this means is that the mid-range budget franchise or mid range original IP is becoming more and more of a rarity in yearly Hollywood studio release slates. The current system is high risk-high reward. If a movie does well, the studio thrives (Avengers MCU, Avatar, Jumanji). However, the problem of tentpoles is that if a movie does poorly (eg. Heaven’s Gate, Solo: A Star Wars Story, John Carter), future film releases get cancelled and studios can go bankrupt. It is in this spirit that harnessing the power of the crowd for mid-budget franchises allows studios to see the financial incentive to diversify their portfolio. It is not even necessary to create new IPs (if one is particularly concerned with keeping costs down) but merely revive cult classics to find the next “Veronica Mars.”

Join Mogul. Be a Mogul.

www.mogulproductions.com

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As you may know, there are many benefits to being a STARS token holder on the Mogul platform.

The STARS Stats Round-up gives you the most recent breakdown of exactly what’s happening inside of Mogul growth farming pools.

You can vote on movies you would like to see get made, send and receive STARS between other users, acquire Access Passes, buy rare NFTs to add to your own personal digital movie memorabilia collection and benefit from all kinds of interesting promotions, contests, and giveaways that could get you an Executive Producer credit for a movie and all kinds of once-in-a-lifetime behind the scenes experiences.

This first round-up features some very impressive totals. No fewer than 115 million STARS tokens out of 297,375,326 are currently locked in our growth farming program.

That includes more than 35 million STARS tokens being pooled for our growth farming program on Uniswap and an additional 75 million tokens locked up through Mogul’s own Master Chef contract. 

That means a whopping 38.6% of all STARS tokens are helping grow the Mogul community!!

Learn more about growth farming and support feature films that deserve to get made.

Telegram: u/brenodiassn1

Question 1: What was it like to shoot a mockumentary taking into account the balance between the script and the improvising scenes, and what were the other challenges you faced when shooting a film like this?

Answer: Ivo Raza – I’ll take this one. It’s a wonderful way of working. The whole film was scripted to ensure that there’s a solid structure in the story. But then both Dave and I are big fans of improv and we have many scenes we decided to play around with after we shot the script materials and just roof on the topic, especially doing the exercises. And then on top of it with a variety of the campers who came in and didn’t have written rules such as Ja Rule and David Koechner and Eric Roberts and his wife we came up with specific exercises for them for the camp and just improved all of it.

David Lipper – Yeah, the real challenge is in trying to figure out where the scene is going. Our DP – Derrick Cohan was brilliant in instinctively knowing when to zoom in on someone and when to zoom out.

Telegram: u/jbarcel
Question 2: How did this partnership start and can we expect more from it (like future films collaboration) going forward?

David Lipper – So, I first learned about Mogul from Rob Prior.

Ivo Raza – Who was also in Reboot Camp

David Lipper – Who (was) not only is in Reboot Camp but also directed me in a film called Painted Beauty.

And then Isabella Blake Thomas, who’s in my Death Link film, recently became a creative executive there – so it was almost family from the beginning.

But as far as entering the world of NFTs, that was actually spearheaded by our executive Producer Tim Alek Mulley who is a big part of the crypto community and works with Ja Rule in this and other things. He’s really taught us to this whole world that we’re still learning about eagerly.

He’s great and he’s been educating us a lot for the past year on this. That’s why we want the sequel to take place in this world.

Ivo Raza – Tim was telling us about NFTs for a while and it’s such an interesting microcosm.

David Lipper – Not just about raising funds through NFTs but actually giving the community a voice.

Telegram: u/jbarcel

Question 3: How did the cast members react about creating NFTs with deleted scenes, were they already aware of the Nfts market or was it something totally new?

Ivo Raza – Everyone was intrigued

David Lipper – So, it depends on which one. Ja Rule is well versed in this space and you’ll be hearing from him soon about this drop

Most of the others have been approached by companies looking to use their brand and they haven’t had the right people to trust on this until now and have been learning as well

David Koechner has been approached non-stop for memes on The Office and Anchorman but has held off until now.

