Over the last few decades — but particularly in the last five to ten years — the world we operate in on a day-to-day basis has become increasingly more digital. Grocery shopping, dog walking, even a trip to the gym are now all at your fingertips on an iPhone. And now with the emergence of Web3, an even more immersive digital experience awaits on the horizon.
As the shifts toward a more digitally connected world continue to take place, evaluating the role of community, and more importantly what community means in the digital space, becomes an interesting question. HXOUSE, a Toronto-based think-center, incubator, and accelerator, is bringing together multidisciplinary creatives from all facets to explore the future of digital communities, particularly as it relates to the further integration of Web3.
StockX has partnered with HXOUSE to deliver keynote discussions and events on these very topics at a global scale. The result is a collaborative international tour that takes HXOUSE’s unique blend of cross-disciplinary learning and makes it accessible to new markets. This year, StockX and HXOUSE will host seven events in cities across North America in preparation for another five events internationally in 2023. At each event, StockX and HXOUSE will host cultural voices from each city to break down the creative’s unique points of view and talk about how they’re disrupting their respective industries.
After launching the first of the seven North American events in Toronto two weeks ago, StockX and HXOUSE’s second panel was hosted in New York City last week. This second StockX x HXOUSE panel was hosted by StockX’s own Damien Hooper-Campbell who was recently brought on as Chief Impact Officer. Engaging in conversation though the New York panel were four of the city’s prominent multi-disciplinary creatives: Matt Medved, Polina Zakh, and Sky Gellatly, and Austin Snyder. While the Toronto panel primarily focused on the function of authenticity in the Web3 space, the New York conversation was more concerned with the necessity of community and how seeing NFTs through a communal lens can transform the ways we think about them.
StockX x HXOUSE New York Panel Host: Damien Hooper-Campbell
The StockX x HXOUSE Panel in New York was hosted by our very own Chief Impact Officer, Damien Hooper-Campbell, who started at StockX in May of 2022. Hooper-Campbell is a Harvard Business School graduate and has previously worked for brands like Harry’s, Zoom, eBay, Uber, Google, and many more. His work has covered a wide range of fields, from investment banking to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In more recent roles, Damien Hooper Campbell has been a champion and innovator in the field of diversity and inclusion, working as Uber’s first Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion and as eBay’s first Chief Diversity Officer. His facilitation of the panel led to a conversation brimming with gems on the importance of creating diverse communities and networks. “If you look at this from a research standpoint, the top 20% of performers inside of organizations have the most diverse networks. No matter what your background is, run toward that diversity of backgrounds.” He said.
StockX x HXOUSE New York Panelist: Matt Medved
Matt Medved brought a very intentional direction to the conversation around community and Web3 specifically through the lens of what content means in this new space. Medved’s career began with a focus on content creation, where he worked at Billboard in multiple capacities before eventually taking on an Editor-in-Chief role at SPIN in 2018. Most recently, Medved has dug deep into the Web3 and NFT spaces, founding his own NFT-focused company and emerging as a highly influential voice in the new NFT community. “I think something that’s stuck out to me is the importance of having peers around you as sounding boards,” he said, “Don’t forget to identify similarly driven people even if they’re in different fields. You want to surround yourself with people who don’t have the same skill sets as you, and maybe not always the same interests.” In that way, Medved made it very clear that he sees a diverse network or community as a foundation or platform for meaningful collaboration.
As the co-founder and CEO of the NFT-based media company nft now, Medved comes to the conversation with a very specific perspective on where Web3 can go. He sees NFTs and Web3 as positives for the accessibility they provide to artists and the ways they break free from the confines of the traditional art system. “What’s amazing about NFTs is that it’s flipped the script. It reminds me in some ways of the effect of streaming and radio. It used to be like, the radio decided who got heard and now radio is trying to keep up with TikTok and streaming. It removes the gatekeepers.” He’s passionate about the ways that Web3 could change the creative landscape, dramatically altering the ways that creators and their communities create and share their value across every discipline. “It’s the first way we’ve ever had something like provable digital art and that’s transforming and changing lives every day.”
StockX x HXOUSE New York Panelist: Sky Gellatly
is a great example of what it means to be a multi-disciplinary creative. He began his professional career as an analyst on Wall Street at Goldman Sachs before making a switch to a more creative role, taking on editorial and production positions for media giants like MTV, Condé Nast, and Complex. In 2005, Gellatly took a managing partner role at Team Epiphany, a renowned creative marketing agency where he worked with brands like Nike, Converse, and Rock the Vote. More recently, Sky Gellatly founded ICNCLST, a creative agency that empowers businesses to engage with artists, and allows artists to realize commercial opportunities with big brands. You may also recognize Gellatly as he occasionally serves as Lupe Fiasco’s tour DJ.
As a part of the New York StockX x HXOUSE panel, Gellatly spoke deeply about the importance of integrity as a throughline of the conversation. This was emphasized heavily when talking about community as he spoke directly to the importance of values and the negative side of instant gratification. The theme of integrity was also present in Gellatly’s comments about NFTs. He spoke intentionally about the ways that galleries have failed artists by not providing a digital medium for the consumption of their art, especially during the pandemic. Similarly to Medved, Gellatly stressed the importance of NFTs as an opportunity for artists to take control of their work and go direct to consumer like never before.
StockX x HXOUSE New York Panelist: Polina Zakh
is a Russian-born creative producer currently working at Sila Sveta, a New York and Moscow-based interactive media, production and conceptual design company that specializes in 3D mapping. Polina’s work includes creating the visual effects for Drake’s Scorpion Tour.
In conversation, Polina was quick to point out the importance of mentors as a function and pillar of community. “I never had mentors and I just recently figured out that it’s such an incredible practice. It’s such a beautiful moment when you can come to someone you look up to and ask for navigation and shared advice.” She said, “If you can find this person in your life, don’t be shy to go and ask for shared advice. People are always happy to do that.”
StockX x HXOUSE New York Panelist: Austin Snyder
is a young designer based out of Brooklyn who currently works for Daniel Arsham as a creative director and designer. Prior to joining Daniel Arsham’s studio, Austin worked for Doubleday & Cartwright, an independent creative agency based out of Los Angeles and Brooklyn. His work with Daniel Arsham includes partnerships with Dior, adidas, Pokémon, and more. His passion for authenticity and community is made evident through both his work and his comments. In speaking about community, Austin spoke bluntly, “Don’t monetize friendships. Be super open. We’ve spoken about the diversity of friends and community, so don’t be afraid of the finance guy just because he’s not in your realm.”
