Personal Information
Discourse ID: @ssp1111
Twitter: x.com
Educational Background:
Claremont Men’s College, California - International Relations
UCLA, California - Business
Professional Background:
Current:
- ApeComms, ApeCoinRadio, Trust Level 3 ApeCoinDAO (Top 5 All-Time)
- Philanthropy - Advisory Board Member Charitable Community Foundation
Previous:
- Startups - Sold Mobile Virtual World Gaming Studio to King.com (Pre- Candy Crush),
- Record Label, Band Manager, Sportswear Fashion Brand
- Brand Activations - Coachella, WeWork, Nintendo, Google VR, Oatly, Tourism Board
- Executive - Starwood Hotels (Planet Hollywood, Westin, St Regis), Toscana Country Club, Yellowstone Club World, Multiple Luxury Brands
Nomination Statement
Concise statement on why you are running for the Special Council
SSP - SINGLE ISSUE CANDIDATE.
My Single Issue is to reduce the confusion around the Special Council role and duties by returning the SC back to being THE BOARD as originally envisioned by Yuga Labs, back when they dropped the DAO in our laps.
FOUNDING DOCS: THE BOARD provides ““stewardship and oversight of the APE Foundation”” - the non-profit entity in the Cayman Islands – not stewardship of the DAO.
Also, ““ensuring the implementation of the ApeCoin DAO’s intentions and wishes as manifested through approved AIPs”” – is pretty much the extent of their expected interactions with and responsibilities to the DAO.
It’s a BOARD role. Pure and simple.
By accomplishing this the community is better able to understand and communicate what the SC does and does not do, making messaging easier within and outside the walls of the DAO. This also clears the lanes and opens up opportunities for the community to propose bold, ambitious ideas such as ApeChain RFPs, Investment Funds, Treasury Management, etc without ““waiting for the Council to do something””. No more confusion.
““In clarity’s embrace, the strength to mend confusion lies;
in transparency’s gaze, the foundation of trust doth rise;
and in simplicity’s stride, forward we move with purpose, wise.””
- SShakesPeare
One more thing, as a long standing Advisory Board Member of a Charitable Foundation you learn that in order to get others to donate you need to lead and prime the pump. So, if I am elected, I hereby pledge 22% of the salary to be split evenly between RedApes.org (the non-profit that BAYC supported back in 2021) and our own Philanthropic Charitable Foundation if/when it launches.
Motivation
Details on your motivation for becoming an ApeCoin DAO Special Council member
After 525 consecutive days in the DAO, I’ve seen us shift from a ghost town with a pretty quiet community and a silent Special Council to a year of activity, experiments, infrastructure growth and a much more engaged and interactive Special Council. While not everything has gone the way I had hoped, there’s more to be excited about than not.
Except for the community’s over reliance and overblown expectations of what the Special Council does and does not do, what they can and cannot do, and a host of misinformation that repeatedly gets tossed around our channels and out into the broader web3 community. As a community we’ve elevated the SC to a position of Executive Leadership and Stewards of the DAO and I imagine, they have felt compelled to take on these tasks to counter this constant stream of unrealistic expectations, demands and requests.
In my opinion, this has led to bloated job descriptions, which has led to more confusion, calls for weekly reporting, criticism when nothing is done, criticism when proposals are proposed, arguments instead of debates, and a general us vs them environment (I know, that last one is a little hyperbolic, but indulge me).
As the SINGLE ISSUE CANDIDATE, I wish to change this by returning the Special Council back to their intended role as a BOARD, thereby by bringing clarity and a simple to grasp understanding back to the community.
Rationale
Share relevant experience and skills that will bring value to the ApeCoin community
These are the skills and experience I bring as value to the DAO:
• I have earned the Trust Level 3 in the ApeCoin DAO
• I’m on 525+ Consecutive Days Active and Participating (Top 5 All-Time Stats)
• I am part of the ApeComms OG Team
• Co-hosted 52+ Consecutive Weeks ApeComms Spaces with Lost, Mon, Weds, Friday
• Author, Co-Author, Contributor AIP-64, AIP-142, AIP-175, AIP-226, AIP-246, AIP-348, AIP-351
• Grant Recipient AIP-64 (IRL Events Study)
Plus all my real world stuff which just makes me a pretty good manager of people, processes and profits. I’m an active listener, always a team player, always eager to learn and always driven to elevate and empower others.
Specifications
Further describe relevant experience, including crypto and governance participation, and/or ideas for DAO improvement
Here are my ApeCoin DAO Super-Powers:
I have a firm grasp of how and where the Special Council fits into the ApeCoin DAO universe, their relationship with the Admins, the APE Foundation, and the community. I currently advocate for the DAO on a daily basis and can communicate to the broader web3 community about the opportunities and challenges that we face and will need to overcome.
This is not someone walking off the street and having to learn on the job (super-power).
Here are a few of my ideas for DAO improvement:
- Angel Fund for deploying funds faster, now with RevShare and Equity Agreements
- Reducing expenses and operational overhead via automation and consolidation
- Social Impact and Philanthropic Ventures to do some good and to counter and bury negative press coverage (pledging 22% of the salary to jump start this endeavor)
Concluding Statement
Summarize your statement as to why you are the best choice for Special Council
Humble-brag #1 - possibly the most active and engaged candidate on the ballot (data: Discourse).
525+ days of ApeCoin DAO activity allow me to understand and communicate the historical perspective, the experiments, the proposals, the authors, the teams that came before and the awareness of how the Special Council interacts with the APE Foundation and the AIP process. In other words, I can hit the ground running.
As an author of multiple AIPs, I can empathize with AIP proposers, the voters and the community at large. I’m in constant contact with the community through calls, dms, ApeComms Spaces, etc and generally have my finger on the pulse of the DAO. That said, I’d be happy to make room for the better candidates - as long as we elect the right folks in the right roles.
Keep in mind, I’m the SINGLE ISSUE CANDIDATE that wishes to reduce confusion and bring clarity to the Special Council role, not expand the position with unwarranted powers and overblown expectations.
I’m sure we’ll have plenty of great candidates, you know where I stand. Peace. SSP
, no doubt.