# All Time Low Awards 2024 By [Crypto Communications Collective](https://paragraph.com/@cryptocommscollective) · 2024-04-08 --- _To mark the 1st birthday of_ [_Crypto Communications Collective_](https://twitter.com/Crypto_Comms_)_, we present the inaugural All Time Low (ATL) awards, which honors the best-of-the-worst practices in the web3 & crypto media and communications landscape. And the winners are…_ 1) Founder Who Should Not Go Direct Award: Balaji ------------------------------------------------- “Go direct” has been the mantra from those who dislike the media and also don’t understand what PR and comms actually entail, thinking they can easily do it in partnership with their egos. While PRs were quietly hard at work, Balaji woke up one morning and chose violence, leveraging [someone’s post](https://twitter.com/sriramk/status/1766887966360613077) on traditional Big Tech PR. Starting his post in capital letters thinking that being shouty makes the statement true, Balaji seeks to exemplify his point with a [media headline screenshot](https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1766900721826603102/photo/1) reporting the firing of PRs by a company owned by another entitled founder. His grandstanding then demonstrates a lack of understanding of actual hard work including the time crunch less-privileged founders face, the making-a-living objectives driving creators to focus on their **own brand** alone, the amount of work PRs do for brands and founders they work for leaving no time for themselves…and so on. Less than a month later, Balaji mounted his soapbox again, in a weird haiku-esque form, likely taking his own advice of “just use AI and do it all yourself” and revealing his love for TV crime dramas. Effectively accusing PRs of running false-flag operations where journos > founders/clients, his ‘go direct’ indoctrination bears the usual convincing keywords like “hate”, “leakers”, “evil” and “[sleeper cell](https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1776062348064932219)” (our favourite). How can founders not trust Balaji’s intentions and words? We’ll leave Balaji to hone his TikTok dancing skills while we get back to real hard work in crafting excellent content, building credibility and putting out fires for founders who don’t have [$1M to throw on a bet](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brandonkochkodin/2023/05/02/balaji-srinivasan-concedes-bet-that-bitcoin-will-reach-1-million-in-90-days/) for publicity. **2) Worst Journo To Pitch Award: Brady Dale** ---------------------------------------------- The daily work life of a journo sees a deluge of pitches from PRs and founders alike from a variety of channels with zero-inbox being a very difficult achievement. Some journos handle that better than others, but none better than Brady Dale (Axios Crypto), grand master of the cold art of the silent “No” - on emails and in person. With the firm position that [PRs are flaks](https://twitter.com/BradyDale/status/1040624440416116736) and his [hard rule of avoiding PRs](https://twitter.com/BradyDale/status/1012699205717012482), there is undeniably [no love lost for PRs](https://twitter.com/treyditto/status/1425455104983900166). Pitch him at your own risk and disappointment. Frens with PRs? Definitely not. Take note Balaji. 3) **Worst Way To Onboard Women To Crypto Award: Binance’s ‘CRYPTO’ perfume launch** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To mark International Women’s Day 2024, Binance launched a campaign featuring a limited-edition perfume, claiming it is a [message to women that they have a significant role to play in the crypto revolution](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/finance-meets-fragrance-binance-unveils-crypto-scent-to-attract-more-women-into-crypto-302081035.html). With an invitation to “Imagine the smell”, there was a range of very descriptive guesses about the scent, from [the sweat of a founder during an SEC investigation](https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/03/06/smells-like-crypto-binance-drops-perfume-that-blends-finance-with-fragrance/) to [the final day of a tense hackathon where no one has had time to take a shower](https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/06/binance-crypto-perfume/). But overall, everyone was just [bewildered](https://twitter.com/CryptoFinally/status/1765411658472526143). It did give us a [clear example of how paid and earned media](https://twitter.com/Crypto_Comms_/status/1765428761586016704) work. 4) **Worst Media ‘Rugged’ Moment aka Best X Security Award: BTC ETF approval via hacked SEC X account** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A single X post caused multiple media outlets to click “publish” from their drafts as the long-awaited BTC spot ETF approval from the SEC was “formally” announced. ![Big ooof moment](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/5f4c56511ca8f6a13af5db08fe5b89c36cc3afb2816138ec1293cf15151fd554.png) Big ooof moment However, 15 minutes later, beloved SEC Chair, Gary Gensler, published a post stating that [the