I spent May 13-15 working the Motor City Comic Con ("MC3") to obtain source material for stories that impact you.  On the last day, I managed to obtain a major lead on a new collectible and I spent all day trying to obtain facts about it.  I had to do battle to get more information on this collectible, and one of those I ultimately had to do battle with was the Arrowverse's Katie Cassidy.

A New Take on an Innovative Collectible

A Research Reveal

I conduct research for these events.  During this research, I discovered a mysterious post on Katie Cassidy's Twitter feed.  On April 28, she teased something about a comic book character.  I discovered that this was an NFT offering.  Most of you know an NFT as a Non-Fungible Token that can be bought and sold.   NFTs can be both collectibles and investments.

GoCollect has talked about these before when celebrities, athletes, and artists release their own line of NFTs.  The buyer owns the image but the image could still be mass-produced.  NFTs are a way to create digital exclusivity for the purchaser.  The NFT mentioned on Katie Cassidy's Twitter feed has a  unique characteristic that differs from other NFTs. The difference is what makes this NFT a possible game-changer and of interest to our readers.

An Interesting New Take

The NFTs mentioned by Katie Cassidy reportedly went beyond digital image exclusivity.  These NFTs also contained intellectual property rights.  The NFT owners supposedly could work to create backstories and powers for the characters.  In a Hollywood Reporter article, it was reported that the NFT owner would be working with a team of artists and writers to turn those ideas into possible future multimedia products.   The inputs provided by the owner could potentially make or break the NFT's value.  These intellectual property rights went well beyond ownership of digital image rights.  I had to find out more about these collectible investments; who better to ask than Katie Cassidy at MC3?

Katie Cassidy: More than Arrowverse

Successes Beyond Acting

Katie Cassidy has a brilliant business mind.  The roles she chooses vary to exploit her artistic ability.  She also sees very good business opportunities when they present themselves.  My main obstacle when it came to talking with her was that she is so kind and giving to her fans.  I worked days at the convention and had an opportunity to watch her interactions with attendees. Katie Cassidy made every person feel special and their experience unique. She spends so much time with each person that there is no time for interviews with the press.

An Opportunity Presents Itself

I never wanted to interfere with a fan's experiences with their heroes as a journalist.  That time is special for her fans. Luckily, I managed to find a time that Katie Cassidy was free and asked her representatives politely for a brief moment of her time to discuss NFTs.

I was glad to get any time and thus was willing to accept any conditions she set for the sit-down. I was told by staff that this would not be a full interview and I could not record the conversation.   My only opportunity to get what I needed required me to accept the terms.  En garde.

Actress vs Journalist

Testing the Mettle of Each Other

I tried to impress Katie at first to get the NFT information with my knowledge of the tweet and how we thought the NFT mentioned was innovative.  My intent was to have her reveal everything about this innovative NFT after my first blow.  No success.

She measured me by questioning if I knew what an NFT and blockchains were. Quickly put on the defense, I responded that I did know what they were and that I had previously written about NFTs for the GoCollect. Katie's advance was stopped.  Next, she intentionally mentioned a mischaracterization of the nature of the NFT character in her tweet.  She was testing me to see if I had done my prep work or was merely an overeager fan in the guise of a journalist. The match was now in full force.

Battle of Wills

I tried to counter with a more on-target reply.  My defenses had to be strong, so I responded that the image was a superhero.  The NFT backstory was important and not created yet so I did not want to falsely imply that it had.

Her next move was a lunge attack where she had mentioned her previous NFT offerings.  The Arrowverse star is a known commodity in the NFT market and wanted me to be aware of history.

I parried.  I told her that I knew of her NFT release with surreal artistic images of herself and her prowess with NFTs. Only an amateur would come to an interview and not know this fact.

I then realized what makes her a success in her field.  She was trying to turn the tables and get information from me while restricting her reveals. A subtle dance between two worthy participants. Sadly, the end was now near.

Never Had a Chance

I knew my time was short and I had to make a move.  She chose the rules of engagement, but I needed to make a move to win the battle. I questioned her about ancillary rights and licensing potential in an attempted lunge to get the better of my opponent.   Artists like Katie Cassidy know that ancillary and licensing rights are legal questions. I revealed myself as an attorney and left myself exposed.

