Each week we ask the buidlers in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector for their thoughts on the industry… and we throw in a few random zingers to keep them on their toes!
Each participant then gets to remove one blockchain question — and a personal one — and they can substitute in two of their own for the next victim.
This week our 6 Questions go to Abby Blumer, Chief Communications Officer at Block.one.
Abby leads Block.one’s global marketing and communications activities, including internal and external communications, events, branding, and marketing. A member of Block.one’s founding team, she was the sole marketing and communications employee before growing it to a multi-function, multi-location team.
Abby believes that community and advocacy are the new driving forces in communications and marketing, spurring the reinvention of traditional disciplines. An educator by training, Abby started her career as a high school English Literature teacher in Arizona and in Chicago’s inner city before moving to Hong Kong.
Prior to Block.one, she worked in marketing and operations for a Hong Kong-based software developer specializing in global real estate solutions.
1 — Thinking of a favorite song or poem, what are the words that move you; and why are they important?
I started off my professional career as an English Literature teacher, so I’m going to pick a quote from my favorite novel instead, if that is okay.
“We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?” — William Golding, Lord of the Flies
I love this concept, not only because of the irony it speaks to in the novel, but its challenge to the status quo and what we know as a society; the way it’s always been done doesn’t necessarily mean that’s how it should be done. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t pay attention to history, or what has worked in the past, but there’s also the danger of doing things purely by habit without conscious thought.
2 — Take a look at places 50 – 100 on the market cap rankings on CMC right now, and share a project that stands out for you. Why?
To be honest, I can’t keep track of all of the innovation coming out of the space today, but I am impressed on a daily basis. I’ve been meaning to do some reading on several projects — Theta, Chillz, Hive, and Decentraland are on my reading list.
3 — Which media personality or influencer do you enjoy most in this space?
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Perianne Boring and hearing her speak, and I find the advocacy work she’s doing to be so important and something we need more of. For those that don’t know her, she is the Founder and President of the Chamber of Digital Commerce and came up with one of the best report names ever: The Boring Bitcoin Report.
4 — What’s the unlikeliest-to-happen thing on your bucket list?
One of my favorite pastimes is searching the internet for centuries old, dilapidated Tuscan homes or wineries for sale and daydreaming about what it’d be like for me to pick up and move to Italy, spending the rest of my life renovating, drinking wine, and forgetting that things like the internet existed.
I think I’ve watched Under the Tuscan Sun one too many times.
5 — What are the best and worst aspects of the shelter-in-place orders for you personally?
The shelter-in-place orders have allowed me to see the true grit of the people I work with everyday. They are constantly finding ways to inject culture, increase performance, and execute on projects, sometimes better than when we are in the office together. I’m really proud of them.
6 — What will happen to Bitcoin over the next ten years?
I’m personally passionate about the transparency, accountability, and decentralized collaboration that blockchain enables, which is of course exciting when applied to digital assets like Bitcoin, but speculating on the value of investable assets has never been my forte.
That said, I have a small stash that I hodl!
Abby substituted questions 3 and 5 with two new ones for our next buidler…
What’s your biggest regret about your time in the blockchain business so far?
What’s the most embarrassing mistake you’ve ever made in public?
