# Mentorship, Metaverse & Millions in Grants: The Based Creators Show Episode 9 *By Moon Thread Studios — June 19, 2025* By [Threaded Realities](https://paragraph.com/@moonthread) · 2025-06-19 thecreators, metaverse, onchain, base --- This week’s _Based Creators Show_ centered around heart, healing, and how far a bold idea can go when it’s backed by a community. We opened with the story of Barnabas Johnnie and his powerful project _Little Men Big Dreams_, then celebrated the launch of the **$CREATE Catalyst Grant** with Sven from Incented. We hosted a **GIVE Party** to honor mentors across Base, previewed the **Base Creators Directory**, and gave a sneak peek at our new **The Creators Grand Prix** launching at NFT NYC. Presented by [@BasedCreators](https://x.com/BasedCreators), [@coordinape](https://x.com/coordinape), [@ownthedoge](https://x.com/ownthedoge), and [@MoonThreadFilm](https://x.com/MoonThreadFilm) Hosted by [@RSKAGY](https://x.com/RSKAGY), [@Smoke\_theArtist](https://x.com/Smoke_theArtist), [@LynnMosqueda](https://x.com/LynnMosqueda), and [@Stellarextinct](https://x.com/Stellarextinct) * * * **Little Men, Big Dreams: Healing Through Creativity** Barnabas Johnnie, founder of the Johnny Boys Foundation, joined us live from Nigeria to share _Little Men Big Dreams_, a grassroots mentorship and training initiative for under served boys impacted by poverty and crisis. Through art, photography, storytelling, and safe-space workshops, Barnabas is already mentoring 17 boys and has trained over 70. His story moved everyone and is onchain storytelling at its most human. As Barnabas said, “A boy who can imagine more can become more.” His dream is to build a permanent creative hub to nurture the next generation of leaders and artists across Nigeria. His project is currently live on [Artizen](https://artizen.fund/index/p/little-men-big-dreams?season=5), with rewards like _The Mentor Scroll_ and _Love Letters from the Boys_. Lynn has already grabbed both. * * * **The $CREATE Catalyst Grant Goes Live** We were thrilled to officially launch the **$CREATE Catalyst Grant Program**, a joint initiative between The Creators and [Incented](https://incented.co/). With **77 million $CREATE tokens** allocated, the program invites creators of all kinds (builders, filmmakers, educators, developers, storytellers, artists, and more) to submit projects that bring value to the Base ecosystem. Sven walked us through the application process live and even started an application for Barnabas on air. The platform supports milestone-based funding, private token-holder voting, and a transparent curation system. Whether you're building a tool, writing a story, or designing the next great onchain experience, this grant is here to fund you _and_ grow your community. Go apply at [thecreators.com/grant](https://thecreators.com/grant). * * * **The Creators Grand Prix: NFT NYC** We shifted gears with a look at **The Creators Grand Prix**, our immersive racing game set in a 3D version of New York City, collecting tokens and competing for prizes in a cinematic, arcade-style event. Featuring glowing collectible tokens, avatar customization, and real in-game rewards, the game will debut at our in-person event on **June 26, 2025 at the Producers Club in NYC**, featuring panels, [DJ Tonchu](https://x.com/the_tonchu), prizes, and more. Come through if you’re in the city, but don't forget to [register](https://lu.ma/r54719bu). Attendees will race in the metaverse and the top finishers will win prizes IRL. The experience will also spotlight creators listed in our [Creators Directory](https://thecreators.com/directory) meaning your art could be showcased through the environment. The game is built using Base tooling and will be available post-event for everyone to play as well as a month long community event. Visit [thecreators.com/gp](http://thecreators.com/gp) page to sponsor or learn more. * * * **Give Party & Base Creators Directory: Recognition Onchain** In honor of Barnabas and his commitment to mentorship, we hosted a GIVE Party using [Coordinape's onchain attestation protocol](https://app.coordinape.com/). Viewers gave “Mentorship” badges to creators across Farcaster, including long-time community builders like Zemm, NFT Spike, and DefiGinger. These attestations are live onchain and can be explored through the [**Base Creators Directory**](https://thecreators.com/directory). The directory is a powerful new mini-app that lets creators display their skills, receive endorsements, and get discovered by collaborators, sponsors, and dev teams across the Base ecosystem. If you're not listed yet, now’s the time. * * * **This week’s recap brought together story, soul, and strategy** If you’re a creator with a message, a mission, or a prototype, apply to [$CREATE Catalyst](https://thecreators.com/grant). If you’re building in Base, show your work in the [Directory](https://thecreators.com/directory). And if you're in NYC, come hang out with us on [June 26, 2025](https://lu.ma/r54719bu). * * * **Support Barnabas Johnnie & Little Men Big Dreams:** [thecreators.com/links](http://thecreators.com/links) **Join The Creators Grand Prix at NFT NYC:** [thecreators.com/gp](http://thecreators.com/gp) [Register to come IRL](https://lu.ma/r54719bu) **Get listed in the Base Creators Directory:** [thecreators.com/directory](http://thecreators.com/directory) **Catch us live every Wednesday @ 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET and stay up to date at** [](http://thecreators.com/links.)[**thecreators.com/links**](https://thecreators.com/links) --- *Originally published on [Threaded Realities](https://paragraph.com/@moonthread/bcs-e9)*