Diving into a new show or series isn't just entertainment—it's a commitment. We invest time, emotions, and sometimes even our sanity into these narratives and form bonds with characters.

However, the disappointment of a beloved show being dropped, often due to financial considerations, is all too familiar to anyone who has been a fan. In the television era, a show is typically discontinued when it fails to pull in enough or the wrong kind of eyeballs, resulting in a loss of revenue. Today, the length and potential continuity of a series factor into the decision to get invested in it.

However, thanks to fans' relentless ambition, not all hope is lost! Fans have devised methods to keep their favourite IPs and characters alive or even to create something entirely new to replace them. In the following, I'll explore two fan practices with the goal of saving IP and how the Web3 stack can support fans in their ambitions.

Throughout fandom history, fans have mobilised in various ways to preserve their beloved shows. Social networks have served as hubs for fans to unite and plan their protests. Some examples include:

• Sending themed items to production teams or cast members in bulk

• Mass purchasing of DVDs or merchandise

• Flying a plane with messages urging the continuation of a show

• Crowdfunding campaigns to finance new productions

To protest for the continuation of their favourite IP, on multiple occasions, fans have sent items that play a role in the show to producers and cast members in bulk. This includes nuts for the show Jericho, lightbulbs for the cast of Friday Night Lights, fake bananas in the case of Arrested Development, and Tabasco sauce for the Roswell cast. After the series Family Guy was cancelled in 2003, it was its fans who brought it back two years later by buying up all old DVD collections. 

The sky is the limit, literally: fans of The Expanse, an Amazon series, contributed to the studio’s decision to pursue the show by raising funds and rented an airplane with a banner flying over Santa Monica.

Following the cancellation of the show Veronica Mars, its creator and the main actress teamed up and created a Kickstarter campaign that raised two million dollars from fans to fund an entirely new movie.

Many of these fan actions have garnered attention and appreciation from show creators and celebrities, some of whom have personally acknowledged fans' efforts.

How can the crypto tech stack support fans in organising such collaborative projects?

• Crowdfunding: Leveraging on-chain technology, fans can independently organise crowdfunding campaigns, bypassing reliance on traditional social platforms. Channels like “Degenangels” on Farcaster facilitate on-chain fundraising directly through the platform, enabling users to tip each other to support projects and could be repurposed for fan communities.

• Task-sharing and contributor compensation: Blockchain-based platforms like Coordinape offer peer-to-peer voting systems to ensure fair project management and contributor compensation within fan communities. These tools can enhance safety and trust within large fan communities where fans have no or little personal relationships.

The democratisation of content creation tools is currently empowering more individuals than ever to bring their creative ideas to life. The intersection of social networks and AI-based tools holds immense potential for fanfiction and other forms of fan-created content. While some may argue that social media and remixing contribute to the shortening of fandom lifecycles (more on this in my next article), these platforms are also strategically used as catalysts for generating hype around new shows.

The Web3 tech stack can take fan initiatives to the next level by facilitating & preserving favourite IPs through various forms of fan-created content, from remixes to fanfiction. Although still in its nascent stages, the crypto tech stack offers the potential for more structured (and law-compliant!) creation of fan-generated content. Organisations like Storyprotocol, Adimverse and Atrium aim to democratise IP usage and foster collaboration:

Storyprotocol: crypto-native infrastructure that brings IP owners and licensors together to democratise IP usage and create a global repository of IP. It allows for managing IP usage rules.

Adimverse: a storytelling platform for co-creating stories and ideas. Users can build skills and a reputation on the platform.

Atrium: a platform for the production of Web3 IP (NFTs), allowing project founders to connect with storytelling talent to bring their IP to life. The platform includes IP ownership proof and a transparent history of work.

In conclusion, the toolkit available to fans enables more active and creative engagement with fandom. However, I believe new, web3-native fan communities have the upper hand compared to conglomerates when it comes to navigating the continuation or co-creation of new fanfic storylines. While AI-based IP creation tools allow for exciting possibilities to continue existing lores, they also raise legal and regulatory considerations. Despite the challenges, the future looks promising for fans seeking to uphold the legacies of their favourite IPs. I strongly believe that ownership and investment, beyond pure consumption, will lead to new levels of immersion.

By the way, we wrote a deep dive on character IP in Web3 and how characters can overcome traditional borders and become independent entities. Elizabeth and Flourish, the hosts of the podcast Fansplaining, inspired this little article, so thank you!

Next, I’ll write about one of the following topics:

• Co-created characters

• celebrity actors: creating independent, crowdfunded shows with fans?

• The shortening of fan lifecycles

• Disney’s content reality

If you're interested in this topic, feel free to subscribe! I'll also start making short videos about this on Drakula.