INTRODUCING XTREME PIXELS: DIGITAL COLLECTIBLES WITH COMMERCIAL RIGHTS DESIGNED TO SPREAD BRAND AWARENESS FOR FAHQ® THROUGHOUT THE BLOCKCHAIN
Ok, this is going to be a long blog post but if you really believe in Web3 and NFTs as access and want to be part of something fun take a few minutes to give it a full read.
Let’s dive in.
I have been building FAHQ, a streetwear and skateboard brand and have put an incredible amount of work into making sure we produce the highest quality custom apparel, the best performing (and looking) skateboard decks and accessories, and the highest quality collectibles.
It’s the brand 14-year-old-me told my dad I would build some day. I’ll dive more into that story at a later date. It’s pretty fucking cool.
We lost him 13 years ago. He was my best friend and the one person who would always tell me I could do it, no matter how crazy my ideas were. I went through a bunch of ups and downs after he passed, which really shaped me into who I am today.
I wasn’t happy in my professional life. I had a successful marketing and branding agency but it didn’t excite me any longer. I experienced first-hand just how short and unpredictable life is, so I decided that I would only do shit I truly loved moving forward. I wanted to wake up excited every morning and build something very special that will continue to live on long after I check out. So, I started rounding up talent and sourcing manufacturing partners.
It was during this time that I also discovered NFTs the same way a lot of the other OGs did — CryptoPunks.
I thought they were the coolest. They reminded me of 8-bit video game characters. The games me and my dad would play on NES back in the day when I was a little kid. I can still picture him playing Mighty Bomb Jack. He loved that freaking game.
He was a big kid. He was a photographer and artist. He also owned a sports card store, where I worked and first caught the entrepreneurial bug. So, the collectability aspect of NFTs combined with the pixel art of CryptoPunks made me fall in love with the concept and made it very easy for me to understand them and see the potential blockchain technology brought to the table.
I know he would have fucking loved NFTs. From the art and collectability to the tech. All of it.
This was back when CryptoPunks were trading for less than a hundred dollars. I vividly remember seeing them being bought and sold for $40 worth of Ether. Then it seems like they jumped to $300 and then thousands overnight.
There is only one CryptoPunk that I want. It is the first one I saw and the one that made me instantly connect the art and the collectability the tech provided. It has never been listed. Never sold. Never traded. It was the only one I wanted and I didn’t think to get others, even while watching them go up in value. Then up more. And more. Never pulled the trigger. I blame a combination of dumb and stubborn. I just want the one that first made it all “click” in my head. I constantly watch it and hope someday I can own it.
Ok, back to our first NFT collection: XTREME PIXELS.
I want to make one thing crystal clear. This is not a NFT project. This is a Web3 component being introduced by a brand that believes Web3 and NFTs provide an incredible access opportunity.
The NFT is an access token that just happens to have some cool/fun pixel art.
Here are some details…
- The collection consists of 25,000 NFTs. Yes, 25K. TWENTY-FIVE FUCKING THOUSAND, BABY! I’ll explain why below.
- It’s pixel art. AMAZING pixel art. It’s a tribute to what first made me fall in love with NFTs. But it’s not a CryptoPunk derivative. We put a lot of effort into this because it’s a component to act as a bridge between our brand and Web3. It’s very on-brand for us. From action sports inspired traits to hoodies, t-shirts and motocross jerseys branded with “FAHQ” — as well as some fun traits that should click with a lot of people.
- There are 222 traits in total. I am a BIG aesthetics guy when it comes to NFTs. There are no traits that I would classify as unattractive or unappealing. These are great profile pictures and fun digital identities. There are 13 different base character types. Some are more rare than others.
- We also did 21 special one-of-one NFTs, which are tributes to some of the biggest action sports stars.
I started to think about the best way to launch this, from the pricing to distribution.
And I decided to make it a free mint.
Why?
As mentioned, this is a NFT component for the brand and not a traditional NFT project. These tokens act as access — early access to drops before the general public available to token holders.
Example:
We are dropping skate decks and 15-inch collectibles of Bored Ape #4257 and Gutter Cat #2118. Token holders will have a window of time before the general public to snag these. Here is a sneak peek of them:
The details on these are 🔥👌:
I cannot stress this enough: This NFT collection is for access. To be part of a brand from the beginning.
