Builder Series #24: Behind the Pfp
An interview with RenRen of Azuki podcasting esteem
For those who have been to any of the Azuki IRL events in LA, NYC or Las Vegas, you might have encountered one of the most optimistic and welcoming members of the community. RenRen is a longtime Azuki holder and started a community podcast, Behind the Pfp, earlier this year. On his show he features various members of the Azuki community to tease out their life and professional stories to dive deeper into the interwoven fabric of this diverse group of people on the internet. Read on for more information on about what motivated RenRen to take on this media project and what it takes to be a successful podcaster.
As an Azuki OB (Original Bean), you were in the discord before this project had gained any success - what brought you in?
Yes, I am an Azuki OB. The funny thing is, I had to plead to become an OB. I was in Daph’s DMs (original Community Manager for Azuki) making a case for why I should be an OB. I was nervous, but wanted to be in that group because I imagined it was a group that embodied Azuki and what the brand stood for. I joined Azuki in November 2021, which was quite early. At first seeing the artwork, as a huge anime fan, I knew I needed to learn more about it. What really drew me in was Azuki’s core values & manifesto. Specifically where the manifesto reads: “One that pulls you away from a world that’s created by many and owned by all,” I knew I was in the right spot.
You’ve also seen everything Azuki has gone through since inception - what was the highlight? Lowlight?
It has been a long journey being able to witness everything from the very high highs of the first Azuki event in LA before the Beanz drop, the NYC Enter the Alley event, to the two lows, which you can always pinpoint within the Azuki floor price chart.
Personally, the highlight for me was the NYC event. It was so immersive, unlike the LA and Vegas events that were more a club setting. The NYC event put me into the Alley, into the Azuki world. I got to enjoy the setup they had done, I imagine it was super expensive, but it was well worth it. It allowed me to meet a lot of my Azuki friends from the East Coast. In LA I got to meet a handful of people but it was still so new, but in NYC I got to meet a lot of OBs who I talked to every day.
For Azuki, any time that the vibes were high, even just on crypto Twitter, I would count those as highlights. The ninja saga where everyone searched for Dem while he was at Burning man, or watching the new Azuki trailer drops like Ambush x Azuki were all amazing.
Switching gears to IP building - what made you decide to start a podcast focusing on going deep with Azuki community members?
I felt like there wasn’t a good enough database on prominent community members and what they’ve done. I had always wanted to do a podcast and learn about people’s stories. I felt like there was a void in web3 where everyone was interacting at a superficial level and I thought I could combine my want to create a podcast along with a database on Azuki community members and extract as much information from them as I can. 17-18 episodes in and I’m proud of where it has gone, that I’ve taken it this far. When I started it I thought it would be a tough journey - like, could I make it a full year?
Specifically when it comes to the IP, I wanted to build my digital identity in web3. In the space we’re in I think that’s important, especially where we’re verifying assets and digital ownership. I thought using the Azuki IP and profile picture meant a lot and came with a lot of stories. Stories I’ve built on with the podcast. I believe in Azuki’s IP completely and I believe the team can create a really great story with it - I think there’s limitless possibilities with it.
Tell us about your experience bringing the podcast to life - what was harder than you expected? What’s your favourite part?
On the difficult part, it was more costly than I anticipated. It costs money for the cover art for the custom commission, a good microphone, editing programs, recording programs - it was more than I expected. The other part I didn’t fully realize was how much time it takes. Especially when you have 2 kids, a full-time job and making sure I spend enough time with my wife, it’s tough taking something like this on. Producing an episode takes about 10 hours from start-to-finish, which includes: scheduling, making sure it works with whoever I’m interviewing, doing research (and sometimes I go overboard) of old discord messages, prepping questions that I myself want to learn more about, recording the episode and then editing. I spoke with two people before I started this - fellow community members Sammi and A1rport - who had both done podcasts before, and they both told me that editing is rough. Having to listen to the whole thing over and over again to make sure everything is ok, that’s where a lot of the time is spent.
My favourite part of it all is being able to jump into this community of people who have all sorts of business and life experience and getting to learn about. For example, Sunway who is a subway franchise owner, or Rose who is our Community Manager and previously an accomplished professional photographer. Mike in SpiritDAO who is also the head of Finance at web3 animation studio, Shibuya. Being able to have the opportunity to extract information from all these people and put it out there in a medium that people enjoy listening to is really cool.
A year or two from now, what would you like to be able to look back at your experience with Behind the PfP and feel most proud of
When I started this, I wanted to just get started and get this off the ground. From start to actually getting an episode recorded only took a month, which was a huge hurdle for me as I can overanalyze things and not complete them. My long-term vision is that I’d like to create a community focused on mutual blockchain learning through shared stories and diverse perspectives. I came into this space because I wanted to learn more about blockchain. Everything outside of NFTs makes me really bullish on NFTs and makes me want to do this long-term. I don’t see it as something I do full-time and quitting my job, but it’s something I want to keep doing and see what opportunities come out of it.
The goal of my podcast is to explore the vibrant personalities of web3 - something I hope to achieve every episode and encapsulate these stories and build a database that people can check out. Eventually I'd like to explore the rest of web3 outside Azuki and learn more about what they’re building. Through discord I want to make a place where people can learn about blockchain to not just gain knowledge but also find opportunities through connecting with like-minded people who can support their success. I ultimately want to connect with others building in the space and highlight builders and founders.
From your own experience and what you’ve learned from your podcast guests, what advice do you have for people looking at building with their Azuki, Beanz or Elemental IP?
There are four things I tell myself everyday:
1. If you have an idea, get the basics to start and start. Fill in the blanks as you go, otherwise you can fall into this pit of planning too much and not actually starting - just do it.
2. Make sure you build out why you’re doing what you’re doing. It doesn’t need to be complicated but make it your north star so that when times get rough you can look at the north star so you can keep moving forward.
3. Don’t be afraid to pivot - if things aren’t working, pivot and learn to pivot quickly. If marketing isn’t working a certain way, if product isn’t working out, the worst thing you can do is continue doing something that isn’t working.
4. Believe in yourself.
Where can people go to learn more?
Twitter
Podcast concept trailer
Podcast available on all major platforms
Interview by Elder Millennial
@niftymillennial
@average_sunday
https://averagesunday.xyz/