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By Todd Spangler
NY Digital Editor
Kevin Hart is the latest celeb hopping on the NFT bandwagon. The popular actor-comedian-entrepreneur is looking to extend his brand to fans who get excited about non-fungible tokens — and he’s angling to make some extra bucks, too.
Hart will plant his flag in the Web3 metaverse starting with next month’s premiere of Roku original “Confessions From the Hart,” a 30-minute animated anthology based on his Instagram IGTV series of the same name.
“Confessions From the Hart” will launch exclusively on the Roku Channel on Wednesday, July 6 — Hart’s 43rd birthday — and reenacts moments from Hart’s life, as narrated by him. In addition, his media company, Hartbeat, will release a limited number of NFTs that will let fans access bonus content for “Confessions From the Hart” in the Kevin Hart Nation Metaverse Screening Room, developed in partnership with Web3 platform Moonwalk and virtual entertainment company Virtua.
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Starting Thursday, July 7, fans and collectors will be able to purchase one of 10,000 unique “Confessions From the Hart” NFTs — reflecting Hart himself and his characters in the special — at web3.kevinhartnation.com. NFTs provide a way to authenticate ownership of a specific piece of digital content; in this case, there will be only one official owner of each Hart NFT that is minted.
Hart’s NFTs will be available for $65 each, which fans can purchase with a credit card or Ethereum-based cryptocurrency. That’s a potential haul of $650,000.
Buyers of the “Confessions From the Hart” NFTs, in addition to eventually being able to access to the bonus content, will get other “exclusive member benefits” for Kevin Hart Nation’s IRL and metaverse experiences, such as extra content and tickets to Hart’s upcoming comedy tour. Hartbeat also is launching a Discord channel at this link.
“My favorite thing to do is make people laugh, and with Hartbeat’s expansion into the metaverse and Web3 we will have exponential opportunities to bring humor and comedy to a whole new audience. I am so proud of my team for their forward thinking and ingenuity,” Hart said in a statement. “With this new technology we will be able to continue expanding our footprint into the new technological frontiers of content creation.”
The NFT drop and bonus content for “Confessions From the Hart” is the first in a series of “metaverse activations” from the company, according to Jeff Clanagan, president and chief distribution officer at Hartbeat Media. “We look forward to creating more experiences that complement traditional linear platforms and physical event experiences that Web3 natives and mainstream audiences can enjoy,” Clanagan said.
The Roku Channel, in addition the streaming “Confessions From the Hart,” will launch a special hub celebrating all of Kevin Hart’s content available for free on the service, including Roku original “Die Hart” along with “Cold as Balls,” “Exit Strategy,” “Straight from the Hart” and “Real Husbands of Hollywood.” The Roku Channel reaches U.S. households with an estimated 80 million people as of the fourth quarter of 2021.
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Hartbeat’s foray into the NFT/Web3 world comes on the heels of the company’s announcement in April of a $100 million investment from Abry Partners to expand the company’s team, accelerate growth for existing brands and franchises, and create new IP.
Watch the Roku trailer for “Confessions From the Hart”:
The Business of Entertainment