This is also why we are doing a 25K collection. In the future, 25,000 will be nothing. We are anticipating two things: 1) Web3 and NFTs growing in popularity and mainstream adoption over the next few years and 2) FAHQ becoming a popular brand.
Imagine if NIKE gave 25,000 of its first customers a “ticket” that guaranteed they all scored the latest sneaker drops before the rest of the public. Would those hold value today? You bet your ass they would! Nike generates a total of $15 million in Jordan Brand sales EVERY SINGLE DAY. That is not a typo. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Let’s assume it’s $125 on average per sale. That is 125,000 customers a day. Wild. That 25,000 number seems very small now, right?
Think of all the clothing and shoe drops that get botted and the brand’s core customers have to pay higher than retail costs on the secondary market? That is not how you reward your loyal customers. Token-gated access, whether it’s a window of time before the general public or special offerings only for token-holders, is the way.
I’m not saying FAHQ is going to be the next NIKE. But I am saying we are going to slowly grow into a brand that releases fire drops and kick-ass quality products.
A team member from Adidas recently tweeted out that they sent info on their recent metaverse drop to 35 million customers, and that was just in a European segment. Imagine that number in the U.S. as well. Insane.
You have heard it a million times, so here is a million-and-one: WE ARE EARLY.
25,000 tokens is nothing. We are creating something special.
We want people to mint and hold because they vibe with the brand and want to be a part of this from the ground up.
So, if you are part of the NFT active users that day trades them and is looking for a $2 flip, go elsewhere. Please don’t mint. There is plenty of that shit out there. Mint this only if you want to be part of something fun without the constant shilling, pumping, and bullshit that exists today.
Since this collection was done as pixel art as a tribute to CryptoPunks and them being what “hooked” me, it seemed like making this a free mint was the right thing to do — as CryptoPunks were also initially free to claim.
I will personally be minting token #1. Aside from that there are no tokens being minted for the brand. None are being given to anyone as promotional or development payment, either. Hell, we aren’t using any influencers or partnerships. And full disclosure — that token is a “rare” body — one we will be using to promote the IP in the future. We randomly generated #2 — #25000 and placed mine at #1 and then randomly swapped 21 of them with the 21 one-of-one NFTs. So, in the end it isn’t “taking” one of the rares away from the mint pool. It was added. Just being transparent about this.
Tokens #2 — #25000 will mint randomly — not chronologically — until all tokens have been minted. This was the best way to structure it to keep it fair.
“WHY LAUNCH THIS NOW?! IT’S A bEaR mArKeT!”
This is an access token. Its functionality and purpose doesn’t change according to market conditions. Also, the vibe throughout the NFT space right now is down. Maybe a free mint that is a brand component with a purpose will be well-received.
The art is what I would consider great pixel art. These tokens are free to mint and act as the first exposure to FAHQ’s Web3 component and come with commercial rights.
There are no gimmicks. No promises. No hype.
Want the opportunity to get involved at the ground floor? Mint. It’s that simple.
There is no roadmap. God, I fucking hate that word.
We have been working. Hard. To build a brand that grows over time.
Here is a little nugget of info…
We also have another collection. It will come down the line, but it’s already done — yeah, we are that serious about this Web3 thing! It’s a completely different art style, and again, will also come with commercial rights.
533 traits for that one. The details are amazing and I can confidently say that art-wise it kicks the ass of anything out there.
Very excited to share more when that time comes, but no need to get ahead of ourselves. A higher-tier in terms of utility as well in addition to some other stuff that will make them VERY attractive to mint.
It will NOT be free.
BUT…
All holders of our first collection (this one — XTREME PIXELS) will be airdropped mint passes for the future collection prior to it coming to market. These passes will provide a HUGE discount for that mint. So, those who fuck with us early can either use them to secure the second collection — and its utility — at a heavy discounted mint or part with their mint pass/passes on the secondary market. (PS — we also have our own marketplace that will be launching soon)
What we have planned for that second collection is going to be fun in terms of what those tokens do.
As mentioned, we have been working our asses off.
Speaking of working our asses off, while XTREME PIXELS will be free to mint, there will be a royalty on secondary sales. So, if you are part of that group that bitches and complains if anyone other than yourself makes money in Web3 please pass on minting this.
