Non-Fungible Tokens: Todd Denkin Of SMUGGLEVERSE On The 5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Highly Successful Career In The NFT Industry

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Build a successful team. Surround yourself with people smarter than you and people with the same passion you have for the NFT space. This is key to success in any business but especially true in NFTs.

Many have observed that we are at the cusp of an NFT boom. The thing is, it’s so cutting edge, that many people don’t know what it is. What exactly is an NFT and how can one create a lucrative career out of selling them? To address this, as a part of our interview series called “5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Highly Successful Career In The NFT Industry”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Todd Denkin.

Todd Denkin, Co-Founder of SMUGGLEVERSE, a platform that allows you to cut your NFTs merging the Metaverse with the Cannabis space.

For the past 12 years, as a C-Level Cannabis Executive, Todd has invaluable experience in the legal cannabis and hemp sphere, launching two publicly traded cannabis companies (PHOT, DIGP). This expertise has allowed him to be knowledgeable in identifying emerging market trends, navigating companies into lucrative markets, and offering brand advertising and marketing direction to elevate the market presence of new companies. Todd also co-founded TNMNews, an online source for news and education where he continues to serve as its president and on-air host. Todd has interviewed hundreds of luminaries in the cannabis space from patients to politicians. He is a Telly Award Winning Director and Producer with over 30 years of television production experience. Todd has been a featured cannabis expert in TV news, newspapers and magazines and also co-authored the book Money Matters.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory and how you grew up?

I was born and raised in Miami to very loving middle-class parents and grew up with by brother and sister. Mom and dad both worked hard but never really made a lot of money. I earned very early that if I wanted certain things, I had to work for them. I started working when I was 8 years old, selling newspaper subscriptions and mowing lawns. I was always the class clown because I learned at an early age, “If you’re not laughing… You’re NOT laughing!” We moved to Ft. Lauderdale when I was going into 9th grade where we started a whole new life. After a great time in high school, I traveled around the country with a buddy, and we went to most of the national monuments and national parks in 38 states. I attended Broward College where I worked and saved enough money to go to the University of Florida. In college I was an on-air disc jockey at both rock stations and top 40. After college I moved to Los Angeles to work in TV.

Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I’ve always been inspired by comedic movies strangely enough. Animal House, Night Shift, Hollywood Knights, and North Dallas Forty were among my favorites but Rocky was the movie that drove me to succeed. A guy coming from nothing, working hard and then getting everything really inspired me to work hard and do good things. Jaws was another movie that really moved me to trust my instincts and when you NEED a bigger boat… GET ONE!

Is there a particular story that inspired you to pursue a career in this new industry? We’d love to hear it.

In my professional career, I was always looking for the next best thing. I went from Radio to TV to Film to Cable TV to Advertising, to Music Videos, to the Internet… I was instrumental in building a streaming video company from 2000 to 2009 and as much as I hate telling the story, we created something called HelloWorld, which is VERY similar to what Facebook is today…but that story is for another time. After the Internet Company, I was looking for the next big trend and it was “Grow Your Own Marijuana”. Laws were changing in 2009 and I saw that as opportunity. We bought a 30-year-old hydroponic company and entered the pot space, taking the company public and have been in the cannabis and media space ever since. I think that the combo of cannabis and NFTs ARE the next big things and it’s great to part of both…Again, I see opportunity where others don’t.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this fascinating career?

It was kind of a fluke on how I ended up here. I’ve been trying to get a movie made about my cousin Bruce who was one of the biggest marijuana smugglers in West Coast history. While pitching a friend of my partner, he said that we had some great IP and would we consider the NFT business to get the IP out into the world. Honestly, I was just starting to hear about NFTs and the success that others were having and I thought, THIS is a great opportunity.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Mistakes aren’t really mistakes if you learn from them. The mistake I made was trying to include my inner circle or professionals to this next venture and what I learned was that everything is not for everybody. It’s ok not to include everyone in new ideas and businesses. I learned to trust others and give up a little control and to go with the flow.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There are many people who helped me along the way. One that stands out is the guy I met who owned the streaming media company. We met in the mid 90’s where I produced a couple infomercials for him. We hit it off and it was an instant connection. I moved to Vegas in 2000 to work for him after my media company broke up because my partners didn’t like the fact, I smoked pot. He allowed me to be myself and we built a huge dot COM Company and by 2007 we had a $300 million market cap. He taught me how to embrace my true self and taught me the power of publicly traded companies. We moved on to the cannabis space took a few more companies public and have started and built other companies along the way. Craig is an autodidactic visionary who also taught me that whatever you don’t know now, you can learn!

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I have always had many things going at once… Jobs, personal projects, new businesses and have worked on many fantastic projects from Nickelodeon to Playboy and lots of other interesting things along the way. What I am most excited about is The SMUGGLEVERSE! This is a way to take all of my skills that I’ve developed over the years and combine them into one incredible business. The SMUGGLEVERSE combines my cannabis IP and expertise with new technology that I’ve always been fascinated with. We’re able to help people by sharing this combination of weed and tech and allow others to profit from our successes.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. I’m sure you get this question all the time. But for the benefit of our readers, can you explain in your own words what an NFT is, and why people are spending so much money on them?

