Neo and advisory firm Degenz.wtf have announced a joint $150,000 sponsorship for Shadow Brother Sunday, the directorial debut of actor Alden Ehrenreich. The short film premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be followed by a charity auction in New York on June 9 featuring physical NFT memorabilia on the Neo blockchain.

Shadow Brother Sunday tells the story of a struggling musician who, in a desperate act, returns home to steal his younger brother’s computer on the day of his movie premiere to sell it to the paparazzi.

The film represents a new direction for Ehrenreich, known for his acting roles in films such as Solo: A Star Wars Story and Cocaine Bear. With Francis Ford Coppola serving as executive producer, Ehrenreich is venturing into writing and directing for the first time. Coppola’s extensive filmography includes influential works like The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now.

NFT Memorabilia

The premiere will be followed by an after-screening party hosted by COZ and Degenz.wtf, which will provide attendees the opportunity to participate in an auction for a new NFT collection. These NFTs are tied to original, physical 35mm film frames from Shadow Brother Sunday, becoming the first Hollywood memorabilia to be minted on the Neo blockchain.

The memorabilia is embedded with the same “non-fungible item” technology as the OneBand, which stores a secure private key known only to the device and operated wirelessly with NFC. This NFI can be used to attest ownership and power various digital applications.

This collaboration was initiated following Neo’s activation event at Consensus 2022, where booth visitors could use NFTs to unlock a physical chest to win various Neo token prizes and special engraved coins. Degenz.wtf co-founder Tyler Pintar commented:

“When we committed to supporting Alden Ehrenreich and his vision for Shadow Brother Sunday, we immediately recognized this as a unique chance to offer fans an unprecedented level of engagement with the film. Collaborating with COZ and Neo has allowed us to bring this vision to life in better form than we ever imagined and we eagerly anticipate working together in the future.”

Charity auction

Following the more recent Neo activation at Consensus 2023, OneBand rings will be used to power the Shadow Brother Sunday auction bidding process. OneBand, a physical ring cryptographically bound to an NFT, was developed through a joint effort between COZ and AxLabs. In a press release, Tyler Adams, CEO of COZ, offered a mix of example use cases:

“OneBand has enormous potential for use in various industries, including gaming, brand activations, POAP, financial transactions, verifications, and more, all contributing to the broader growth of the Smart Economy.”

Consensus 2023 participants, along with a number of A-list special guests, have been invited to the event. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to Red Eye, a non-profit organization aiming to build a brighter future for children in the entertainment industry with 24/7 community support.

Ehrenreich also commented on the auction, sharing a positive outlook on the potential for novel financing methods to empower content creators:

“I had a great experience working with Degenz.wtf and Neo; the support they provided made it possible to make my film exactly as I wanted. The idea that alternative forms of film financing can provide artists more creative freedom and chances for experimentation is very exciting to me.”

The original announcement may be read at the following link:
https://neo-blockchain.medium.com/neo-teams-with-coz-and-degenz-wtf-e1ca30ab786b

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