Web3 is so new and to be honest, I feel that a lot of participants have no idea what it takes to create something and build a real brand and business. The hard work. The long hours. The sacrifices. It’s an emotional roller coaster. Me? I love seeing people win. Because most wins come after many failures. Most wins occur because someone had the nuts to keep going after being knocked down a bunch. Celebrate wins.
I will say it one more time. XTREME PIXELS are tokens that provide access. To a brand we have fun plans for. It is a brand that we will take our time with and build correctly. Nothing will ever be rushed. A successful Web3 component will help us do more cool things, develop cool products, etc.
If you mint, you are not an investor in the brand nor do we owe you anything outside of being given early access to some drops. You should have no expectations other than that. Just being real here.
I see so much bitching, complaining, whining, and entitlement in the NFT space, which is why I am making it crystal clear what this is. That noise will be ignored. I cannot stress enough that this is a Web3 component — not a typical NFT project. So, please…don’t mint this or get involved if you don’t understand this.
We have a lot of cool stuff planned, but we will go at our speed and do things the way we want. I’m making this very clear because expectations are insane in Web3.
If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, register for the pre-sale list:
Oh, and one more thing. While there is a Discord, it’s just another outlet to deliver updates on this mint. We will have our own community for all holders, which will live on our website. We want a more customized community hub without the Discord scams and nonsense. That, along with our own marketplace are coming. We will keep you posted via FAHQ’s Twitter as well as my personal Twitter and on the Discord announcement channel, which will remain open as an information/announcement until our community launches.
MINT DETAILS
Pre-Sale
Date: Friday June 2 (6/2/23)
Time: 1:00 pm EST (5:00 pm UTC)
Price: FREE
Eligibility: PREMINT Registrants (Register HERE)
Public Sale
Date: Friday June 2 (6/2/23)
Time: 5:00 pm EST (9:00 pm UTC)
Price: FREE
Eligibility: Any Wallet
Note: **The mint will occur on our website (FAHQ.COM) — URL will be shared at the time of the mint on both my personal Twitter (@long) and FAHQ’s Twitter (@FAHQ) as well as in the Discord announcement channel. There will be no early access or surprises. Please be smart and safe.
MORE DETAILS FOR THOSE WHO ARE TRULY INTERESTED IN THE BRAND AND WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED
We have a lot of goals and ideas, and while we’d like to implement them all right away, it just isn’t realistic. Good things take time.
And we have put a LOT of thought into this. We want the Web3 component to be very on-brand. You will see that there are a lot of relevant traits in the XTREME PIXELS collection. Even down to the colors, as we used our brand’s primary and secondary colors throughout.
Even in the upcoming second collection these tokens provide a key to have been designed using our brand colors. While a completely different art style and use-case, they still are on-brand. I’m going to say it again…this was all well thought out and we wanted to make sure it was something that made sense for the brand.
We have seen a few brands drop collections and the art was sloppy or just didn’t match their vibe. I think you will see that we took our time, and for good reason.
The very first drop that XTREME PIXEL token holders will have access to are the Bored Ape and Gutter Cat collectible vinyl toys and skate decks.
We will also have a t-shirt and trucker hat drop that will be extremely limited and token-gated after that.
All token gating will be done via TokenProof, so there is no risk connecting the wallet that holds your NFT assets. We have already fully tested this feature. It’s slick.
Then, we have a hoodie drop coming, and let me tell you, these are amazing. Everything we do is custom. Our own designs, fabric blends, etc. If you have been around NFTs for a while you have probably purchased some merch. And it was likely a black hoodie. A shitty uncomfortable black hoodie. We are going to introduce you to your new favorite hoodie.
We also have our first sunglasses model in the pipeline— we hired an ex-Prada product designer and our manufacturer is one of the very best in Italy. These rival designer shades in craftsmanship and quality — with our style.
We will continue to do drops and grow the brand. Some public items, some items that are public, but early access given to token holders, as well as some items that are for token holders only.
When building a consumer brand from the ground up, content will be key. From sharing user-generated social media content to providing a behind-the-scenes look via YouTube. We have a lot of ideas.
I’m going to touch on a few of those ideas, but understand they are only ideas. We have to remain very flexible and be able to pivot and adjust in order to reach our ultimate goal, which is to create a kick-ass direct-to-consumer apparel, skate, and collectibles brand.
YouTube Channel
Content is king, and currently video content is what commands the most consumer attention. A YouTube channel makes sense for two reasons:
- It’s an effective platform to draw attention from and drive brand awareness
- It can turn into an additional revenue source, albeit small, for the brand via monetization.
