0xf143db60…b744sent to0xb789eb50…10cc·#24,389,063·view on Etherscan
Who Benefits Revised&&# "Who Benefits?"
## Documenting the Ethereum Movement Around the World
### A Headline DAO Partnership Proposal
**From Lagos to Denver — 10 countries documenting who Ethereum is really for.**
---
## Executive Summary
**The ask:** 2.5 ETH (~$5,750) — 36% of treasury.
**The project:** "Who Benefits?" — an 18-episode documentary series asking who Ethereum is really for. 13 guests confirmed across 10 countries. Arc 1 (4 episodes) fully locked.
**The deliverables:** 16 ETH Denver interviews, 4 pilot episodes, synthesizing article, post-event report. Every piece closes with "Thank you, Headline DAO." Presenting sponsor branding on all 18 episodes.
**The team:** Maceo Whatley (EP/journalist), Bayo (post-production), Gift (social media). 55% of budget goes to the team. Track record includes ETH Denver, Devcon, ETH CC, FWB Fest, and 10+ African blockchain events.
**The timeline:** ETH Boulder (Feb 13-15), ETH Denver (Feb 17-21), article before leaving Denver (Feb 21), pilot arc delivered end of March.
**The vision:** Headline DAO becomes the home for freelance Web3 journalism. This series is the flagship.
**Revision note:** We initially proposed 4.1 ETH. Based on community feedback that this was too large an ask, we've revised to 2.5 ETH (36% of treasury) while maintaining all core deliverables. This demonstrates our commitment to partnership and fiscal responsibility.
---
*"This question is so timely. With Ethereum — Who Benefits?"*
— DeFi Dave, confirmed guest
---
## The Story
Decisions being made right now about Ethereum — by regulators, institutions, and builders — will determine whether this technology replicates the extractive systems we already have or creates something genuinely different.
We're documenting what that looks like from people living it on the ground.
From Argentina, Venezuela, and Mexico, where stablecoins aren't speculation — they're survival. From Brazil, where community currencies are being tested as UBI infrastructure. From Ethiopia, where Yoseph Ayele — who organized the Ethereum Foundation's Africa tour with Vitalik Buterin — is coordinating the continent's top founders to build Africa's economy on-chain. From Croatia, where MiCA is reshaping what's possible.
Every interview, every episode, every piece of content returns to one question: **Who benefits from the way this is being built — and who should?**
---
## Why Now
We are at an inflection point. The CLARITY Act is stalled in negotiations. Europe is implementing MiCA. Optimism just passed buybacks that signal institutional confidence in the Superchain. Countries are choosing how to engage with tokenization — and those choices will lock in for years.
ETH Denver is where builders, policymakers, and funders converge. This is the moment to document what's happening — not after the fact.
---
## The Opportunity
We're producing an 18-episode documentary series. The team is assembled. The guests are confirmed. Production is happening.
This is an opportunity for Headline DAO to get presenting sponsor visibility on professional journalism that's already in motion.
### 2.5 ETH (~$5,750)
This represents 36% of the current treasury (~$16,000). A meaningful partnership that shows fiscal responsibility.
Headline DAO gets exposure. We get resources to bring a story from Denver to life. Mutual leverage.
---
## North Star Check
**Headline DAO's mission:** Fund decentralized journalism.
**What we're doing:** On-the-ground reporting from ETH Denver and a documentary series asking "who benefits" from Ethereum's development — journalism with an economic justice lens, distributed globally.
Your mission is our work. This is alignment.
---
## What Headline DAO Gets
**Presenting sponsor on ALL 18 episodes — not just the pilot.**
You're funding the pilot, but your branding carries through the entire series. The intro, the outro, the Headline DAO bumper — all 18 episodes. First-mover advantage.
- 16 ETH Denver interviews (each closes: "Thank you, Headline DAO")
- 4 pilot episodes with Headline DAO sponsor bumper
- Series assets carrying your branding through all 18 episodes
- Synthesizing article crediting Headline DAO (published before leaving Denver)
- Post-event report with insights and recommendations (Feb 28)
- Visibility across 10+ countries — Africa, LATAM, Europe, and beyond
- Equipment (DJI Creator Combo) stays in the ecosystem, continuing to produce Headline DAO journalism
- Monthly updates to DAO forum/Discord
---
## Why Headline DAO
Headline DAO is more than a grant program — it's the primitive for decentralized journalism.
