Episode 4

Mona: Virtual Spaces for Creators

Justin Melillo shares insights on the creator economy in Web3:

“We are going to continue focusing on the creator, so we are focused on building tools and resources for creators to continually make it easier and easier for any creator to build a beautiful metaverse space.” 

On this episode, Mike and Shaun speak with Justin Melillo, MONA CEO. A creator of immersive AR and VR experiences (among other creations), his AR lenses have been viewed over 100 million times across Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.

We breakdown what is a 3D space, how can brands/creators think about these new 3D spaces when it comes to storytelling & community. What should a brand think about before building one? How do these spaces add value today, how does Mona unlock new kinds of experiences that we’ve never tried before and how do customers discover & interact with Mona spaces?

Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Show Highlights

0:00-2:26: Episode Introduction

2:27-7:35: Justin’s Background and a introduction of Mona

7:36-8:58: Early traction Mona has seen since their beginning

8:59-10:50: How brands can utilize the Mona space

10:51-12:09: How artists have been collaborating in Mona

12:10-13:43: How brands are becoming more open-minded in virtual spaces

13:44-16:18: What is the process to build a space like Mona

16:19-18:20: Identity, Avatars and how users are creating on Mona

18:20-19:15: Live chatting with avatars on Mona

19:16-20:29: Artist royalties

20:30-22:39: Interoperability

22:40-23:30: How customers and consumers are discovering Mona

23:31-23:57: Future retail experiences in Mona

23:58-25:29: What Justin is most excited for in the future as a creative

25:30-27:10: Commerce in these virtual spaces

27:11-28:02: Where Mona will be a year from now

28:03-29:37: Thoughts on VR

29:38-31:13: Entering these spaces as a consumer without the newest, best tech equipment 

31:14- 33:16: Episode Conclusion and how to enter Mona spaces