POW With Shawn Humphreys

Let’s welcome Shawn Humphreys, a significant contributor of the Core Team of @WITS_nft

What were you doing before Web3?

I’m an experienced, fully-doxxed community manager/moderator with a background in Information Technology and a certification in Software Development. I was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri where I was self-educated in multiple programming languages after financially struggling during the pandemic in 2020. I was able to secure my first tech job as a software analyst for a large corporation, and then started trading NFTs in January 2022 and spent several months networking with innovative builders and traders. Other than that, I also moderated for multiple projects before starting my career in Bridg3 as a team member in the operations team and currently starting to take on collab managing.

How did you get into Web3?

I was always interested in learning about upcoming technology. So, I stumbled across Brett Malinowski’s videos about what is NFTs, how I made six figures trading NFTS, and the likes during my nighty routine of digging into internet rabbit holes and the videos caught my attention. I then started researching NFTs for weeks and realized that although you could make money trading NFTs, there was a WAY more to the technology than just making money. As a result, I opened a Twitter account and downloaded Discord again as they notable tools to start interacting with the Web3 community. I noticed that the networking opportunities in Web3 are unlike any other industry that I witnessed! 

What was your first crypto or NFT project?

The first project I bought was Dead Army Skull Klub(DASK). At the time, we were still in the bull, so I still profited even though I barely knew what I was doing. I held back from trading after that as most of my income was going towards renovating my first house that I bought when I started trading NFTs. I didn’t buy any NFTs, until I received whitelist for Llamaverse, which was my first big trade and helped kickstart my journey as a trader.

How would you explain what you do to someone outside of Web3?

Most of my family are blue-collar farmers that don’t really understand technology in general other than their phones, TVs, gaming, and some crypto. It is pretty difficult to explain newer technology to them other than my sister who has close friends in high school that talk to her about Web3. The best way I am able to explain this is I trade digital collectible art that utilizes newer technology that could change industries such as real estate or education. How I explain my employment in Web3 is I work for the biggest crypto marketing agency, which is bridging companies to the NFT market by marketing their digital collectibles through some of the biggest influencers and creators in the space.

Which creator or thought leader do you enjoy learning from?

There are many builders whom I look up that are driving innovation in this space! Some of the notables include Frankdegods, Kevin Rose, Nicky G, Shan, Alex Becker, NFTLlama, etc. There are many that I can name and have been fortunate enough to be able to network with most of them. 

What is the biggest highlight of your career so far?

The biggest highlight in my web3 career has got to be getting hired on to Bridg3 in their operations team. Since I joined the team, my networking has skyrocketed and have been fortunate to know many builders as well as talented collab managers.

What tech or crypto trend are you watching this year?

Right now, I am looking forward to seeing the utilization of NFTs by many Web2 companies for products or services other than digital art such as real estate, concert tickets, and even fashion. I am pretty excited with the increase in media attention towards AI as I have been that has always been an interest of mine for many years and how useful they are in many industries. As cost decreases, we will start to see many small and large companies utilize AI for tedious, repetitive tasks in conjunction with human employees.

What advice would you give someone starting out in Web3?

Before making any financial decisions, join a free, open community and take your time to learn the market, safe practices, trading basics, etc. I have seen many people joining in the space and leave due to overwhelming amount of information about Web3, or they make big purchases without learning basic security tips to safely store their assets. There are many communities available full of knowledgeable traders and builders that be happy to talk with you and share what they know.

If you could do a TEDtalk on any topic, what would it be?

One topic that I find myself talking a lot about to my friends is how current digital trends such as NFTs, short-form videos, and AI are changing the real estate market. At this point, my fiance has heard me talk about this for months even though my profession is not in the real estate market.

What is the one thing you would bring if you were stuck on a deserted Island?

 If I could bring only one thing, it has to be the knife that I made from a horseshoe. The blade is still sharp after many uses. It is very versatile, and great for protection as I don’t know what is on the island other than me.

POW stands for “Proof of Work.” It is a new feature article series in The Mega Maxi to highlight the savviest builders in the Web3 space.