Please describe your proposed solution.

The NFT Guild is dedicated to developing standards and building tools for the Cardano NFT community.

In the last year, the NFT Guild has successfully organized 23 roundtable events, bringing together prominent developers and thought leaders in the Cardano NFT space. These events have provided a wealth of information and deep insights into the evolution of the Cardano NFT ecosystem. For a full presentation of that project see our Developer Community Initiatives proposal <https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/102361> and the Roundtable Archive on our website <https://www.nft-guild.io/the-nft-roundtable> .

However, we've identified a challenge in the way this content is presented and consumed.

While these roundtable discussions have been highly informative, their in-depth and extensive nature can be overwhelming for community members who may lack the time to consume an hour-long discussion. We have received consistent feedback suggesting a need for a more concise, digestible format that allows for the distillation of key points and insights.

To address this need, we have begun experimenting with editing the roundtable discussions into 'The NFT Guild Shorts', 5 to 10 minute videos that focus on the most relevant points from each session. These 'Shorts' represent a concentrated dose of knowledge, making the insights of our roundtables much more accessible to the wider community.

However, the creation of these 'Shorts' is time-consuming and was not originally accounted for in our mission statement or budget. This proposal, therefore, aims to secure the necessary funding to enable the consistent production of 'The NFT Guild Shorts'. Through this proposal, we aim to secure funding to enable the consistent production of 'The NFT Guild Shorts' for both previously held and future roundtables. Excluding the introductory call which doesn't require distillation, we have 22 sessions from the past to edit 'Shorts' for. Adding to this, we plan to organize 12 more sessions in the next six months. This proposal, therefore, covers the production of 'Shorts' for a total of 34 roundtable discussions.

With this project we hope to make in-depth insights from influential figures in the Cardano NFT space accessible in a short, easy-to-digest format. The project aligns with Cardano's vision of democratizing access to knowledge and promoting widespread community engagement. Benefiting all Cardano community members, particularly those interested in the NFT space, this project aims to enhance community understanding and foster increased participation in the Cardano NFT ecosystem. The impact of 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will be demonstrated through increased viewership and community feedback.

How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Our proposed solution addresses several key aims of the challenge by:

1. Enhancing the Developer Ecosystem: 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will distill essential knowledge from developers and thought leaders in the Cardano NFT space, making it more accessible and inviting for current and potential developers. By offering an easily digestible format, we can help both existing and new developers understand key trends, insights, and perspectives, thus promoting greater participation and innovation in Cardano's development ecosystem.
2. Attracting Developers from Outside the Community: The shortened, condensed format of 'The NFT Guild Shorts' makes them a perfect gateway for developers from outside the Cardano community to gain an understanding of the ecosystem and its potential, thus attracting them to participate in Catalyst and start building dApps on Cardano.
3. Boosting Developer Productivity: Developers looking to build dApps, especially in the NFT space, will find 'The NFT Guild Shorts' to be a valuable resource. The videos can potentially save them time in understanding complex subjects, allowing them to spend more time on their actual development work.
4. Promoting Open-Source Collaboration: Our project will be open-source, with the produced content freely available for everyone. This transparency fosters a collaborative environment where developers can learn from each other and build upon others' ideas, a key aspect of a thriving open-source community.
5. Building a Knowledge Base: Over time, 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will form a comprehensive knowledge base on the Cardano NFT ecosystem, serving as a valuable resource for developers, and the broader Cardano community.

The benefits that this project will bring to the Cardano ecosystem are multi-faceted:

Increasing Developer Engagement: By making technical discussions more accessible, we expect to see increased developer activity in the Cardano NFT space.

Strengthening the Community: The knowledge sharing facilitated by 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will help to foster a more informed and engaged community.

Expanding Cardano's Reach: By attracting developers from outside the Cardano ecosystem and offering them valuable insights in a digestible format, we can help expand Cardano's reach and influence.

We expect to produce 34 'Shorts' over the next six months. We anticipate these videos will attract thousands of views and subsequently bring in new developers and enthusiasts to the ecosystem. While we understand that predicting exact numbers can be challenging, we are confident that 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will contribute to the growth of the Cardano developer ecosystem.

How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

The success of our project will be measured using a mix of quantitative and qualitative metrics that align with our objectives presented above.

