Based Fish Mafia White Paper
“Become part of a world where your journey is another chapter in the story.”
Intro.
Based Fish Mafia was an idea conceived by founder trialsleet. A prolific art and NFT collector, trialsleet
has built a collection over the years that has amassed into one of the most impressive and eclectic vaults in the space.
This has been achieved by not only collecting blue chip artists, but finding rising new talent and supporting the next
generation of artists.
trialsleet stumbled across the work of artist ‘Callaby’ on the NFT platform SuperRare. Callaby is a
British artist, who predominantly uses acrylic paint to create cute, chubby characters in a strange
vivid world. At the end of 2020 he started experimenting with NFTs as he felt it was a new and
exciting opportunity. trialsleet ended up purchasing one of these NFTs and the two got chatting. It wasn’t
long until trialsleet felt Callaby’s style would be a perfect fit for his idea of the Based Fish Mafia and
asked if he’d be interested in collaborating. Callaby agreed. After many months of illustration,
ideation and collaboration, the Based Fish Mafia was ready to be released. On August 30th, 2021,
Based Fish Mafia officially minted and sold out in 3 hours. The collection consists of 10,000 Based
Fish Mafia, featuring 11 different species, 200+ traits and 6 unique 1/1 pieces
Vision.
The Based Fish Mafia founders and team want to continue building upon this unique and vast world
they have created. The opportunities are endless. BFM already has its Zombie fish collection, its
Notorious Fish collection (which pays homage to real life infamous mobsters), and its Aquarium
collection, which brings holders’ fish to life via animation.
The next exciting installment to the world will be the upcoming Based Fish Agent collection. This will
introduce 1,870 police-themed fish into the world. This will create a fun and antagonistic dimension
to the overall project.
Aside from this new collection and an ever increasing Notorious Fish collection, the team’s key focus
for the future is animation. An animated pilot episode is currently in production. This episode will
feature certain fish holders’ NFTs, giving this project a new and exciting form of utility. This is
something we intend to explore further as we feel animation is what could separate us from the
crowd, whilst giving our community something entertaining to rally behind.
Utility.
The project utility is heavily focused on art and community. First and foremost, it creates a
culture that is composed of people from all over the world that share their excitement for web3
and the world that the Based Fish Mafia team has created. It’s important to recognise that utility
is always evolving, and community members will contribute to this. For example, fish holders
have already organized IRL events in different cities, and created interactive games with
surprise utility. Holding a fish is a lot like having membership access to a social club with a lot of
unique benefits.
Examples of utilities that Based Fish Mafia provides to its holders:
- Physical & digital art giveaways.
- NFT Airdrops
- Community engagement platform (Discord).
- 100% IP Rights.
- Community support team.
- Merchandise store.
- IRL events.
- Charitable contributions.
- Collaborations.
Brand.
When the founders first created Based Fish Mafia, it was their intention to establish the project as a
top tier NFT brand. Not just with the art, but the world and platform they created. A key component
for the project was to encourage its community to build on top of the platform. When someone buys
a fish, they own the full IP rights, which allows them to use it however they choose. When a holder
becomes a community member, they also become a brand advocate. Holders are encouraged to
share their journey as a fish holder on social platforms and in real life. This includes posting
interesting content on social media, attending events, and engaging with other holders. Every major
brand cannot be successful without its fans, and NFT collections are no different. The value of the
collection is heavily dependent on how much it’s integrated into NFT culture, just like other popular
collections.
Continuation.
One of the big problems in the NFT space is whether projects are capable of generating long-term
interest. The team at Based Fish Mafia knew early on that this was a marathon, not a sprint. This is
why there has been a lot of focus on physical elements, such as IRL relationship building and
prints/paintings giveaways. Surrounding each holder with material connections helps with retention,
and provides a constant reminder that this project is going to be around as long as the painting.
The community will ultimately decide on where this project will go, but in order for the Based Fish
Mafia team to continue adding exciting new elements, royalties are a big part of it. Every trade helps
keep the project moving forward. The project has been very fortunate to have so many recurring
purchases and participation from holders.