Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joseph Sullivan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Joseph, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
I moved out of my home permanently at 20, across the country to Los Angeles, CA. I didn’t have a position lined up or a network at the time and had never been there prior. My one local friend then was in an entirely different industry. Despite the culture shock of a different coast and lacking resources, I pushed forward and always ventured into new spaces. Within two-weeks I was conducting an internship with the Grammy-awarded studio behind RnB icon, Frank Ocean. This led to various work in acting and music while I built my portfolio as a freelance cellist. Lacking the network of a local conservatory created another unexpected hurdle for me. I found that kindness and creating genuine connection always paid off tenfold. The good people I met and positive interactions always outweighed the negative. Despite not having any background in the entertainment industry at large, I was able to scale up and work for Marvel-founder Stan Lee, as well as play with the Jonas Brothers. I am forever grateful for the opportunities and genuine souls who crossed my path. I always try to bring as much value to people as possible without asking for anything in return. I believe this was part of my saving grace and what allowed me success in the risk of moving to a place I’d never been. Holding on to my values undoubtedly allowed me to navigate the trials of a new life in the entertainment mecca. I’m thankful that I did so and grateful for the guidance I received to keep pushing.
Joseph, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
As an entrepreneur I run a venue and manage legendary visual artist, London Customs who I believe to be one of the greatest living artists of our time. I am the owner behind OdessaNFT, the world’s first NFT Music Venue. We’ve pioneered in New England as the only NFT space in the region with signature events such as the city’s first-ever NFT Boston 2022 and the Taylor Alexander feat. David Timothy NFT concert. For NFT Boston, guests traveled from as far as Los Angeles, New York City, and Vancouver, Canada. We hosted a valuable lineup of subject matter experts in Web3, DeFi, Crypto, NFT art, music, education, venture capital, film and music production. Speakers included venture capitalists, investors, musicians, artists, Grammy-awarded producers, and activists. Notable individuals and brand representation included Endstate, an NFT-wearable innovator curated by a former design director at Nike, as well as Napster, Puma, and the Boston Celtics. The event featured art experience rooms created by all local NFT and visual artists, as well as performances by Universal Music-roster musicians and local independent music artists.
We continue to progress into our next iteration of the space in which Proof-of-attendance-protocol (POAP) will be offered at events and NFT-ticketing will be explored in order to create more continuous revenue streams for artists. OdessaNFT members/NFT holders will achieve voting rights on initiatives in conjunction with their show access incorporated into their NFT. Later iterations will include a model of the venue built in the metaverse for patrons worldwide to visit. As an up-and-running creative space, OdessaNFT has hosted live music concerts, lifestyle fashion shoots, documentary and commercial film shoots, open mics, and album release shows, and live beat production showcases. We will continue providing a community space to all artists, musicians, and creatives regardless of their Web3 involvement and we always welcome new business. Feel free to reach out to us at any time via “@NFTSpaceBoston” on all platforms.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
It was a beautiful sunny day in southern California, I was leaving a gig as a freelance cellist to connect with my group project members in my MBA program. We were fresh off of a successful house concert weekend and texts were incoming about when the next show would be. Then the most unexpected surprise of the “great pause” came and we as a society were told that life as we knew it would be put on hold. Some of us optimistically thought it would last for two weeks, others years, but it blindsided us all and it meant a sudden paradigm shift was upon us.
I found solace temporarily as I burned rubber headed for my home coast. Thousands of miles afforded me reflection with just my cello and clothes in tow. I headed home to be an anchor for my father and support him through his recent cancer diagnosis. My rock in the physical realm needed me this time. He is the one who taught the values of manhood and sacrificed everything to keep a roof over my head whilst always telling us we could do anything. The pandemic was a unique time of struggle for all and reflection for many. I was faced with being back in my home city of Boston after years of building in the city of angels.
Constantly, I posed the question, how could I contribute to Boston’s creative scene. City-wide closures of music venues had created a gap with follow-up effects for months. Coming out of the pandemic, it became common for artists/bands to skip over the Boston scene all together in search of a place to perform. Countless calls would only result in musicians being told that every venue was booked solid up to four months out. Creative space was already lacking in the 3rd most gentrified city in the US. After all, who could afford an artist studio when rent had become so unrecognizably high.