Quantitative Metrics:

1. Video Engagement: We will closely monitor the viewership numbers for 'The NFT Guild Shorts', including the number of views and likes. We anticipate that these short videos will receive significantly more engagement than the full-length roundtable sessions due to their more digestible format. The early experiments that we did support this assumption.
2. Comparison of Engagement: We will compare the engagement metrics of 'The NFT Guild Shorts' with those of the full-length roundtable sessions to quantify the increase in accessibility and engagement achieved by distilling the content.
3. Community Growth: We will track the growth of the NFT Guild community, including the number of new members in our community platforms (Discord and Twitter) and the level of participation in our activities.

Qualitative Metrics:

1. Community Feedback: At the end of the 6 months we will actively solicit and track feedback from the community on 'The NFT Guild Shorts' with a short survey. This can provide valuable insights into the perceived value and impact of our project, as well as areas for improvement. This will also help us determine if the initiative was a success and if it’s an effort worth continuing.
2. Developer Engagement: We will also assess the level of involvement from developers in the community – are they more active, more engaged, and more productive after the introduction of 'The NFT Guild Shorts'?

These metrics are realistic because they directly align with our project's goals and are well within our capabilities to measure.

Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

We are regularly sharing the outputs of our work with our community.

We make regular announcements and reminders for our current initiatives, the weekly open community calls and Roundtable events and we’ll continue to do the same for the NFT Guild Shorts.

We intend to share the project's outputs and results on:

Social Media Channels: We will use our social media platforms, such as Twitter and Discord, to regularly update our community about our project's progress. This includes announcements and reminders for our initiatives, weekly open community calls, Roundtable events, and the release of 'The NFT Guild Shorts'. Our social media channels will be our primary means of communication, ensuring a wide reach within the community.

Website: We will use our official website to host 'The NFT Guild Shorts' and other relevant resources. The website will also feature a dedicated section for updates and results related to this project.

Community Calls and Roundtables: These events will also serve as platforms for us to share updates, engage in discussions, and gather feedback from the community.

Direct Community Engagement: We will create a dedicated channel in our Discord server and encourage community feedback on 'The NFT Guild Shorts’, creating an environment for suggestions, criticism, and ideas.

As for utilizing the results generated from the project in further research and development activities, we foresee multiple opportunities:

Insights for Future Content: The feedback and engagement metrics from 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will guide the creation of future content, helping us understand what topics resonate most with the community.

Developer Engagement: We will leverage the increased engagement from developers as an opportunity to identify potential collaboration opportunities and gather valuable inputs for further research and development.

NFT Ecosystem Development: The increased accessibility and understanding of NFT-related topics through 'The NFT Guild Shorts' can stimulate more activity and innovation in the Cardano NFT ecosystem, informing future initiatives and strategies.

Our commitment is to ensure that the outputs and opportunities arising from this project are widely shared and leveraged for the continued growth and development of the Cardano ecosystem.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

The NFT Guild is dedicated to developing standards and building tools for the Cardano NFT community.

Founded by the Cardano Foundation in November 2021, the NFT Guild is now spearheaded by dedicated Cardano community members. Our team stands out because of its diversity, boasting a range of backgrounds and areas of expertise that include developers, stake pool operators (SPOs), artists, NFT project creators, community managers, and organizers. (More details below)

We have a proven track record of successfully organising events for the Cardano NFT community for over a year and a half. We started hosting the NFT Guild Open Community Weekly Calls in January 2022 and the NFT Roundtables in May 2022.

We were successfully funded for two standard setting proposals in Catalyst Fund 8, which we have successfully delivered on and closed out.

Standard for verification of NFTs:

<https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/8/f8-open-standards-and-interoperability/standard-for-verification-of-nfts>

NFT Royalty Standards:

<https://projectcatalyst.io/funds/8/f8-open-standards-and-interoperability/nft-guild-nft-royalty-standards>

We have robust processes in place to ensure proper management and accountability of funds. We have created a dedicated system for tracking the contributions of each guild member. All fund movements are transparently tracked in dedicated channels in our Discord server: <https://discord.gg/7HCxDryPHk>

Our operations are transparent, and we maintain an open line of communication with the community and stakeholders at all times. This approach has earned us the trust of the Cardano community, and we remain committed to maintaining these high standards on this new project.

What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The main goals of "The NFT Guild Shorts" project, in alignment with our overall NFT Guild objectives, are as follows:

1. Simplify Knowledge Sharing and Encourage Engagement: Through 'The NFT Guild Shorts', we aim to distil the information from our NFT Roundtables into easily digestible formats. This will make the insights from these sessions more accessible and appealing to a wider community, thus fostering a more engaged community of Cardano NFT developers, creators, and enthusiasts.
2. Aid in the Development and Adoption of Industry Standards: 'The NFT Guild Shorts' serve as a medium to disseminate important discussions, ideas, and standards that are shaping the future of NFTs on Cardano. By condensing these into concise videos, we enable more community members to stay informed and participate in the development and promotion of these standards.

