From Mainstream to Main Street
Most people hear about cryptocurrency for the very first time through sound bites and sources like CNN, interviews with familiar figures like John McAfee and so on. Our goal with this introductory sequence was to lure viewers in through the controversial clips they are used to seeing and then pivot the conversation to something much more familiar on a community level.
The film begins with Jake Tapper referencing blockchain “no fees”, and moves to John McAfee’s promoting the explosive growth of Bitcoin and shrugging off the “bubble” fears. From there the conversation switches away from the dollar signs and shows @charlieshrem saying “it’s not just money, it’s a whole new infrastructure.” Charlie’s point here is foundational to the blockchain movement. While most are distracted by dollars, the true potential of blockchain technology is a complete rewiring of the world wide web. Cue Steemit CEO @ned talking about the “future of the internet” and @dan speaking about how “cryptocurrency is in it’s infancy.” From there @heiditravels talks about “uniting people from around the world” and suddenly the conversation has pivoted from Bitcoins and bubbles to something more tangible for everyday people. The whole blockchain movement isn’t about dollar signs, it’s about uniting communities in a brand new way. It’s about a local neighborhood being empowered through a global audience. Steem is the people’s crypto. STEEM Park and the documentary film showcases the power of that disruptive dynamic.
Setting the Scene with Steem
"What is Steem?” and ”What can you build with crypto?”
These preliminary questions help set the stage for exploring the potential of the Steem blockchain and what separates it from other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. While these mainstays are especially familiar to a broad audience, Steem is powering up behind the scenes and strengthening real communities all over the globe.
Our big question, was “what can we build?” We ( @voronoi and @hansikhouse ) have a background in architecture, urban design, and public art. The two of us think of problem solving in a visual sense and wanted proof that Steemit could be a disruptive resource for both designers and communities in need. The goal with the STEEM Park project was to create something physical that would engage a community of stakeholders both online (Steemit) and offline (Brooklyn).
Building A Network of Trust
We blogged and assembled stories about every step of the process. Sketches, 3D models, prototypes, stories about park history, community leaders, meetings, missteps and milestones.
For a project like this, we knew our work had to be extraordinarily transparent in order to cultivate a supportive network of people online (Steemit) and on the ground (in Brooklyn). This dynamic of audiences was essential for the project to happen and for it to live on. (It’s because of that network that Steem Park is continuing and that Herbert Von King Park is utilizing this platform to fundraise for future projects.)
“Not a Dime of Private or Taxpayer Money”
STEEM Park is the first public design project fully funded by cryptocurrency. The physical components of the project were financed 100% by blogging rewards and engaging with the Steemit community; no private USD donations or municipal support was provided. In short, it is the first public-interest project supported completely by public interest. STEEM Park is a proof-of-concept that local community projects can be initiated and sustained through a global attention economy.
“Using the Narrative to Create Value”
To fund STEEM Park, @sndbox set out to “mine” Brooklyn. We researched about the history of local landmarks, interviewed Park conservancy members, and attended community board meetings in Bedford Stuyvesant. We blogged about every single step. Each post yielded rewards that became stepping stones used to fund the physical installation. This was an exciting and immersive process for our team. We learned a tremendous amount about Herbert Von King Park and the community surrounding it that we didn’t already know. This knowledge helped us design better and create signage that was more meaningful.
Over the course of 30 blog posts, @sndbox wrote about the history and story of the neighborhood, local community leaders, design process and final installation. Using the narrative of place, the team raised an equivalent of $10,000 USD.
Leveraging research and the design process has never been more tangibly a part of the final product. While the park installation itself was not a massive project, the implications of this new type of process has huge implications.
Fostering a Hub of Crypto-Stewardship
Every vendor we used for the project was a member of the Brooklyn community. Our goal was to incorporate local fabricators, filmmakers, signage companies, and even flower shops. We spoke with each person / company about Steemit and sought to prove to them that this “digital currency” could result in “real design” using their products.
This engagement is incredibly important because it cultivates a sense of stewardship. Members of the big STEEM Park team can now point to a physical place within their backyard and say, "I worked on that!"
Goals for the Film
As a whole, our team’s goal for the film was to create something visual that could rise above the cryptocurrency noise we are all confronted with on a daily basis. This new landscape is not just about making money, it’s about positively impacting real communities that would not otherwise have a voice, let alone the resources needed to showcase their unique story.
We @sndbox hope that YOU can use this documentary film to share the impact of this incredible on and offline community.
Watch the Film, Click PLAY below!