Forefront raised $2.1M to build the infrastructure for web3 media. When the bear market hit, that vision stalled. The opportunity is still here. Headline DAO can be what Forefront aimed to become — but focused on journalism, funded by the community, and built to last.
Web3 has storytellers everywhere. From Lagos to Buenos Aires to Bangkok, journalists are documenting this movement without corporate sponsors, without editorial capture, without a safety net. What they lack is a home — a network that gives community-driven narrative global distribution.
**Headline DAO can be that home.**
By funding this series, you're not just supporting We Them Media. You're building the infrastructure for independent crypto journalism worldwide. Every token holder becomes a stakeholder in the stories that get told. Every grant strengthens a network of freelance journalists who answer to the community, not to sponsors.
We are crypto journalists asking the question that matters most: **who benefits?** Your mission is our work. Let's build the network together.
---
## The Journalism
### ETH Denver: 16 Interviews
On the ground at Ethereum's flagship event. Walking the floor, pulling builders aside, asking the questions that matter:
- What are you building — and who is it for?
- What does adoption actually look like from where you're standing?
- What decision being made right now — by builders, regulators, or funders — will matter most in five years?
- Who benefits from the way Ethereum is being built right now — and who should?
Each interview closes with: **"Thank you, Headline DAO."**
### Returning to Denver — With Systems in Place
Two years ago, we were at ETH Denver with the same budget and no infrastructure. We shot content, made connections, and learned what it takes to cover an event of this scale.
Since then, we've built the systems. Live streamed ETH Safari from Kenya. Covered ETH CC in Belgium, Devcon in Thailand, Oasis Onchain in the Bahamas, FWB Fest. Shot content at Web3Bridge, Web3Lagos, Avalanche Tour Nigeria, Bitcoin Pizza Day in Abuja and Accra, ETH Ethiopia, ETH Accra, ETH Enugu, ETH Jos. Our content team delivers real-time production at these events. We know how to work together under pressure.
Now we're coming back to Denver — **with a production team, a distribution strategy, a series ready to scale, and a new story to tell.**
---
## The Pilot: Arc 1 — "The Stakes"
Four episodes. Four perspectives. Four stories of what Ethereum actually means when your economy is in crisis, when your government has failed you, when the old systems never worked in the first place.
**All 4 guests confirmed.**
| Ep | Guest | Location | Angle |
|----|-------|----------|-------|
| 1 | Peth | Croatia | DAOs, storytelling, how to tell the Ethereum story |
| 2 | Yoseph Ayele | Pan-African | Borderless Africa, magma founder program, LAVA fund |
| 3 | Cypherbadger | Argentina / Venezuela / Mexico | LATAM policy, stablecoins as survival, BTC vs ETH |
| 4 | Camila Rioja | Brazil | Community currencies, UBI experiments, pop-up cities |
Each episode closes with: **"Thank you, Headline DAO."**
---
## The Hosts
**Three voices. Three perspectives. One question.**
**Maceo Whatley (Executive Producer, Lead Host)** — Founder of We Them Media. 4 years in crypto as journalist and entrepreneur. 3,000+ followers across socials reaching builders globally. Covered events across four continents: ETH Safari (live streamed from Kenya), ETH Ethiopia, ETH Accra, ETH Enugu, ETH Jos, Web3Bridge, Web3Lagos, Bitcoin Pizza Day, Avalanche Tour Nigeria, ETH CC Belgium, Oasis Onchain Bahamas, FWB Fest, Devcon Thailand. Published in Water & Music since 2023. FWB DAO grant recipient. Formerly an academic researcher (published in Frontiers in Psychology), Maceo brings high context and a knack for breaking down complex topics. With this series, he's committed to getting the world to know that Ethereum is a technology designed for economic justice.
