Will a bitcoin millionaire become the next reality TV star?
Serial entrepreneur Jeremy Gardner, the 27-year-old co-founder of Augur and the Blockchain Education Network, is taking on Hollywood with a self-funded YouTube series called the âCrypto Castle Chronicles.â
Produced by Adrian Basch, formerly of Vice and now a contributing producer on the CNBC Africa âCrypto Traderâ show hosted by Ran NeuNer, âCrypto Castle Chroniclesâ is being shopped around to television networks, Gardner said.
âIt offers real insight into entrepreneurship, startups, and fundraising, from a perspective that isnât like Shark Tank,â he told CoinDesk. âWeâre speaking to executive producers at some of the networks.â
Gardner is perhaps best known as the main tenant of the âCrypto Castles,â an apartment in San Francisco and a mansion in Miami where blockchain industry heavyweights often sublet and party.
The New York Times referred to Garnder as the âkingâ of these testosterone-soaked dwellings in a 2018 article about early bitcoin adopters getting âhilariously rich.â A followup feature by Breaker displayed a pantry full of liquor and Star Wars toys in San Francisco, plus bikini-clad models at the Miami pad.
These days, Gardner is trying to raise money for his new lifestyle brand MadeMan, starting with skincare products. A film crew followed him around for two weeks as he pursued a Series A round, resulting in a dozen 10-minute episodes that begin airing on YouTube next week.
âThereâs never been educational reality TV,â Gardner told CoinDesk, claiming heâs turned down âa dozenâ offers to make a reality program about his life before filming his own show, his way.
Along the way, Gardner interviews early bitcoin investors like Morgan Creek Digitalâs Anthony âPompâ Pompliano and token guru Ian Balina. Gardner said his goal for the show is to educate the masses about cryptocurrency through following his personal journey.
Although so far the show doesnât include any explainers, technical deep dives, or examples of him actually using bitcoin, he added he plans to film bonus explainers with one of his portfolio companies and eventually transact with bitcoin on the show.
âIf you look at the two most powerful people in America, itâs probably Donald Trump and the Kardashians. How did they build their power base? Reality TV,â Gardner said, nevertheless insisting this series isnât motivated by a desire for fame or fortune.
âItâs a real mechanism for providing thoughtful entertainment for the masses in a way they feel most comfortable digesting,â he said.
Image of Jeremy Gardner in Miami from the âCrypto Castle Chronicles,â via Youtube