Because it’s such a new space working with us and mogul …there’s a trust level which is very important

Telegram: u/solmoss

Question 4: what current or past movie NFT do you wish existed?

Ivo Raza – Big Lebowski

David Lipper – I’ll have to say the Hellraiser box

Telegram: u/brenodiassn1

Question 5: How do you see the possibility that your partnership is opening the way for an unprecedented form of increased film revenue, monetizing through scenes that would not be used?

David Lipper – Let’s see how it does. To be honest, we’re less concerned about how much money we make and more about connecting with this community and hopefully find an audience here that loves the movie as much as we do. It will be nice to put funds in the actors’ pockets on this, but at the end of the day, I want you all to see the movie and get pumped for the sequel.

Anonymous:

Question 6

Could you tell us about some of the other projects you guys are working on at the moment? Anything that could make a great NFT?

David Lipper – Well, first and foremost for Ivo and I is this sequel, but we also are developing other films together.

As for me, my film Death Link releases on Nov. 30 by gravitas, and my Christmas film, A Christmas Letter, releases Christmas. Just Swipe reunites me with Full House Jodie Sweetin and out Valentine’s day

Ivo Raza – We have a couple of stories in development besides the Reboot Camp sequel.

Telegram: u/solmoss

Question 7: What has been the reaction and uptake of mogul NFT and crypto association for different staff associated with this movie?

David Lipper – Everyone has been excited for this new world we’re being exposed to.

Ivo Raza – Most have heard about NFTs but are not intimately familiar. however, because we have jumped on this there is a genuine enthusiasm

David Lipper – You have to understand that brands like Nicole Aniston, Ja Rule, and Koechner are pitched a million things with people who want to take advantage of their status. Ja Rule has been in this space, but the others have been very cautious about entering with the right people. Now they’re here and they want to really dive into this now that they have some people they can trust

Anonymous:

Question 8: If you could work with any actor on your next project (unlimited budget, they can’t turn you down), who would it be, and why?

David Lipper – Well, Ed Begley Jr.. I can’t say enough about him.

Working with him on Reboot Camp was a thrill. He’s just the sensei master of the mockumentary.

I want to make sure he’s back for the sequel, along with Ja Rule and Koechner.

Ivo Raza – To me, Reboot was already a dream cast. For Part 2 it’d be fun to add some new characters and cast Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray…

Telegram: u/defiapez

Question 9: To you, what makes an NFT special versus other pieces of content?

David Lipper – Well the blockchain is what makes it special and to know it’s a one of a kind that can’t be copied – that’s the coolest part to me.

That’s what got me excited about the deleted scenes cause no one else in the world will have it.

Telegram: u/defiapez

Question 10: As soon as it’s released as an NFT, everyone can see it. Why are ownership and the sale of it special to you?

David Lipper – As filmmakers, our main focus is on getting our work seen, and this is a new avenue for that, both raising awareness for the film as well as the NFTs themselves. That’s why I dig it

Telegram: u/Lavieestbelle_20

Question 11: What’s the best lesson the movie can impart to its viewers?

Ivo Raza – Don’t believe everything some supposed guru says…

David Lipper – The road to hell was paved with good intentions… Power corrupts.

Telegram: u/Oatmilk1

Question 12: How was it hard or easy to learn about Blockchain?

David Lipper – Still learning! But I bought my first Bitcoin and etherium about 5 years ago

Ivo Raza – I’m still learning

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This post will recap the Showcase AMA with Isabella Blake-Thomas, Mogul’s Creative Executive, that took place on the Mogul Telegram channel on Friday, July 30th.

Question 1 (@MarkFacebook) – What does your role as Creative Executive at Mogul entail?

