109: Kevin Mehrabi on Stablecoins, USDtz, and Tezos DeFi
Enjoyed our podcast? Shoot us a text and let us know—because great conversations never end at the last word!We trace Tezos from a grassroots “revolution” in 2017 to a concrete plan for DeFi growth that links governance, stablecoins, and the art economy. Kevin Mehrabi shares how USDTZ prepared for U.S. clarity under the Genius Act and why Etherlink should bridge value, not hype.• 2017 fundraiser, community-led governance shift, and decentralization as a standard • choosing Tezos after deeply reading the white paper and rejecting hard-fork risk • LA community building, the rise of Tezos art, and what “punk” really means for culture • lessons from launching USDTZ early: integrations, trust, reserve-backed design • why the Genius Act matters for compliant, treasury-backed stablecoins • surplus as an on-chain financial battery: grants, art, hackathons, DAO treasury • Etherlink strategy: export L1 value, import EVM liquidity, bridge interest-bearing assets
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108: How One Tezos Artist's Journey Through Tourette's, Synesthesia, and Childhood Trauma Created a Mission for On-Chain Permanence
Enjoyed our podcast? Shoot us a text and let us know—because great conversations never end at the last word!James Lee, co-creator of Zero Unbound Art, shares his journey of blending art, music, advocacy, and technology on Tezos blockchain. Through his surreal hand-drawn animations and passion for fully on-chain formats, he's creating artwork that will outlive us all while championing accessibility and permanence in digital creation.• Converting ADHD into a creative superpower by hyperfixating on learning new skills• Building Zero Unbound Art platform to make fully on-chain NFTs accessible to everyone without coding knowledge• Creating the largest fully on-chain animation on Tezos at 261 kilobytes through hand-drawn pixel art• Living with Tourette's syndrome and discovering that creative activities help manage symptoms• Experiencing synesthesia where sounds create visual patterns that influence his artwork• Developing a 118-element periodic table animation project that combines science and art• Supporting fellow artists by collecting, amplifying, and mentoring throughout the Tezos ecosystem• Finding new creative inspiration through fatherhood and teaching his children artistic skills• Leveraging his experience as a former college professor to make blockchain technology approachableJoin us in exploring how blockchain can preserve our creative legacy forever while removing gatekeepers and giving everyone a chance to participate.
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107: Erica's Journey as Tezos Artist
Enjoyed our podcast? Shoot us a text and let us know—because great conversations never end at the last word!Erica, known online as Normality Is Toxic, shares their journey as a photographer and mixed media artist creating powerful work that examines feminism, mental health struggles, and personal identity through both analog and digital techniques.• Creating the powerful self-portrait "Show No Mercy" to visually represent conquering personal mental health struggles• Evolution from first Tezos mint "Not Your Meal" exploring female objectification to increasingly layered, complex work• Finding artistic freedom and community support in Tezos versus feeling competitive pressure on Ethereum• Solo traveling to Iceland and discovering how separation from consumerism transformed artistic perspective• Organizing Reconquest projects bringing together women and femme artists to challenge toxic patriarchy• Combining analog collage with digital elements to create multi-layered visual expressions• Supporting other artists as a collector with over 800 pieces in personal collection• Appreciating how the Tezos community stands up for each other and values authentic relationships over salesVisit EricaLamotheArt.com or find Erica's work on Objkt, and follow @normalityistoxic on X.
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106: Building the Invisible Future with Jev Bjorsell of ECAD Labs
Enjoyed our podcast? Shoot us a text and let us know—because great conversations never end at the last word!On this episode of TezTalks Radio, Brandon catches up with Jev Bjorsell from ECAD Labs to talk about Tezos' ongoing evolution at the protocol level. From new encryption standards to decentralized governance, Jev shares how Tezos is maturing into the kind of infrastructure that quietly powers the future—reliable, secure, and invisible by design.Our guest is Jev Bjorsell, helping shape the tools and protocols that keep Tezos running strong.🔍 In this episode, we’ll explore:Sol and Security: How the new protocol introduces BLS encryption and what it means for performance, protection, and progress.Cloud-Ready Tools: ECAD Labs’ work on Signatory now supports cloud HSMs and Amazon integrations while adding double-baking protection.Testing from the Inside Out: A culture of dogfooding ensures the tools built for Tezos are tested on Tezos first.Infrastructure You Don’t Notice: Why success looks like invisibility and how Tezos is quietly reaching that stage.Governance Grown Up: Moving past top-down decisions and embracing the messy, empowering work of real decentralized governance.Ecosystem Energy: A look back at TezDev Cannes and why the Tezos community feels more aligned—and more ambitious—than ever.
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105: From Musician to Tezos Builder: Ryan Tanaka's Tezos Journey
Enjoyed our podcast? Shoot us a text and let us know—because great conversations never end at the last word!Ryan Tanaka shares his journey from a musician to a core team member of Teia DAO and creator of Teia Cafe in the Tezos art ecosystem. From experiencing the community's remarkable integrity to building on-chain copyright solutions for artists, his story showcases how technology and community values can create meaningful digital art.• Got involved with Tezos art when Hicetnunc was transitioning to Teia• Teia operates as a registered nonprofit with a core team and about 3,000 DAO members• Stayed committed to Teia because of the community's exceptional integrity and transparency• Created Teia Cafe as a separate project focused on music and building an on-chain copyright system• Built Teia Cafe without a database, with all data coming directly from the blockchain• Working with developer Joe Simon to rebuild and improve Teia Cafe• Believes the Tezos community's diligence and values will become increasingly valuable• Organizing monthly TezCon Seattle meetups starting August 10th at Easy Street RecordsFollow Ryan on Twitter at @RyanGTanaka to learn more about his projects and connect with the Tezos art community.
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