The battle was won.  The coup de grace came in a response that she could not legally talk about it right now but that I should keep me checking her Twitter feed for more information on the NFT.  A fan approached, not realizing the carnage that was left at the booth.   I smiled as I looked upon the face of my executioner because even in defeat her responses meant I was right with my initial thoughts on this NFT.  It could be groundbreaking!

The Potential for this NFT

Imagine if you could buy the image of Spider-Man in the 1960s.  The owner would then end up working with a team of writers to create a back story for the character, as well as powers.  The final product could end up being Peter Parker or Miles Morales, based on the back story. The creative synergy could make this creation very desirable and the price of these contributions could increase the interest in this particular NFT compared with others in the same line.  This potential goes beyond merely owning the image because you could add value to the image with a good backstory.

Questions I would love to have asked

Good Journalism

I always view any interview as a dance to get what I need while the other side tries to limit that information only to what they want to reveal. Interviews are not adversarial.  I wrote our exchange in the form of a fencing duel because of the skill of Katie Cassidy.  In my mind, each of her statements was important and yet carefully crafted.  I do not think she thought an interview on her NFT tweet would be discussed at this con and yet she came prepared.

Katie Cassidy is more than a pretty face or a successful thespian.  I weighed and measured her responses and the timing of the reveal.  They were those of a successful business person who believes in a product.  She also composed herself when it came to the most crucial product characteristic. The intellectual property rights that go with the NFT are beyond what is currently being offered.  The key is in the details and those revelations could not be made at this time.

Wanting More

I had a few questions that I would love to know the answers to as it relates to the NFT she mentioned on her Twitter feed.  Our readers should realize that the answers to these questions could make these NFTs a very hot commodity.  I will use Spider-Man as a character example because I am unaware of the full line of heroes and villain NFTs that are being offered.  Spider-Man is not the NFT being offered!!!  I chose him to better explain the nature of my inquiries. Questions that I would need to be answered to determine the potential of NFT Katie Cassidy mentioned in her tweet would be:

A. Do licensing rights belong to the NFT owner,  NFT creator, or a combination of the two? For example, if a film company wants to produce a film based upon the NFT and the backstory created, does the NFT owner see any of those funds if they contributed to the character's development?

B. Are the character designs unique or does only the backstory change?  Imagine the Peter Parker NFT owner getting funds but the Miles Morales NFT owner not receiving anything because of what character was used in the MCU. Both NFT owners purchased Spider-Man images but only one developed the backstory used in the film.

C. Are the NFTs created first and then purchased and the backstory created or are they purchased first and then the image and backstory created?  Think of Sony's Peter Parker's organic webbing having to be used because the character design of the NF  already existed and did not have web-shooters.

D. Are there different price points based upon who designs the NFT?  Would a Todd McFarlane be the same as an Erik Larson version?

E. What is Katie Cassidy's involvement with the NFT?  Successful actress.  Knowledgeable in NFTs and their releases. Multimedia savvy.  Do those traits not describe someone you want more in an advisory role than a mere investor?

An Investment for a New Age

Most of the concern about NFTs is the secondary market.  Once an NFT is purchased, the issue is how you sell it to another person and why they would buy it. This is something I believe could be entirely different with these NFTs.  The NFT buyer is investing in both the image and the story of the character created.  The potential for a secondary market then would be on how the NFT was developed.

Imagine if you could have bought characters like Spider-Man and the Green Goblin and helped Stan Lee create their backstories to make others want those characters for comics, movies, and television series. People would want to buy an asset with those licensing opportunities on a secondary market.

An opportunity to find an opportunity

I am honored for the time Katie Cassidy gave me to discuss the NFT mentioned in her Twitter feed. She gave me more time than I expected and a resource in her Twitter feed to learn more on the NFT.  The NFT described so far could be groundbreaking in that a whole line of NFT characters could be created and developed.  Ownership of this NFT goes beyond merely retaining the limited digital rights to the image.

I have so many more questions I wish could have been answered but I look forward to checking her Twitter feed and reading press releases on this opportunity.  Even as a business person, Katie Cassidy gave me something to think about and yet still left me wanting more.

Conclusion

If you are looking into a different type of collectible or investment please research further to see if this NFT could be right for you. I still have a lot of questions that need to be answered and you should too. All investments and collectibles have their own risks with ownership and research are needed to measure those risks.  The reason I wrote about this NFT was that I found it interesting that someone may not have the money to buy a comic book company, but they may now be able to decide if they want to invest in a comic book villain or hero NFT.

Want more investment insight from Joe?

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*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.