Answer: Mogul hired me to be the bridge between the film industry and the crypto community. Based on my experience as a producer and actress and having been in the industry for 14+ years, I’m able to use that knowledge to help connect the two sides. On a task basis, I read incoming scripts (helping to decide what gets sent to Paul, Gorav, Cindy etc), I’ll be working with and liaising with each of the different groups involved with each film on the showcase and help to bring the immersive experience from the film industry to the Mogul community and Access Pass holders through all sorts of different engagement activities.

Question 2 (@defiapez) – The showcase is starting in a week today. When can we expect more details to cast our votes? 

Answer: We have a full marketing calendar with exciting things for you all that we are following in order to keep everything moving. With Mogul we’re trying to standardize a process of bringing community to filmmaking and it’s something that hasn’t, up until this point, played a role in Hollywood; which is what Mogul is trying to change and put everyone in the director’s chair! There’s a lot of coaching and working with the filmmakers to teach them and help them take part in activities that help build community. Many of the filmmakers are unfamiliar with Telegram or even how to engage with the crypto community so we are helping to educate them and bridge that gap. 

Question 3 (@defiapez) – In weighing the movies that got into the showcase, it sounds like many factors were looked at. How heavily was the production team’s willingness to engage with the community weighed in the decision making process of who gets into the showcase? 

Answer: You’re right! A lot of factors were considered for this round of the Showcase. The coverage requirements we were looking for were to have 50% of their total equity financing in place, A-List on-screen talent, experienced directors and producers, distribution deals imminent, and a commercially appealing storyline. There were a lot of projects that we reviewed and we wanted our “coming out party” in Hollywood to be with a movie that was incredibly well-respected and had a very very good chance at succeeding on a global level. We also wanted films that were ready to shoot so that the community wasn’t waiting years to see the results of their vote come to life! Part of the contractual agreement to work with Mogul and be financed through the Mogul platform is to engage and work with STARS holders, Mogul users, and Access Pass NFT holders to provide an engaging experience for everyone involved, so yes! This was certainly considered and will be happening!

Question 4 (@jbarcel) – What is the main audience that the three movies are targeting? And what will be the age restriction that may be tied to the movies?

Answer: The main genres being horror and action; the primary audiences will be the groups linked to those genres. If you look at comparable films to ours; James Bond, It, John Wick, Jason Bourne etc the audiences for those movies became a global cult following as is the hope for our projects. As for the ratings, it’s hard to say this early on because it all comes down to the final edit. What language was used, what visuals are portrayed. My guess is PG-13 or R. Mogul is a global project so it was very important to choose films that would have commercial appeal globally. 

Question 5 (@defiapez) – Why is Bungalow Media the company on every movie in the showcase? Who is Bungalow Media?

Answer: Bungalow Media is the rebranding of Phillip Goldfine’s company Hollywood Media Bridge. Collectively, the producers have made over 200 films so far. Mogul read many incoming projects for the showcase and it just so happened to be that Bungalow had the best 3 projects. They were not the only production company that sought to be included in the Mogul Showcase. A production company is the group that hires the Director, screenwriter (if not already on board), casting director to find cast etc. We think that, as a side effect, Bungalow should be able to provide a long term partnership with Mogul to ensure we have a very strong pipeline of movies available to us through their network, but of course we are (and have been) building relationships beyond just one production company. 

Question 6 (@MarkFacebook) – Is it possible for independent films to be profitable if they are solely distributed through streamers? And how do the streaming companies pay for an independent movie that they want to add to their catalogue – do they make a one-off payment upfront, or do filmmakers get paid per stream, like how Spotify pays musicians?

Answer: Yes, it is definitely more than “possible” –  in fact you do make profit from films being released on streaming platforms regardless of the movie’s size. It’s all dependent on what the contract is. In some cases, the streamer will purchase the film for a flat fee, in others, the streamer would pay for the film as it’s being watched. If the contract states that the production company will earn as it’s being watched, then the streamers tend to pay on a monthly/bi annually basis. It’s all dependent on the contract. At a time when there are so many streamers competing for eyeballs, independent films can often have an even better chance at profitability by selling to a streamer. Streamers really want to have more titles on their platform that are appealing to a global audience; especially a film that is generating buzz even well before being sold commercially, which is certainly one of the goals with Mogul’s process!