SEC's X account had been compromised and the approval announcement post was unauthorised as the approval had not gone through](https://twitter.com/GaryGensler/status/1744833049064288387). News desks scrambled to [write clarifications](https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/01/09/sec-twitter-compromised-chair-gensler-says-after-account-said-bitcoin-etfs-approved/) and [investigative apology letters](https://cointelegraph.com/news/clarification-sharing-false-spot-bitcoin-etf-news) while trying to figure out if it was the SEC social media intern or Gary who rugged them. “Whose X account is easier to hack? Gary or the SEC? Which is the fake news?” The interesting thing was that no press release was sent to confirm the announcement and yet the media was in such a hurry to be the first to report that they trusted news on Elon’s little side hustle. Quietly in their heads, they wished they did not automatically “send to spam” all PR emails otherwise they would have noticed the lack of communications from the SEC PR team. 5) Worst Buzzword Award: omnichain/omni-chain --------------------------------------------- The advent and popularity of #cryptotwitter (and seriously short attention span of today’s readers) have severely decimated the art of writing. The web3 & crypto community has its own special language and nothing says _IYKYK_ more than buzzwords. We’ve seen our fair share of clever or cringeworthy ones but the results are in - the worst one for the last year-to-date is “_omnichain/omni-chain_” (no one has yet agreed on how to spell it). In a bid to _onboard the next billion users_ and quickly hit _mainstream adoption_, every _omnichain/omni-chain_ project proudly declares that they’re _breaking barriers_, _scaling efficiently and securely_, _enhancing user confidence_ because the web3 experience is now…_seamless_. What a way to _unlock unprecedented levels_ of efficiency, interaction and collaboration in the _sustainable decentralized future_. 🙄 6) **Worst Example of ‘AI can do everything’ Award: Brenda Tent’s Obituary** ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RIP Brenda the bird. Hope everyone followed the request and you got more life than flowers. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/099e306b851d69ba5164c69681833e81cfbd652e14190f86f87fcab0efa42841.png) 7) **Most Unhinged Story Award: BitBoy arrest on livestream** ------------------------------------------------------------- There are slow news days and then there are slow news days in crypto that make you wonder how the editors gave the story a green light or how the story was even a reality. There were strong contenders for this one including two alien-related stories, but [BitBoy going direct from a very special location](https://twitter.com/BenArmstrongsX/status/1706448425321980334?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1706448425321980334%7Ctwgr%5E20cc11282adfa97d78ecb81285c4e6aecf55c873%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcointelegraph.com%2Fnews%2Fben-armstrong-bitboy-arrested-livestream-over-lamborghini-carlos-diaz) was a spectacular follow up to him being [fired by the parent company of the BitBoy Crypto brand](https://decrypt.co/154035/ben-bitboy-armstrong-booted-from-youtube-brand-he-created). A surreal 37 minutes was live streamed and [culminated into a formal arrest](https://cointelegraph.com/news/ben-armstrong-bitboy-arrested-livestream-over-lamborghini-carlos-diaz). Everyone should take this as a cautionary tale the next time they ask ‘Wen Lambo?’ as a potential trigger to a public meltdown. If this does not convince founders to take Balaji’s advice to hire influencers, nothing will, because who does not want their brand to be connected to an unhinged public moment? 8) **Most ‘Pay-to-Play’ Conference Award: Paris Blockchain Week** ----------------------------------------------------------------- Each year, crypto teams descend on some unsuspecting city/town with their branded swag and bulging backpacks in search of real-life connections with Telegram and Discord usernames. With media outlets muscling in on this lucrative revenue stream, the number of conferences are mind-boggling. Getting your spokesperson on the main stage is the number one priority, and event organisers have no qualms raiding treasuries to ensure they get a massive chunk of budget allocation. One that has done this well is [Paris Blockchain Week](https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/), where sponsorship packages are consistently at bull market rates even during the bear market. And why not? The “boomerville” of crypto conferences is full of institutional attendees, basking in the light reflecting off the glass pyramid of speaking at the prestigious venue - arguably the world’s most famous museum in [the most-visited city in the world](https://www.euromonitor.com/press/press-releases/dec-2023/euromonitor-internationals-report-reveals-worlds-top-100-city-destinations-for-2023). Moving the conference to the Louvre was a shrewd move to charge higher rates as they elevate talks of NFTs and the metaverse simply by being in [the “Palace of Web3”](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221014005251/en/Paris-Blockchain-Week-Turns-the-Louvre-into-Palace-of-Web3) - a play on [France’s official “palace” distinction](https://www.france.fr/en/holiday-prep/palace-status) recognising standards of excellence. 