Our approach to validate the feasibility and success of these goals includes:

Community Feedback and Engagement Metrics: We will monitor the number of views, likes, and comments on 'The NFT Guild Shorts', as well as any direct feedback received on our social channels and during our community events. This will help us understand whether we are effectively simplifying knowledge sharing and encouraging engagement.

Impact on Standards and Community Tools Development and Adoption: This is a more qualitative goal and will be assessed through observation of community discussions and feedback. If we see increased awareness and understanding of industry standards within the community, and more informed discussions taking place, it would suggest 'The NFT Guild Shorts' are successfully aiding in the development and adoption of industry standards.

Our team has a proven track record of successfully organizing community events and managing engaging platforms. Therefore, we believe our approach is feasible, and 'The NFT Guild Shorts' can significantly contribute to fostering a more knowledgeable and engaged Cardano NFT community.

Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1: Production and Release of the First 10 'NFT Guild Shorts' (Months 1 - 2)

Key Activities:

1. Selection and preparation of content from NFT Roundtables for the first 10 Shorts.
2. Production of the first 10 'NFT Guild Shorts'.
3. Release of the first 10 'NFT Guild Shorts' on our website, YouTube and social media channels.

Acceptance Criteria: Successful production and release of 10 Shorts.

Milestone 2: Production and Release of the Next 12 'NFT Guild Shorts' (Months 3 - 4)

Key Activities:

1. Selection and preparation of content from NFT Roundtables for the next 12 Shorts.
2. Production of the next 12 'NFT Guild Shorts'.
3. Release of these 12 'NFT Guild Shorts' on our website, YouTube and social media channels.

Acceptance Criteria: Successful production and release of the next 12 Shorts.

Milestone 3: Production and Release of the Final 12 'NFT Guild Shorts' (Months 5 - 6)

Key Activities:

1. Selection and preparation of content from NFT Roundtables for the final 12 Shorts.
2. Production of the final 12 'NFT Guild Shorts'.
3. Release of the final 12 'NFT Guild Shorts' on our website, YouTube and social media channels.

Acceptance Criteria: Successful production and release of the final 12 Shorts.

Our project will be implemented in a sequential manner, with each milestone following the completion of the previous one. Each 'NFT Guild Short' will be produced in-house by our team, using content from the NFT Roundtables. The Shorts will be released regularly over the 6-month period on our website and social media channels, to ensure consistent engagement with our community.

Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Milestone 1: Production and Release of the First 10 'NFT Guild Shorts' (Months 1 - 2)

Deliverables & Outputs: Ten 'NFT Guild Shorts' videos available on our official website and shared on our social media channels.

Intended Outcomes: Increased community engagement, expanded understanding of NFT-related topics, and an initial measure of the impact of 'NFT Guild Shorts' on the community's participation and interaction.

Progress Measurement: We will track the number of views, likes, and comments for each 'NFT Guild Short', and monitor the feedback and discussions on our social media platforms and during community events.

Milestone 2: Production and Release of the Next 12 'NFT Guild Shorts' (Months 3 - 4)

Deliverables & Outputs: Another set of ten 'NFT Guild Shorts' videos available on our official website and shared on our social media channels.

Intended Outcomes: Continued community engagement, further expansion of understanding of NFT-related topics, and a mid-point measure of the impact of 'NFT Guild Shorts' on the community's participation and interaction.

Progress Measurement: Continuation of monitoring the number of views, likes, and comments for each 'NFT Guild Short', and the feedback and discussions on our social media platforms and during community events.

Milestone 3: Production and Release of the Final 12 'NFT Guild Shorts' (Months 5 - 6)

Deliverables & Outputs: The final set of twelve 'NFT Guild Shorts' videos available on our official website and shared on our social media channels.

Intended Outcomes: Sustained community engagement, comprehensive expansion of understanding of NFT-related topics, and a final measure of the impact of 'NFT Guild Shorts' on the community's participation and interaction.

Progress Measurement: We will continue to track the number of views, likes, and comments for each 'NFT Guild Short', and monitor the feedback and discussions on our social media platforms and during community events.

The cumulative data collected throughout each milestone will be used to measure our project's progress and impact. This will include quantitative measures such as views, likes, and comments, as well as qualitative measures such as feedback, suggestions, and overall community sentiment towards 'The NFT Guild Shorts'.

Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

The work that needs to be done for each NFT Guild Short can be broken down into 2 distinct phases: Production and Publishing.

• The Production phase will include:
• design and edit of an intro
• preparing the video content
• making a rough cut of the short
• text animation and explainers
• colour correction
• sound enhancements
• final edit render
• The Publishing phase will include:
• upload of the short to YouTube
• description, keyword, and title crafting
• custom thumbnail design
• transcript and video subtitles
• announcement in the NFT Guild Discord server and social channels
• publishing on the NFT Guild website

In addition to the work related directly to the shorts we will also be performing administrative work for the project related to Catalyst reporting. These include monthly, milestone and close out reports and presentations.

We estimate the total budget required for the completion of each task described above and the successful delivery of the project to be 92000 ADA.

Our budget is designed to be cost-efficient and is based on standard market rates for video production and editing services. These costs are necessary to ensure high-quality content that is engaging and effective in conveying complex NFT topics to our audience.

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

The NFT Guild core team is a global team comprised of individuals with a diverse set of skills and backgrounds. Our team members are spread across various time zones and can offer a broad range of expertise in Cardano and NFTs, covering areas like development, stake pool operations, art, NFT project creation, community management, organization and project Catalyst.

The NFT Guild Core members are:

CENT

<https://github.com/cent-development>

Stake Pool operator of the pool CENT since December 2019. 20 years of experience in software development. Creator of the community tool Cardano Blockchain Intelligence. Graduate of the Plutus Pioneers Program cohort 1, 2021. Project Catalyst funded proposer since F6.

Anamaria Kövesdi (New Mindflow) - responsible for this project

<https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamaria-k%C3%B6vesdi-354649106/>

Rares Kövesdi (New Mindflow) - responsible for this project

<https://www.linkedin.com/in/rares-k%C3%B6vesdi-551260106/>

New Mindflow [https://www.newmindflow.com] are:

Artist and entrepreneur, in the Cardano NFT space since Day 1. Creators of the Trybbles & Icons Cardano NFT projects. Cardano Project Catalyst funded proposers. Members in various Cardano & Catalyst projects, initiatives & communities over the past 2 and a half years.

Award-winning filmmakers, film and animation directors, app and game developers.

In January 2021 they moved into the web3 economy granting new life to one of their projects in the form of an NFT collection on Cardano.

Since then they have released multiple art NFT collections on Cardano, and have been involved in multiple NFT and Cardano related groups and organisations, most notably being core members of the NFT Guild. They have been invited to be among the Genesis Artists of Fibo - the Emurgo NFT Marketplace at its launch in 2022.

Peter Wolcott

Peter is an IT Journeyman Wizard & custom(er) service provider. For fun, he hikes in his local ridges, tends a small menagerie, enjoys global community, ecstatic dance and manages a rental property. Peter believes strong, healthy communities and networks are the world's best resource. He is dedicated to unblocking fellow builders by creating opportunities and following through with personal promises. He is a student of humanity’s systems and infrastructure. Peter earns experience daily in the Cardano Ecosystem and has for the past 2 years.

<https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-wolcott-013358141/>

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The cost of the project, represents significant value for money for the Cardano ecosystem, considering the potential impact and benefits 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will bring.

1. Increase in Community Engagement: 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will foster an engaged and informed community, which is a key driver for the success of any decentralized ecosystem like Cardano. Engaged communities contribute to the development of the ecosystem by providing feedback, innovating, and adopting new solutions. This boost in community participation can't be quantified monetarily but is invaluable for the ecosystem.
2. Development and Adoption of NFT Standards: As 'The NFT Guild Shorts' help in disseminating important discussions and standards, it will aid in the adoption of these standards, leading to a more efficient NFT ecosystem. This will save resources and reduce the fragmentation of efforts, representing clear value for money.
3. Facilitating Knowledge Sharing: By simplifying and disseminating the knowledge from the NFT Roundtables, 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will empower more community members to contribute to discussions, innovations, and adoption of NFTs. This democratization of knowledge, leading to a more vibrant and inclusive NFT ecosystem, represents significant value for money.
4. Long Term Value: The project is designed to create lasting resources that will continue to provide value to the Cardano community well beyond the project's completion. The educational content created through 'The NFT Guild Shorts' will remain relevant and accessible, continuing to educate and engage new community members.

In conclusion, considering the potential long-term benefits and the expected high-quality output of 'The NFT Guild Shorts', we believe that the cost of this project represents great value for money for the Cardano ecosystem.