Question 7 (@jbarcel) – What are the steps today that a film director (or other position more appropriate for that role) should take to finance their film in the traditional market and what would be the steps today with mogul ? How could Mogul bring gains for both sides ?

Answer: On a standard film where the director is not a producer, the producers are the ones looking for financing. The steps change depending on the project. It can be different each time. Generally there are specific companies that make money in order to finance films. In other cases, it might be one singular person who just happens to have that money. As for Mogul we are another form of financing that is available to projects. We can work with other financiers as long as the productions meet our criteria (previously mentioned), but also for community engagement for STARS holders and Mogul users. Equally important to us are the benefits that a film can have for our community.

Question 8 (@defiapez) – When the showcase ends, what is the next step for each of the films? What is the plan to bring access pass holders into an immersive experience? Will there be unique NFTs? How do NFTs play into the strategy of choosing the films that will come into the showcase?

Answer: After the showcase we will be going into production. This includes finalizing locations, cast, final script changes etc. Throughout the process we will be getting content to bring to you all so you can stay up to date with everything. The NFTs from production have yet to be finalized, but the expectation is that movies we are in production with will be working with us to launch exclusive NFTs. Each movie we work with knows about the core values of Mogul and they’re all aware that NFTs play an important part in the Mogul ecosystem. NFTs are an important part of these conversations with filmmakers coming to Mogul! We’ll soon be announcing more

Question 9 (Niche) – Hi Isabella. Just out of curiosity. What do you think will be the biggest challenge in your career being Mogul’s Creative Director?

Answer: I’m all for challenges, but the biggest one I’d say will be helping to decide which scripts get sent on to Gorav, Paul, Cindy etc. I have to take into consideration all of the requirements from Mogul but also the ability and knowledge of the writer

Question 10 (@jbarcel)- Hi Isabella, with your experience in the film industry and also having been an actress, what could Mogul do or improve to awaken the interest of famous directors and actors to be part of it ? And would that be something you intend to do?

Answer: ​​​​One of my goals at Mogul is to help establish more relationships with film industry professionals, therefore bridging the gap between film and crypto. As I work more with Gorav and Paul, we’ll be diving deep into ways we can strengthen the bond between both sides

Question 11 (@AbiWimalaweera) – Do you tell us more about the film that received the most votes on Blockchain? How can we get ahold of a copy of the movie? What made you decide to invest in a project like this? What kind of preparation is the Mogul team putting in to ensure the success of this film? What other film genres can we expect from Mogul productions aside than this one?

Answer: As for watching the movie, once it has been completed and the distribution deals have been done, we will be announcing to the community where they can be watched. Mogul takes into consideration a lot of factors when choosing the projects for the showcase, as previously mentioned. We are not pigeonholed into one genre so you can expect to see a variety of genres in the future

Question 12 (@Shabbir30260554) – What are the ways in which MOGUL ensures project transparency? Will it be made public, and will a third-party audit of the project’s progress be conducted? So, how far has the group progressed? Could you tell the rest of us a little about yourself?

Answer: To answer the second half of your question, I’ve been in the film industry for over 14 years. I started as an actress and added in producing shortly after. I’ve worked with companies like Disney, Nickelodeon, Showtime etc and have knowledge from both sides of the camera

Question 13 (@Safalkhan11) – Apart from the movie industry, any plan to go for the music industry and video?

Answer: ​​That’s a great question! I don’t know as of right now about the exact plans for music but it’s something the team and I will be talking about as another way to bring the entertainment industry closer to the crypto community

Rob Prior’s first-ever NFT sets art world on fire

When Mogul Productions and Rob Prior first met to discuss a potential project together, neither knew at the time that it would end this way. And by “this way” we mean with Rob burning his original painting live on camera, unveiling a unique NFT based on the painting, and then watching that NFT sell for 5,500,000 STARS tokens on the Mogul platform.