9) **Best Interview Takedown Award: Laura Shin with Kyle Davies** ----------------------------------------------------------------- A [pointed introduction from Laura Shin](https://twitter.com/exitscammed/status/1770426317617725741?t=ddw26tMbFjw0KoPpF_TFvQ&s=19) - “_Adviser to OX.FUN and co-founder of the now bankrupt Three Arrows Capital_”- set the no holds barred direction of this interview with Kyle Davies. While the entire episode drew polemic comments as to whether it should have happened, no one can deny that Laura Shin asked the questions that needed to be asked and then some. Kyle’s [unremorseful state of mind](https://twitter.com/Unchained_pod/status/1770155886209622097) was clear but what was unclear were his rambling responses full of filler words, falling short of grandiloquence (though none of the words were elegant). Some highlight questions: * I would imagine that this is quite possibly the biggest event that ever happened in your life, so I’m a bit surprised to hear you act as if it is just kind of a small matter that you are not paying much attention to. * Why do you not reveal your location? * Is it still your stance today that the lack of any formal legal action against you is proof that you did not make any misrepresentations? * You were also warned by the Dubai regulators not to launch the exchange, so why did you launch OPNX anyway? * I feel like I’ve seen a lot of this notion that you haven’t really expressed remorse at what happened - would you agree with that? 10) **Best 15 Minutes of Fame Award: Friend.tech** -------------------------------------------------- In less than 24 hours of launching, the invite-only beta Friend.tech [drove 4,400 ETH (approx. $8.1 million) in trading volume](https://www.coindesk.com/web3/2023/08/11/is-friendtech-a-friend-or-foe-a-dive-into-the-new-social-app-driving-millions-in-trading-volume/). The [lack of privacy policy](https://twitter.com/Joyyguo/status/1689945470691381248), the lagging network and [the app crashing](https://twitter.com/friendtech/status/1689739547599687680?s=20) did not matter and in fact, made it even more popular. With [the founder](https://twitter.com/yugacohler/status/1689972725052317697?s=20) a mystery ([X handle no longer in existence](https://twitter.com/0xRacerAlt)) and their track record including a [DAO with a suspended X handle](https://twitter.com/TheTweetDao) and the precursor to Friend.tech [incentivising “stealing” NFTs](https://decrypt.co/138820/steal-this-article-you-could-make-author-very-rich), it is little wonder why the degens were intrigued as well as [the bots](https://twitter.com/friendtech/status/1725563394378604850). The project is still going though, [promising a v2 in April](https://twitter.com/friendtech/status/1767699517594628473), despite the initial buzz around it dying down. **_Special Mention_ - Best Media ‘Popcorn’ Moment Award: Blockworks trolling Coindesk** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### **_How it started:_** [https://twitter.com/CoinDesk/status/1669358759305687043](https://twitter.com/CoinDesk/status/1669358759305687043) ### **_How it went:_** [https://twitter.com/strack\_ben/status/1669409766383423488](https://twitter.com/strack_ben/status/1669409766383423488) [https://twitter.com/JonRiceCrypto/status/1669331978947276801](https://twitter.com/JonRiceCrypto/status/1669331978947276801) [https://twitter.com/JonRiceCrypto/status/1669422788531359744](https://twitter.com/JonRiceCrypto/status/1669422788531359744) [https://twitter.com/JonRiceCrypto/status/1669423270821793792](https://twitter.com/JonRiceCrypto/status/1669423270821793792) [https://twitter.com/JonRiceCrypto/status/1669426905429458945](https://twitter.com/JonRiceCrypto/status/1669426905429458945) ### **_How it ended:_** [https://twitter.com/strack\_ben/status/1669455106847444997](https://twitter.com/strack_ben/status/1669455106847444997) [https://twitter.com/Blockworks\_/status/1669455218235375617](https://twitter.com/Blockworks_/status/1669455218235375617) _And that’s a wrap on the CCC All Time Low Awards 2024! Thanks to our community for voting on these awards, and we hope you enjoyed this recap of the best-of-the-worst moments. The past year in web3 & crypto would not be the same without our winners._ ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/a37a9aed8dbe02e4b0e0b98608b7de78f0176a170cf48cbec8f1175332e717be.png) _Comments? DM us on our Twitter_ [_X account_](https://twitter.com/Crypto_Comms_)_._ _Written by:_ [_Candice Teo_](https://twitter.com/candicekteo)_; Edited by:_ [_Frank Spence_](https://twitter.com/WestComms)_,_ [_Mia Grodsky_](https://twitter.com/miakoddda) --- *Originally published on [Crypto Communications Collective](https://paragraph.com/@cryptocommscollective/all-time-low-awards-2024)*