To me, an NFT is the next wave of digital media ownership. Not everyone can own a Rembrandt or a Picasso, but ANYONE can own an NFT. I think that they level the collectable playing field and allow regular people to participate in an industry that is changing everything. Everyone wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves. The NFT world is really about community and allows anyone to be a success. Community is about people helping people and the NFT community is no different. I was learned that the more people I can help get what they want; I will eventually get what I want. I think that people are spending so much money on these because they can be status symbols that are attainable. Not everyone can buy a Ferrari but literally anyone can buy an NFT. And if you are in early with a good company, you can become very successful!

The NFT industry seems so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? If you can, please share a story or example for each.

1. They are new. I pride myself on finding the newest and greatest and helping share the word of what I’ve found with others. It also allows me to be creative and have some fun and again, use all of the skills I have developed over the years to help others get what they want.
2. I really love that the cannabis industry is embracing NFTs and the fact that we can add a whole new twist that nobody else is doing is also very exciting to me.
3. The fact that we have developed new technology that may be used by EVERYONE in the NFT space excites me as well. I’ve worked in media, technology and cannabis. The SMUGGLEVERSE gives me an opportunity to work in all three.

What are the 3 things that concern you about the industry? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?

1. Education. Most people don’t know what NFTs are, how they work and even why people are buying them. People must be educated so they can make informed decisions. It’s the same with all new things. People had no idea what the Internet was until they needed it for something. People thought cannabis was a horrible drug until they learned the medical benefits. Once NFTs go mainstream they will be in our live forever.
2. Education.
3. Education.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about NFTs? Can you explain what you mean?

Myth #1 — NFTs are a kind of cryptocurrency — One of the biggest myths is that NFTs are crypto currency. They are NOT. Crypto is Fungible, NFTs are NOT. Every NFT has its own unique value whereas ETH can only be exchanged with other ETH or another crypto currency of the same value.

Myth #2 — NFTs don’t have value

Another biggest misconception that people have regarding NFTs is that they do not have any value. But the NFTs offer a special power to their owner.

Every NFT has its power, which its owner can only unlock. For example, In the SMUGGLEVERSE, a joint can be used for cutting and stacking as well as a ticket to gain access to a special event like a virtual concert.

What are the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they enter the NFT industry? What can be done to avoid that?

Investing in NFTs for the Short term is a very common mistake. NFTs do not fluctuate rapidly. If you look at Bitcoin when it hit the market in several years ago, it took a while for people to really see the value increase. You have to find the right NFT program for you. Look for a stable company with experienced and trusted management that is transparent in their roadmap and stay connected to the community that they are creating. Ask questions. Stay informed. For example, The SMUGGLEVERSE has a long-term plan for success and offers brand new technology that can shake up the industry. New and different is always better!

How do you think NFTs have the potential to help society in the future?

NFT’s have the power to change lives. Financially, socially, and it gives the average Joe an opportunity to succeed in the very pretentious art world without being pretentious.

Ok, fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Highly Successful Career In The NFT Industry?”

1. Build a successful team. Surround yourself with people smarter than you and people with the same passion you have for the NFT space. This is key to success in any business but especially true in NFTs.
2. Create a strong Community. This is probably the most important thing to do. Your community is what makes or breaks your project. Assemble the right kind of people who are like-minded and believe in what you are doing as much as you do. Listen to them and let them be a part of your decision making process.
3. Secure your IP. Another very important part is to make sure you and your company secures all your IP. Hire the right lawyers. Take the time and spend the money to do things right! You only have one chance to make a first impression and securing your intellectual property is key.
4. Put in the work. This industry is not for the timid. You have to do your due diligence in all aspects of the business and you should get started today. Don’t wait for someone else to do something or wait until you think the market is right; just get it done! You can bet your bottom dollar that someone else somewhere is putting in the effort to launch his or her new ideas and you don’t want to be left behind. That person is your competition and you do not want them to get ahead of you!
5. Learn from your mistakes. This is a brand new industry and you will make some mistakes along the way. Whether you are trying something new or taking someone’s advice or you’re simply following your game plan, mistakes will be made by you and your team and you just have to accept the failure and learn from your mistakes and keep forging ahead. Oh, and don’t make the same mistake twice! As long as you learn your lesson, it’s not really a mistake it’s just your education.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I think that the movement I’d like to influence to change the world is simple. Understanding that humans have WAY more in common than we have differences. We need to focus on the similarities more which will allow us to embrace the differences. Empathy is the key to understanding and I think we need more of that!

We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

Bono from U2. I think his profound views of people and love has inspired hundreds of millions of people around the world. His lyrics seem to speak directly to me as if he’s inside my head. From the song “Miracle Drug”, “I want a trip inside your head, Spend the day there, To hear the things you haven’t said, And see what you might see” wouldn’t that be great to be able to do that with people… His songs ooze with empathy, which I think the world lacks today and is one of the reasons people relate to his music. Plus, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for… and maybe, just maybe he can help!

Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!

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Non-Fungible Tokens: Todd Denkin Of SMUGGLEVERSE On The 5 Things You Need To Know To Create a… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.