This film was sponsored by Steemit Inc. through a Crowdsourced Marketing Initiative designed to empower community oriented projects and ideas surrounding the Steem blockchain. The physical construction of planters, furniture and installation of the STEEM Park project was funded entirely through cryptocurrency earned on Steemit.
What is STEEM Park?
STEEM Park is a public garden designed and funded exclusively through Steemit.com, a social media website that rewards impactful content with digital currency (STEEM). This garden within Herbert von King Park represents an entirely new way to empower community projects and celebrate special places within our neighborhoods. The project was created and executed by designers Kirk Finkel ( @voronoi ) and Michael Lee ( @hansikhouse ), co-founders of the Steemit Incubator @sndbox.
Special Thanks
@steemitblog @andrarchy @surfermarly @fulltimegeek @dylanhobalart @gardenlady @good-karma @virtualgrowth @clayop @thejohalfiles @natureofbeing @steemed @abdullar @prufarchy @hansikhouse @voronoi @heymattsokol @orenshani7 @meesterboom @yogi.artist @madlenfox @da-dawn @kanedizzle08 @vip @lighthil @inphiknit @airmatti @velimir @leesongyi @preparedwombat @dwolfe @cassidyandfranks @lovejoy
- Steemit Inc. - ( @ned ) and the Crowdsourced Marketing Initiative
- Andrew Levine - ( @andrarchy ) Steemit Community Liaison
- Wayne Devonish - Founder of the Herbert Von King Conservancy
- TTG FILMS (The Timelapse Group) - Shiseido Ruiz, Noel Cordero, Garrett Bates
- Ryu Kim - ( @mintvilla ) Von King Park Development Associate
- Brian Chu and Conor Coghlan - Principals of A05 Studio
- Gabriela Trueba - Founder of WOMP 3D Fabrication Studio
@sndbox very lovely park
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nice park
Yup, Very well said!!!
I hope others looking to create initiatives like this pay attention to your blueprint. I think the new logo has given us the opportunity to all come together and create some really impressive decentralised marketing initiatives that benefit us, and the community at large.
Well done guys :-)
Cg
This film made me cry tears of joy. I am so proud to be a part of this community. You guys inspire me to look at how we can use STEEM to empower our local communities. This is the best way to show people what is possible and add more value to STEEM in the process enabling even more projects. Thank you so much for the inspiration. Now I have something I can share with my off steem friends.
Thank you so much for the empowering words @allowisticartist! We want to keep proving the potential impact of STEEM with everything we do with the Sndbox community. And yes, please share!
i shared it on Twitter and the book of faces and made a segment on my station on anchor.fm thank you for providing such a beautiful example of the power of community when paired with creative uses of crypto
Great looking park. Keep up the good work!
Very nice.
Great to meet you guys last week. This video is great publicity for Steemit
It was awesome to meet you in person as well @steevc, such a great gathering of people this past week. We're already excited for the next one! Cheers
This is absolutely incredible. I remember reading something about Steem Park weeks ago, but it's great to see that it came to fruition! Congrats guys!
Can't wait to see what your next project is.
Thanks so much @jenkinrocket! We're thrilled with how it came out and will continue to work on it. Much more to come soon :)
That's a good job guys! What was a reaction of pedestrians? Were they asking about park or steemit ? :)
Thank you! That's a great comment. The biggest question we received (especially during installation) was "who funded this?" Because this park especially is not accustomed to groups coming in to install public art.
This of course kickstarted a whole conversation about Steemit.com. We had postcards that we handed out to folks who wanted to signup and learn more. We've also hosted several meetups with people after the park was installed.
Overall, there were questions about both the park history and Steem. Our team was excited that both realms got strong attention and positive feedback.
Very cool project and video! It appears that Steem Park has actually succeeded in making government obsolete in this particular endeavor!
To follow future work and initiatives happening at Von King Park, check out @mintvilla's page, she's the Von King Park Development Associate and is currently developing an amazing wayfinding and signage project. Steem on!
https://steemit.com/design/@mintvilla/sndbox-project-launch-public-signage-at-herbert-von-king-park
Congratulations ! You have produced 1 kWh of solar energy.
@solarcoach is using @chrisaiki and other Steemians SP to produce a renewable electricity.
All @solarcoach Steem and SBD will be used to invest in solar energy power plants.
You can produce even more solar energy by upvoting this reply !
More explanations...
Awesome film thank you i was enjoyed ;)
Many thanks @valikos :D
Well these digital currencies will rock the world
img credz: pixabay.com
Nice, you got a 26.0% @marty-arts upgoat, thanks to @lazyfrog08
Want a boost? Minnowbooster's got your back!
