Jason Michael Primrose: A Lifelong Creative Building A Storytelling Army
Hosting Rug Radio's LOREPLAY, Surviving the 2052 Apocalypse, and web3 Inclusivity
Rug Radio’s LOREPLAY co-host @evolutionary1, a/k/a Jason Michael Primrose, is a multifaceted creator who’s bringing education and inspiration to writers across the web3 space. His Lost Children of Andromeda project, which began as a childhood story series, is evolving toward a collaborative literature franchise using web3 technology.
WagginWendy had the privilege of talking with Jason about his personal web3 journey, his insightful thoughts on making web3 more inclusive, and his role with Rug Radio, in this DM-conducted interview.
How did you get involved in web3?
Gentle nudging by close friends and family. My big brother, who is a huge crypto advocate and an investor, suggested I look into it. I started like many people did, a flippant purchase of crypto before I knew why it mattered, a few highly argumentative clubhouse rooms, few “live” drops. My own curiosity did the rest of the driving - I realized that I was basically making NFTs but wasn’t using the technology to memorialize them as such. Now I guess I’m so deep in I can’t get out.
What was your journey?
This is always such a fascinating question. I was probably involved in web3 before I even knew it. I did buy Bitcoin a long time ago, $300 worth, maybe in 2015, 2016 or 2017. I got scared and sold it though. My dear friend and supporter told me about NFTs in 2018, then really pushed for me to get into it 2019. So I’ve known about them for a while. I looked up Rarible and Opensea and wallets and just got overwhelmed, so I ran away. In 2021, as I was finishing my novel 205Z: Time and Salvation, which is basically one giant NFT experience (I didn’t know it at the time), I started getting on clubhouse and getting serious about being involved in NFTs and blockchain. I got a wallet and started minting my own NFTs on different platforms. I didn’t start discovering PFPs until October 2021 or later…and it was all downhill from there (just kidding, it’s been great learning.)
I have launched my own project by now, and I’ve minted two sets of NFTs - one passport (mint pass NFT) and one PFP-style technology NFT. The project itself is an extension of the Lost Children of Andromeda book series, looking to gamify the reading. I’m now working on re-imagining our experience to have the long-term vision I came into the space with. We leaned into PFP modeling, but I truly believe that long term, it’s not a viable ecosystem for us, who have so much already built and existing.
How much time do you spend in web3, and do you have an additional job?
I feel like I spend 150% of my time in Web3 - between hosting our spaces for RUG RADIO (and all the pre and post-production associated with that), then running my own project, LCOA (Lost Children of Andromeda). I also write lore and do some strategy consulting for other projects. I also spend some time researching projects, their drop mechanics, roadmaps, community activities, etc.
I don’t have an additional job right now, although I’ve been looking diligently. I find that it’s been a bit hard because I do have a somewhat public persona as a web3 founder and indie author. I would imagine any employer would be wise to the fact that I’d be spending large amounts of time trying to scale my own business…not theirs. LOL.
How did you get involved in Rug Radio, and what made you decide to host a show with ArtemysiaX?
I got lucky meeting ArtemysiaX. We had a spaces about the LCOA project, and she was invited by the legendary WonderMundo (incredible artist and heavily involved in Oxthulu project). From there, she (Artemysia-X) joined us on stage and we had such a great conversation. We kept talking and met at NFT NYC. We both knew, intuitively, that we would be a great team. We could be honest with each other, we could hold each other accountable, and we shared a strong vision for passive income, and lucrative opportunities for storytellers + blockchain.
She told me about this idea for a Rug Radio show specific to storytelling, which I thought was perfect and what the space needed — honest conversations about the challenges and the joys of creating as a “writer” in a space that glorifies visual art to the point of exploitation (in my opinion, because it becomes less about the art and more about its speculative value, thus disregarding the art itself in some cases).
I had been a long-time fan of Farokh, (okay maybe just under one year, but that’s forever in web3!). Besides being another member of web3 from a marginalized group, I could see by how he treated his community and his platform, that he was extremely thoughtful and thinking long-term.
I recently learned you moved abroad. What prompted the move and what will you be doing there?
I did move abroad, you’re correct! Part of me wanted to explore the world at its “ending.” I wanted to gain some perspective about other societies, ancient wonders, ancient cultures, and write authentically how they will be impacted by the slow coming apocalypse (in my book series). The other part of me just wanted to try living somewhere other than the United States. I’ve lived there my whole life, only in two places, Virginia and California - but there weren’t a bunch of other places that interested me there besides Miami, NYC, and Atlanta - all fairly expensive compared to some places overseas.