That’s ~$182,050 USD for those keeping score at home. 

Yes, May 27, 2021 marked an historic day not just for blockchain and cryptocurrencies, but for the art world as a whole. 

At around 4:30pm PDT, live on Mogul Productions’ YouTube channel, famed Marvel & DC Comics artist Rob Prior unveiled and then burned an original painting of his, so that it could live on forever as a single ERC-1155 NFT (Non-Fungible Token). Mogul calls this the Proof of Origin.

The painting, titled “Reign of Money…. what the f$ck,” was inspired by Wolf of Wall Street.

The event began with the audience watching Prior do what he does best, paint. Known for his live painting shows, he and his brushes (multiple) moved seamlessly to the sounds of classic rock, which grew heavier and louder as he found his groove throughout the night.

Host James Pratt, a globally recognized voice best known for his work in the Australian luxury home auction scene, flawlessly led the audience between several speaker panels and quick updates from Rob.

The esteemed panel of special guest speakers included popular YouTuber Jesse Wellens, Ted Farnsworth of ZASH Global and ex of MoviePass, Jon Karas of Akoin, Joel Comm of Bad Crypto Podcast, and many more. You can read about all the speakers here.

When he wasn’t painting a Deadpool piece for the camera, Rob was unveiling even more of his creations. First up was a Star Wars piece, during which he name-dropped his friend Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker, the subject of the painting.

Next came a special painting depicting Elon Musk, CZ from Binance, and Vitalik Buterin of Ethereum. Why these three specifically? The subject matter of the painting was voted on by holders of Mogul’s STARS token.

Deadpool, Skywalker, and the community-voted painting will all be turned into NFTs and auctioned in the near future. Whether or not the original is burnt to a crisp will be up to the purchaser next time!

On May 28, 2021, just before the clock hit 5:00pm PDT, the final bid came through for 5,500,000 STARS tokens, or ~$182,050 USD. The final selling price for the first ever NFT sold on Mogul’s platform

Immediately after completing the auction, Mogul burned 50% of the total STARS tokens that the NFT sold for. That’s 2,750,000 STARS tokens burned. You can view the transaction here. 

Speaking of “burned,” at the beginning of the event Prior appeared both nervous and excited about what he was going to do. So, how did the world-famous artist feel after destroying one of his paintings for the first time in his life?

“It was kind of cathartic,” he said.

Important Details

• The auction will start on the 27th of May at 8pm EDT
• The auction is conducted only with STARS tokens
• Starting price is 100,000 STARS tokens
• If your bid is beaten or unsuccessful you will receive the bid amount back to the wallet it was sent from, minus the gas fee

The NFT

Rob Prior’s Wolf of Wall Street NFT is titled “Reign of Money…. what the f$ck”. The NFT is an ERC1155 token built on the Ethereum blockchain. The token can be viewed on OpenSea here.

Paintings are difficult to make into NFTs. An artist can digitize a painting, but it’s nearly impossible to prove that the NFT will be the only instance of that painting. There’s always the question – “but what about the original?”

For the first time in history, Rob Prior and Mogul Productions will be converting a one-of-a-kind painting into a provably verifiable NFT, where it will only live as an ERC1155 token.

Inside the metadata of the token, the purchaser will be able to access the following items:

1. A full rendering of the painting

2. A video of Rob painting the original painting 

3. The animated version of the painting

So, the purchaser will be able to see the creation of the painting within the token itself! Plus, all viewers at the Proof of Origin event will see Rob burn the original painting live on camera. 

The Basics

Mogul is excited to be holding an auction for an NFT based on an original painting depicting the Wolf of Wall Street. Produced by the talented artist Rob Prior (of Marvel & DC Comics), the entire process will be livestreamed on your Mogul Dashboard after logging in. If you are unable to access Mogul for whatever reason, you can watch the full livestream on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/C-4Efre015Y. 

Once the painting has been completed and the work memorialized in NFT format, the original work will be burned to ensure the NFT is the only remaining version of this piece! 