The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @sndbox to be original material and upvoted(1.5%) it!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
Wow!! Such an amazing video. And congratulations on haveing the opportunity to refresh and revitalize a park using the steemit community and steem as a crypto currency in order to do so. I'll hope to see future projects like this in the near future again I congratulate you fine folks who started the project 😊... To think we as a community could accomplish something this great just by a simple upvote
Upvoted and following now😀. Would love to resteem also. Again congrats
great job,sir
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the film.
Wow great initiate, I need to go check out the steem park, I have enjoyed all your 30 some posts regarding the history and neighborhood. I will have to check out the film as well.
Will join your membership asap.
Awesome! Many thanks for the kind word of support @zeartful! Make sure to watch the film when you have a spare few minutes ;)
Long Live Steem! Awesome post... thanks for sharing! :)
Long Live Steem indeed! Thanks @johns3101!
Thank you for give us some nice information about it. All of you make it most incredible.
Thank you @alokalodipu!
Sweet! We need more well produced Crypto documentaries that we can show people NOW that are taking into account stuff that's happened in the past 6 months.. Trailers are good as that can be made quickly and does accomplish this while no one expects the trailer to contain all the information and therefore inspire more people to go look it up themselves what's going on, how much has been going on under their noses and how much money they'd have had if they'd noticed sooner.
Trailers are a great way to catch a glimpse of a bigger story, definitely @edb1984! There are already hundreds of projects that have happened over the last few months that need more documentation. This crypto landscape moves quickly! Thanks again for your support :)
This is beyond awesome.
Wow thank you :D it's a big team effort!
woaaow
:D
I definitely see the potential Steemit and I really admire you guys @sndbox with this ambitious push spreading awareness of this awesome community. I've been following you guys from afar and wondering what new ventures I could be apart of as I take the next step in my career. I was actually born in Brooklyn but I haven't been since a child and lived most my life in Atlanta. I'm planning to move travel a lot with my next big move to Boston in January and hopefully plenty of visits through my home state. There's not a doubt in my mind I'll be checking out the site. It's weird been getting these feels to start a new life back up north and then I here about you guys expanding on my birthplace. Excited for the future, maybe someday I can offer some of my services. DOPE!
Hey thanks for the great message @druidcruize! Please do swing by the site and definitely keep us posted if you find yourself north of the ATL :)
good job, i like it.... thanks...
Thanks for your support!
Mantaap
Post was cool
Concept was cool
And image was attractive
Nice work....
Win win win, thanks for the support @abhishek77!
Can an article in Spanish be voted by @sndbox?
I'm very interested in your project, although I do not have everything very clear.
Greetings from Venezuela @sndbox
by the way, excellent initiative with the park;)
Thanks @erickrivera! Message @hansikhouse in Steemit.chat to learn more about the Sndbox incubator. We'll be happy to answer any questions you have about our community initiative. Cheers :)
WOW, Steemit is doing a great job, Thanks to the entire project designers
Kirk Finkel ( @voronoi )
and Michael Lee ( @hansikhouse ),
co-founders of the Steemit Incubator @sndbox.
Thanks @nirobrahman!
intresting like a vrry important info about new users. thnks for posting this kind of info. it supports
Thank you @sndbox ....for give us some nice information about it.
Thank you for your support!
I upvote and follow you can you please do the same
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@sakib656/introduce-myself
Amazing work guys, Im humbled to be apart of steemit community, and knowing its only the beginning, makes me feel excited. “Greater things have yet to come, greater things have still to be done.” Happy steeming 😊
That's a good job guys.
Well done!
Thanks!
grate i will support and up vote you for this ....and also need support
thanks for this post @sndbox
nice vlog
Thank you!
very nice and what a park.
its is the one of the best in the whole word. and it will be famous very soon.
steem'in parklara destek vermesi muhteşem.
I really like the charitable aspect of Steemit
Yes, and we would really like to see more people/accounts doing charitable work!
Good job @sndbox and i like.
I giv u vote u cn giv me vote n lik my videos n i follow u n follow me plz plz plz
Congratulations @sndbox!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
lovely
This is amazing and inspiring. Looking forward to seeing what you do next.
@sndbox Great idea and execution! This is a perfect example of why I joined this community. RESPECT
I love how you guys think and work. Your innovations that are connected to making communities, businesses and entrepreneurs better are indeed amazing. I also enjoyed your presentation at Steemfest.
Thanks. I just saw your notification. Please do assist me
This video is great publicity for Steemit
You two tell the story so well here in this post. The film is excellent - well crafted and so effectively conveys these groundbreaking concepts and paradigms. Great work. I'd also say that you two demonstrate the power of collaboration especially well!