Are you involved in any web3 projects besides Rug Radio? Which ones excite you most?
I am involved with a couple of projects! Some I can speak on and some I can’t. I support Meta-Builders with some of their messaging and pitch materials. They’re a great team of people looking to create decentralized collaboration networks to onboard web2 brands into web3.
Rug Radio is super exciting to me. I think it’s set to change how we build and reward communities, how we create and distribute media, and overall, what a media company even looks like.
Concept Art “CYNQUE” - Credit: Jared Olsever 3D Art “CYNQUE” - Credit: Mathias Omotola
My favorite NFT . . . hmm . . . I mean I love my CYNQUE from the Lost Children of Andromeda project. Regardless of the floor price, this piece of technology is fundamental to surviving 2052, where the apocalypse is 215 days away. Cynque is your information resource for predicted disasters, sanctuary law, and a ton of other stuff also.
Besides that, I love an NFT I got from an artist JTLiss. I think it’s a one of one. I love my Kiwami. I love my Flashmints NFT, which is a very old photo of Jay-Z from the 90s I believe.
Tell me about the Lost Children of Andromeda (the website is phenomenal!!). What prompted you to create it and what are your plans going forward?
Lost Children of Andromeda has been in the works my whole life. It started as a little picture book when I was 8 years old, and blossomed into this bigger concept as I entered my teenage years. I am essentially rewriting a series I wrote as a kid, except I decided it would be fun to write it with a community instead of alone, like before. Anyone looking to join the journey of collaboratively building a literature franchise will enjoy the project we’ve started. Some of the mechanics on how to structure that and encourage participation do need to be worked out.
We ran into some issues this summer with the big crash. The mint didn’t go well, and in the end, because the community wasn’t able to afford our mint price (and also it wasn’t the meta of the time), we had to come to a full stop on the plans we had. We lost most of our team, and things got quiet while I tried to work out the behind the scenes impact. But I guess, we’re still here and I’m still going. It’s only a Rug Pull if you stop, right? I have to be honest about these things because it seems founders never talk about their struggles. We *mostly* hear about the projects that moon overnight.
Still, at LCOA, we do have lots of plans, starting with a (hopefully) better timed mint in February 2023. We want to get people into the story . . . starting with a digital version of the novel with an extended glossary, a full cast audiobook (admittedly a continuation of our 2021 Kickstarter), and a graphic novel adaptation. The big vision is an army of storytellers and fans building the LCOA universe into a global franchise. Lots of exciting things!
Who inspires you the most in the web3 space?
Hmmm . . . Kristina Flynn with her consistency around the “INCLUSION IN NFTS 101 tweets”. Farokh with all of his GM spaces and good vibes spaces (recently). I love CryptoMom and her dedication to bringing black and brown communities into web3. Artemysia-X because of her work on reward systems and her curiosity about the inner workings of Blockchain publishing. Israel Wilson, master connector… Jordan Garbis, big thinker…Pete Rango, music enthusiast… Iddris Sandhu, a literal genius who engineered and launched phygital clothing and shoes about 4-5 months ago and didn’t get nearly as much fanfare as some recent projects.
What will make web3 more inclusive?
Creating clearer entry points, building more thoughtful access points, and reducing overinflated prices.
Entry Points - Wallets are hard to figure out. There’s a lot of education that needs to be deployed, and we kinda need to figure out a way to have people adopt without knowing they’re adopting. How do we auto make wallets for people, then teach them later how to manage them?
Access Points - More gamified or engagement-based projects. People should be able to earn into ecosystems for participation (like what Rug Radio is doing.)
Overinflated mint prices - As much as I love a high ticket priced item as a denotation of quality, someone being asked to pay between $200 - $1,000 to play the NFT game effectively wipes out a LARGE global population. I don’t know what a reasonable price is, I just know that as of now, we cater to the few, not the many.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Be sure to check out the LCOA website and Twitter, grab a copy of the novel on Amazon, and join our Discord for more info about what we're up to. We are looking for lovers of storytelling, creators and consumers alike.
I think I’ve said enough to get me either cancelled or championed. Thank you for the opportunity!
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And thank YOU, Jason, for sharing your story with the Rug Radio Rag
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