**Zaal — BetterCallZaal (Co-Host)** — Founder of ZAO Foundation, WaveWarZ, and ZAO Festivals. Building decentralized infrastructure for independent artists. Zaal brings a builder's perspective from working directly with creators and communities that have talent but lack access, capital, and distribution. His question: "How is the world meaningfully better because of what you're building?"
**Ohnaji B (Co-Host)** — Founder of Ohnahji University — "Web3's First HBCU" — providing blockchain education for Black and brown communities since 2022. Ohnaji B has built a space where people of color can learn blockchain fundamentals and build ownership in the digital economy. Zaal and Ohnaji B formerly hosted "Let's Talk About Web3" — now partnering with We Them Media to take the show global.
---
## Track Record
### Events Covered
ETH Safari (Kenya — live streamed), ETH Ethiopia, ETH Accra, ETH Enugu, ETH Jos, Web3Bridge (Nigeria), Web3Lagos Conference, Bitcoin Pizza Day (Abuja + Accra), Avalanche Tour (Nigeria), ETH CC (Belgium), Oasis Onchain (Bahamas), FWB Fest, Devcon (Thailand) — our content team delivers real-time production across events on four continents. We've worked together. We know how to execute.
### Funding Track Record
- **Friends With Benefits DAO (2023):** ~$9,000 for ETH Denver interview series on Black builders
- **NFT-funded:** "We Them Niggas" podcast funded directly by community through Zora sales
### Published Work
- **Water & Music:** Published covering Music NFTs since 2023
- **Frontiers in Psychology:** "Bringing new life in": Hope as a know-how of not knowing
### See Our Work
- FWB-funded interview: youtube.com/watch?v=Nc_zdA2VNUk
- Podcast episode: youtube.com/watch?v=aFLVXj6g0Uw
- On-chain archive: zora.co/wethemniggas.eth
- Blog: mirror.xyz/wethemniggas.eth
- All links: linktr.ee/wethemmedia
---
## What's Already Lined Up
The pilot is Arc 1. We have **13 guests confirmed** for the full series. The series is ready to scale.
**Arc 1 — The Stakes (THIS PROPOSAL):**
Peth (Croatia) ✓ | Yoseph Ayele (Pan-African) ✓ | Cypherbadger (LATAM) ✓ | Camila Rioja (Brazil) ✓
**Arc 2 — The Infrastructure:**
Lino Velev (Bulgaria) ✓ | Aquari — Cameron + Maciej (USA/Poland) ✓ | Yoav Weiss (Israel) ✓ | C.Y. Lee (USA) ✓ | DeFi Dave ✓
**Arc 3 — The Rules:**
Shayla Moon — Digital Chamber, State Network (USA) ✓
**Arc 4 — New Models:**
Shaka (Nomadic) ✓ | Swarthy ✓
**Arc 5 — The Verdict:**
James Waugh (New Zealand) ✓ | Team Closing Stream ✓
**Still pursuing:** Jason Chaskin (Ethereum Foundation), Latasha, Ayodeji Awosika (Web3Bridge), EU Policy voice, Bankless, Vitalik Buterin (special episode).
---
## Strategic Opportunity: Digital Chamber
Shayla Moon leads The Digital Chamber's State Network initiative — educating state legislators on blockchain policy. They need educational content showing real-world builder perspectives.
Post-Shayla interview, we're exploring positioning series clips as educational content for State Network — putting Headline DAO-branded journalism in front of state legislators.
---
## The "Who Benefits?" Report
At series conclusion, we publish a comprehensive report synthesizing insights from all 18 episodes. This isn't a transcript summary — it's original research:
- Global adoption patterns across emerging markets
- Policy impact analysis — what's working, what isn't
- The "Who Benefits?" framework — replicable lens for evaluating blockchain infrastructure
- Builder recommendations — direct insights from people doing the work
Distributed to ecosystem funders, policymakers, and media. This positions We Them Media as a research entity, not just a content producer.