The auction will take place on the Mogul Productions Dashboard shortly after the Rob Prior Proof of Origin event concludes (5pm EDT – 8pm EDT). You will need to be logged into your account, and you will need a MetaMask wallet containing enough STARS to cover your bid, and enough ETH to cover the required gas fees.

You can purchase the STARS token on our website here. Or alternatively you can go ahead and use a service like Uniswap. You will likely get a better price with the second option, as STARS are sold at a fixed price on Mogul. Here’s a guide on Uniswap and how to use it.

Please be aware that due to the length of time it can take for transactions to be processed on the ETH network, any bids submitted shortly before the cutoff time may not be received in time. In this case, your funds will be returned to you minus the gas fee. To avoid this, we’d recommend you increase the gas fee to the highest level you’re comfortable with (10-20% above the current gas price potentially) as this will dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes for your bid to process.

Schedule / Process

Before the Auction, you will be able to watch the livestreamed Proof of Origin event (5pm – 8pm EDT) on your Mogul dashboard (you can also watch it here: https://youtu.be/C-4Efre015Y). Below the video player you’ll find the auction section. This will display the starting price we have set.

Once the livestream has ended, the auction will begin and run for 24 hours. As you can see in the screenshot below, you will be able to see the current bid, whether or not you are the highest bidder, and your current STARS balance.

If you decide to place a bid, a window will open where you can enter the amount you would like to bid. This must be greater than the current highest bid. The page will refresh when a new bid is entered, so you won’t need to constantly refresh the page.

Once you’ve submitted your bid, MetaMask will open for a two stage process. First, you will be asked to approve the transaction, this will incur a small gas fee.

Once that has processed, you will be asked to submit the bid itself, which again will incur a one-off gas fee. You may want to opt for a higher gas fee if it is close to the auction’s end and you’re trying to squeeze in a last minute bid.

Once the auction is over and the final bid has been accepted, the winner will be automatically announced on the Mogul Dashboard. 

More Information

You can find information about how you can view and interact with your Mogul NFTs here.

In December of 2019, Sotheby’s held an online-only auction dedicated to rare Star Wars collectables. The auction came just days ahead of the premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It was the second online-only auction that Sotheby’s held for the Star Wars franchise (the first auction garnered over $77K). This second auction was anticipated to be even stronger. It was.

Some pieces of film memorabilia in the second auction went for well over $100K (like the rocket-firing Boba Fett that went for just shy of $190K after buyer premiums). Obviously, this auction brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the franchise as well as sizable premiums for Sotheby’s. The film and auction were widely successful.

Despite the success, however, the film collectible experience stopped just shy of a massive, unexplored opportunity. An opportunity so massive, but one that Star Wars, Sotheby’s, and nearly every other filmmaker on the planet is still overlooking.

Film collectibles can be tokenized using Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

At Mogul, we understand that people love film collectables but we also understand the potential of how NFTs can improve the film collectible market. Mogul will work together with our showcased films to distribute rare NFTs on our platform. Our users will also be able to earn STARS tokens and spend those on one-of-a-kind NFT collectibles in the Mogul Rewards Marketplace.

What exactly is an NFT? Visit our website to learn more about cryptocurrency.

Non-Fungible Tokens: Major Potential For Film Merchandise

NFTs have exploded onto the scene as one of the most exciting and promising utilizations of blockchain technology. NFT technology has the potential to grow the community around our films even larger, and offer film fans a one-of-a-kind collectible that will be special to them.

In this article, we will introduce you to:

• The world of NFTs
• Discuss the variety of applications
• Explain how Mogul can help you earn rewards with NFTs.

If you want to learn more about how blockchain can be used for film, visit our website.

Fungible vs Non-Fungible Tokens

To understand the difference between tokens that are fungible and non-fungible, it is critical to first understand the meaning of the terms ‘fungible’ and ‘non-fungible.’