At the time I had been educating myself on Web3 and searching for solutions to revenue streams for artists and especially musicians. The demise of the record label industry already left a great weight on artists’ shoulders to press on with touring as their main form of income. Streaming can’t sustain artists as it stands, providing only pennies on the dollar. However, once the “great pause” forced doors to close, even touring was no longer a viable source. I began wondering about how I could merge my passion for helping musicians, building community, and uplifting emerging Web3/NFT art.
As a 4th generation Bostonian and son of an immigrant I am no stranger to my city or to hustling. I also fundamentally understand through experience that the pools of talent and creativity are highly fragmented here. Creatively, it is not a city where musicians will come together in support of each other and build community spaces across the city. While this happens on a smaller scale, the lack of attention paid to fellow creatives work and lack of collaboration keeps things siloed.
At OdessaNFT we set out to provide a solution by creating the first NFT space in the New England area. Since launching we strive to be a creative home for the community to answer questions and educate artists/musicians on how they can leverage NFT, Web3, and Blockchain technology. Closing out our year in business, we’ve recognized the importance of uplifting the creative community in a city where independent artists lack resources. We’ve been grateful for the tremendous outpouring of love and support from folks looking to learn about Web3 in a safe space. It is always our priority to never push but educate by doing and bringing subject matter experts in to our venue to hear their insights.
As a musician and writer, I had to pivot in my thinking as an entrepreneur. It has required the organization and perspective that my MBA offered me, while maintaining an ear to the streets. It was this ear that allowed OdessaNFT to welcome in more traditional visual artists then we could have ever imagined. We are grateful for the support and enthusiasm from the visual artist community. With such a novel concept in Web3 and digital art, I found myself leaning on my co-founder to understand artists’ inquiries. Some visual artists who approached us had active NFT art listed on marketplaces and some didn’t but were no less prolific and talented. Therefore, through my co-founder Kimberly Saunder’s vision we were able to learn more about the needs of the visual arts community. Ms. Saunders, an incredibly talented and versatile artist in her own right with an animation background, helped us unearth these needs. These are creative folks who have also been gentrified out of their spaces due to high rents and consistent converting of creative spaces into medical labs. We understood this and have pivoted to create opportunities for artists to paint live in-person, create murals in our space, and sell original clothing. We are also planning art battle/competitions and financial literacy workshops for artists, as well as classes on Web3 technologies and NFT marketplaces.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Many amazing people have been behind the success of OdessaNFT thus far and it would be impossible to name them all. We’ve been extremely grateful for the folks in the Web3 Boston collective. Their contributions and support of our initiatives have made all the difference in us becoming established in the city. Through the Boston Web3 community we were able to get connected to many visionary minds in the Web3 space. As I often tell clients and guests, talent and intellect has never been the issue here. We are in one of the most iconic tech-forward regions and artistic talent is also abound. There has never been a shortage of great minds and creatives in Boston, but rather of independently-run spaces connecting the two.
We’ve been blessed by the work of Web3-expert Gregory Molinar, co-founder of Stay Bizze with Sebastian Salvo and Partnerships Director with OdessaNFT. In his work with Stay Bizze, the company seeks to revolutionize the business card industry. They are streamlining the networking, job landing, and upskilling process for applicants and networkers alike. Together with photographer Anthony Marrero, they provide tremendous support on the ground at signature OdessaNFT events and services to Web3 clients. Currently, they are planning for “Bizze Fest” sponsored by OdessaNFT which will incorporate Web-3 elements with a music/art festival experience to help onboard the south shore of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Our first artist-in-residence, Corey Koehler (@koehler_designs) created a selfie-room debuted during our inaugural and the First-ever NFT Boston 2022. Him and his partner’s creative insights have helped OdessaNFT immeasurably. His work is a balance of authenticity and Ai-inspired creations that serve as a common favorite on display during events.
The local universities Blockchain clubs have been a standout supporter of OdessaNFT initiatives. This has brought brand recognition up well locally due to Boston’s large tech-savvy college population. Berklee College of Music’s Blockchain Club has created opportunities for musicians to mint a song live during an in-person recording at the space powered by Muse.Live.
Contact Info:
- Website: odessanft.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/nftspaceboston
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nftspaceboston
Image Credits
instagram.com/nachaat.taban instagram.com/anttsworld89