Now, the main reason to do this is the attention. Good content = more people introduced to the brand. YouTube creator earnings are at their lowest and many large YouTubers that were once making the majority of their income via monetizing their videos have had to branch off. So, brand exposure would be the main reason for this.
- Vlog Series
I really like the idea of doing a vlog series that shows what it takes to build a brand and run a business. I feel there is too much “fluff” content out there. Lots of videos that show living the good life. Lambos. Partying. Traveling. But not many that show the daily grind and the actual “work” part. Sure, it’s not as sexy, but it’s real. I think if done well it can help draw eyes and in turn convert some of those viewers into brand supporters.
- Podcast Series
It seems like everyone and their brother has a podcast now. It’s an easy to digest content format. It can be listened to in the car on the commute and it’s also portable and can be listened to during cardio at the gym. Potential title would be, “FAHQ, Let Me Live!” and it would focus on interesting guests in the business, entertainment, fitness, and creator space and tell their stories of how they did what they wanted to achieve their goals in life. This space is so competitive, so a podcast is something I would consider after the YouTube channel has some momentum. With a decent subscriber base on YouTube it would have an immediate audience on that platform and then it could also easily be distributed across the major podcast distributions networks as well.
- Fantasy Factory-ish Facility Build-Out Documentary Series
My goal is to eventually build our own facility, which would be a warehouse and office building that also has a skate park, gym, and other fun areas. For what it would take to convert an existing structure into what I want it makes more sense to buy land and build. Not only would this give us exactly what we need, but it would also provide another opportunity for an interesting video documentary series that follows along throughout the entire process.
We have a warehouse right now that we are renting that has a lot of scalability, which is great, so there is no rush. When the time is right we will explore this. Not only would this give us great content to document and help draw more eyes, but it would give us the ability to create a lot of amazing content on-site and provide a much more interesting and action-packed day-to-day. If this happens, we would likely be able to do a daily vlog and take our YouTube content to the next level.
FAHQ Creator House
File this under “dream scenario,” because this is something that would take the brand mainstream very quickly, but it will take an incredible amount of capital to do so. But, it’s a goal and something I really hope we can do.
House on the water. Over the top. A place to really highlight and express what the brand means and the message it was designed to deliver: HAVE FUN & DO WHAT YOU WANT. Because life is short.
- 24/7 Live Streaming
While the vlog would focus on the daily grind, we would then also introduce additional “fun” content and take the content up a notch and even live-stream 24/7, token-gating that access, which is what the second Web3 component will unlock, among other things. Reminder: XTREME PIXEL holders will receive airdropped mint passes to secure a highly discounted mint.
Not all areas of the house would be 24/7, but we could do it in a way that made it a fun and interesting aspect and a component that could draw a large audience if executed correctly. Again, the goal is brand awareness and the potential here is unlimited.
- Creators (Fitness, Gaming, Entertainment & Lifestyle) Live Broadcasting
We would have to go extremely big here and secure a house that is over the top to the point where top creators from all disciplines will want to come hang out and create content from. This would really help put the brand out there.
The second Web3 component (that is already done) will be introduced when the time is right, and when we can execute it flawlessly to the point it helps us achieve the creator house goal.
Final Thoughts
Sky’s the limit, and once we find the correct traction for this it can and will move fast. Look at some brands — both personal and D2C consumer brands that found their way via content. They exploded.
Not going to get too ahead of myself, as I have very realistic goals and understand it can take time. I want to do it right and if that means moving slow and steady, so be it.
In the end, I want the brand to encourage its supporters and customers to do what they love and do what makes them happy before the ride is over.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope to see you participate and be part of what my crazy brain is creating.
PS — I’d really appreciate it if you shared this blog on Twitter and passed it on to other Web3 and NFT enthusiasts who also see the big picture and who you think would also want to be a part of this. Or to someone into streetwear/skate/collectibles — and introduce them to NFTs this way.
Thank you!
“Live Life On Your Terms. Be Unapologetically You.”
LET’S. FUCKING. GO
Jonathan Long, Founder — FAHQ
**Here are some fun GIFs we made that you can use: https://giphy.com/fahq/xtreme-pixels (We seeded them so they are already found easily on Twitter GIF by searching “fahq” — I personally love the GM coffee cup one!**
