Summary
SAVAGE (https://www.savage.app) is the first community driven and eco-friendly NFT media marketplace focused on Hollywood-quality video and photography.
With a track record of creating content for some of the world’s biggest brands and a combined social media presence of over 12 million followers, SAVAGE is the next generation media and content marketplace.
Main Questions:
Miami Disco: Tell us about your background! What have you worked on prior to SAVAGE?
Luke Neumann: For sure! I worked as a filmmaker for the past 10 years for major brands like Amazon, Samsung, TCL, Adobe, Panasonic and many more. I helped create the SAVAGE YouTube channel which currently has over 143,000 subscribers and now we are merging everything from that world into blockchain!
Miami Disco: How would you describe SAVAGE as briefly as possible to someone who’s never heard of it before?
Luke Neumann: SAVAGE is the world’s first carbon-neutral NFT marketplace for photo and video.
Miami Disco: Right, the “carbon-neutral” part is very prevalent in your marketing.
What factors led to the creation of SAVAGE?
Luke Neumann: There were a few, honestly! The content monetization platforms in the legacy world leave a lot to be desired. Sometimes these platforms take up to 70% of the artist’s commission. Then in the NFT world, there was a lot of FUD in the creative communities about the energy consumption. This prevented most of the big influencers and brands we work with from entering the space.
Miami Disco: Now, having said that, what are some big features that set SAVAGE apart from other photography sharing platforms, i.e. the competition?
What are its use cases?
And who would you say your target demographic is?
Luke Neumann: 98% Creator Payouts, 2GB file uploads, Rights Managed Contracts in the NFT metadata, Team NFTs, Carbon-Neutral marketplace and low $10 flat minting fees. Our target demographic is really anyone with a smartphone! The new iPhones take insane photos and almost everyone has one.
Miami Disco: Can’t get much more user-friendly than that. I really appreciate you highlighting the $10 flat minting fee. Means just about anyone can partake 👍
Are photographs the only accepted form of art on SAVAGE? Can users also post paintings, drawings and videos?
Luke Neumann: We have been talking to some amazing traditional artists and we are absolutely going to feature their work. If you need to use a physical camera to capture and share your work, then it is technically photography. For launch though, we are mainly focusing on traditional photography and video.
Miami Disco: Still on the topic of minting one’s own work: could you give us a rundown of the process? And how can users stay in control of the rights to their own work?
Luke Neumann: It’s going to be extremely easy! You will upload a photo, title it, choose your Rights Contract and a thumbnail and then mint. For the rights, we are going to be the first NFT marketplace to bake Rights Managed Contracts into the NFTs themselves. In our business, this is an extremely important but time consuming process. Automating it will save time for both the creators and the clients!
Miami Disco: Such a low barrier for entry! So I take it even amateurs are welcome, not just photography professionals, right?
Luke Neumann: Correct! While we are working with some amazing and world renowned artists, I think we are most excited to find the new up and coming creators and then having the means to give them a spotlight and showcase their work. That will be something we take great pride in.
Miami Disco: I wanted to ask you about the tech side of SAVAGE now.
What blockchain is it running on?
And what led to the decision to run SAVAGE on that particular chain?
Luke Neumann: We have built the $SAVG token on Polygon (MATIC). Being carbon-neutral is one of the most important features but we also believe the NFT volume is and will always likely be on Ethereum…mostly. Polygon is the perfect choice, since it’s EVM compatible and allows us to bridge to ETH 2.0 when it’s ready.
Miami Disco: We’re almost at the finish line, Luke.
Just wanted to ask you a few things first.
What does the $SAVG token do?
When, and where, will we be able to buy it?
Do you have any partnerships or list of investors that you’d like to share?
Luke Neumann: $SAVG is our on platform utility token and it serves many purposes. Users can stake, participate in exclusive competitions and giveaways but ultimately it will be used for governance in the DAO. We have many amazing partners and investors, from Faculty Group and PixelPlex to the Crypto Climate Accord. We would drop the full list here but that information isn’t public just yet, so stay tuned for more of those announcements. We just announced our dual IDO on December 15th with OccamRazer and FantomStarter! Very exciting times.
Community Questions:
Q: Photos and videos must require a strong community to make the project popular, share benefits and achieve project goals. So what are your plans to better connect with the community? And what updates will you provide in the next few months, are you going to hold a video/photo contest for all of your community even everyone who is not part of the community to get your limited NFT?
Luke Neumann: We have an amazing community of filmmakers and photographers and some really exciting plans for photo and video competitions. From camera and gear giveaways and cash prizes to the exclusive workshops with world renowned photographers and filmmakers.
Q: When it comes to photographers they take “INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY” very seriously. So how does SAVAGE plan to protect the artwork it displays? Will there be a contract or rights before they start it? and how is the NFT revenue difference between Video and photo, which is more profitable? And what use cases are already happening in SAVAGE?
Luke Neumann: This is a major feature of SAVAGE. We have worked in the legacy media world for 10 years and have run SAVAGE as a legacy stock video company for the past 3 years. So rights management is something we take very seriously ourselves. We have worked with some of the best attorneys to draft contracts that will be embedded in the metadata and will give extra protection to both the artists and the buyers.
Q: Your article states that SAVAGE will be migrated to a DAO. Why is SAVAGE switching to DAO? What benefits will the DAO provide to users who will participate in governance??
Luke Neumann: A DAO is the only solution for giving total control to the artist. Removing middle men means…removing ourselves as well. The platform doesn’t need a marketing department, the individual creators and their social media followings will be the marketing. Storage and minting don’t cost that much money, so the buyer will pay for those costs.
A fully functional DAO is fair, ethical and really the only way to true decentralization.
Q: You said you’d like NFT volume is and will always be on Ethereum, but other on-chain infrastructures also have outstanding features. Could it be your plan to revert from this idea and leave Polygon in the future? Will SAVAGE bridge with ETH 2.0 fully meet your expectations in the future?
Luke Neumann: Great question! The move to build on Polygon is, we believe, the option that gives us the most freedom and flexibility in the short term. We want to be able to move where the market goes and we assume it will move to ETH 2.0. If it doesn’t, we aren’t tied to anything and we can move and adapt.
Thank you @Miami_Disco and the Dude’s Army community for this spirited AMA!
Follow SAVAGE on all of our socials and stay tuned for some big announcements!
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