---
## Budget: 2.5 ETH (~$5,750)
### ETH Denver Coverage — $3,500
| Item | Amount |
|------|--------|
| Flights, food, transport (9 days) | $1,100 |
| Housing (9 days) | $350 |
| DJI Creator Combo (equipment) | $750 |
| Journalist fee + coordination + article (Maceo) | $1,000 |
| Post-production — 16 videos (Bayo / SuperBio) | $400 |
| Social media — February (Gift / SuperBio) | $150 |
### Pilot Arc Production — $1,000
| Item | Amount |
|------|--------|
| Video editing — 4 episodes (Bayo / SuperBio) | $700 |
| Social media push (Gift / SuperBio) | $150 |
### Series Assets (All 18 Episodes) — $1,000
Animated intro/outro + templates + Headline DAO bumper (Bayo / SuperBio)
### Operations — $114
| Item | Amount |
|------|--------|
| Opus Clip Pro — AI clip generation (6 months) | $114 |
### Buffer — $136
Contingency / ETH price fluctuation
---
**TOTAL: $5,750 (2.5 ETH)**
---
## Team Compensation
| Person | Role | Pay |
|--------|------|-----|
| Maceo | Journalist, article, guest coordination, EP | $1,000 |
| Bayo (SuperBio) | All post-production + series assets | $1,850 |
| Gift | Social media (Feb + Arc 1) | $300 |
**55% of budget goes directly to the team.**
---
## Accountability
### Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|------|-----------|
| Feb 9 | Funding confirmed |
| Feb 13-15 | ETH Boulder coverage |
| Feb 17-21 | ETH Denver coverage (16 interviews) |
| Feb 21 | Synthesizing article published (before leaving Denver) |
| Feb 28 | Post-event report delivered to DAO |
| End of March | Pilot arc (4 episodes) delivered |
| April | Arc 1 complete, return for Arc 2 funding |
### Success Metrics
- 16 ETH Denver interviews posted to Farcaster + X
- 4 pilot episodes delivered
- Synthesizing article published before leaving Denver
- 5 new Headline DAO token holders OR $1,000 raised for treasury
- Monthly updates to DAO forum/Discord
**Stretch goal:** Headline DAO nets positive on this partnership through new token holders and treasury contributions driven by content visibility.
---
## What Success Looks Like
Arc 1 proves the model. Arcs 2-5 scale with additional funding. The "Who Benefits?" report gets cited by policymakers and ecosystem funders. Headline DAO becomes known as the home for independent Web3 journalism — and this series is the flagship that put it on the map.
---
## See Us In Action
- Web3Lagos Con: x.com/WeThemMediaHQ/status/1962861847242997963
- On the ground: x.com/WeThemMediaHQ/status/1965417408828706948
---
## Distribution
- Same-day posting to Farcaster + X
- 24-hour delay to We Them Media channels (Africa + global audience)
- All content tagged @headline_dao
---
## Treasury Impact
**Requesting 2.5 ETH (~$5,750) from the Headline DAO treasury.**
This represents **36% of the current treasury** (~$16,000). A meaningful partnership that demonstrates fiscal responsibility.
Request is denominated in ETH to avoid USD price adjustment complications.
**Why we revised from 4.1 ETH:** Based on community feedback that our initial ask was too large, we've reduced the budget by 39% while maintaining all core deliverables. This shows our commitment to partnership over extraction.
---
## Transparency
### Entity Structure
- We Them Media — Production entity
- wethemmedia.eth — Multisig wallet for fund management
### Conflicts of Interest
- Maceo Whatley (proposal author) is founder of We Them Media and receives $1,000 compensation
- C.Y. Lee, who appears as a guest in Arc 2, is a patron who has supported Maceo's work
- No personal relationships with Headline DAO leadership
### Prior DAO Funding
- **FWB DAO (2023):** ~$9,000 — Interviews released. Podcast format had longer turnaround than anticipated.
- **Lesson applied:** This proposal has tighter workflow — same-day posting, clear milestones.
- **Headline DAO:** No prior funding received. This is the first proposal.
### Tax Information
Responsible Party: We Them Worldwide LLC (US-based)
---
## Author
**Maceo Whatley** — Founder, We Them Media & We Them Worldwide | Executive Producer, "Who Benefits?"
---
*"Who benefits from the way this is being built — and who should?"*
**Headline DAO funds crypto journalism.**
**We are crypto journalists.**
**Let's bring this story to life.**
---
**Support freelance Web3 journalism. Collect a Headline token.**