Fungibility Described

Fungibility is an economic concept that describes two items that are mutually interchangeable. Two of the same items. When something can be exchanged equally for another of the same type, it is considered fungible. For example, one dollar bill is the exact same as another dollar bill. These are considered fungible. A fungible token, therefore, is a token that is interchangeable with another token. One bitcoin is the same as another bitcoin.

Non-Fungibility Described

Non-fungible means the opposite; nonfungibility is a true one-off, anything unique and truly one-of-a-kind is considered to be non-fungible. Think about a priceless work of art, such as a Picasso or Warhol. Each of these paintings is unique to itself. There will only ever be one Mona Lisa. A non-fungible token is one that has unique properties that make it different from every other token.

Different Types of Assets That Can Become NFTs

Any type of asset that is unique can be digitally represented with a non-fungible token. This unlocks an entire universe of possibilities for NFTs for film collectibles. The following are examples of different types of NFTs:

CryptoKitties

One of the best-known uses of NFTs to date is CryptoKitties. Launched in 2017, CryptoKitties is a digital trading card game. Users breed and raise virtual cats with 12 unique attributes, called “cattributes,” such as shape and fur pattern. These unique CryptoKitties are actually wildly popular NFTs running on the Ethereum network. Each kitty is 100% unique.

The virtual market for these NFTs has transacted mind-boggling amounts of money. As of January 2020, the total amount of money spent on CryptoKitties is just shy of $28 million. The most expensive CryptoKitty ever sold is worth around $282,000 today.

Rariable

Digital art has seen a revolution this year through NFTs and Rarible, a platform that rewards users for buying and selling digital collectibles. The platform’s native token RARI is one of the top-performing NFTs in the world. According to Cointelegraph, nearly $1 million of NFTs are sold per week on Rarible!

Splinterlands

A competitive crypto card game called Splinterlands is one of the most popular blockchain games. In September 2020, Splinterlands was the number one decentralized application on the State of dApp website with 100,000 daily games played. In total, there have been over 3.5 million transactions made to the Splinterlands smart contracts. Recently, the game launched a Booster Series featuring exclusive in-game add-ons. It has a total in-game valuation of over $5-million dollars.

Potential Use for Film Posters and other Film Merchandise

It is a well-known fact that film posters are highly collectible. The current record for a movie poster is $690,000 which was paid at a London auction for a 1927 poster of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. In many cases, film posters can be extremely valuable. In some rare instances, they can fetch prices normally reserved for works of art. However, it is not only old movie posters that have value. Even the 2003 teaser posters for Kill Bill printed on mylar foil are worth an upwards of several hundred dollars.

This collectible market for movie posters is an ideal use case for NFTs. Even further, NFTs can be used to prove the authenticity of the film poster which helps to avoid counterfeiting. The film poster could even use a QR code to send the authenticity token directly to your digital wallet.

Earn Rewards for One-of-a-Kind Film Collectables

Users can earn rewards on the Mogul platform that are redeemable for prizes, some of which include NFTs!

With the power of blockchain, Mogul has built a Monoplasma-based Rewards Program where users can earn unique film rewards, such as NFTs, on the platform.

In Conclusion

Unlike fungible tokens such as Bitcoin and Ripple, NFTs are a digital representation of one-of-a-kind items. From movie posters to works of art, the potential use cases for NFTs are endless, and now Mogul is bringing NFTs to film.

FAQ

What is a non-fungible token?

A non-fungible token is a token that represents something completely unique. These tokens have attributes that make them one-of-a-kind. NFTs use blockchain technology to verify their authenticity and digital scarcity. Mogul is very excited to bring all of the potential of NFTs to the film industry for our community.

ABOUT MOGUL PRODUCTIONS (MOGUL)
Mogul Productions, established 2019, is a blockchain-based film financier and production company with a presence in Canada, the United States of America and Europe. The Mogul platform connects contributors, film industry professionals and fans through technology that allows all users to engage and participate with each project throughout theirs entire lifecycle, from financing through to production and distribution.