37: Trevor McFedries - Creative People Should Be Rich
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this episode, Trevor McFedries—musician, entrepreneur, and cultural savant—explores the intersection of creativity and capitalism, examining how creative people can capture more of the value they create. (04:30) From his early days in rap group Shwayze to founding Brud (creators of Lil Miquela) and FWB, Trevor has consistently worked to build new instruments that help creators get rich. The conversation spans his thoughts on authenticity versus honesty in art, why speculation might be rational for young people, and how prediction markets and meme coins could represent the next evolution of creative expression. (41:00)
- Main themes: The gap between who creates cultural value and who captures it, the evolution from postmodernism to a "belief economy" where predicting becomes a form of creating, and why creative people should embrace new financial instruments despite the low status associated with crypto and speculation.
Speakers
Trevor McFedries
Trevor McFedries is a musician, technologist, and entrepreneur who bridges culture and capital. He's the founder of Runner and half of electronic dance duo SoFTT, previously co-founded Brud (the company behind Lil Miquela) which was acquired by Dapper Labs, and started FWB (Friends with Benefits). His career began as DJ Skeet Skeet and as part of rap group Shwayze, which had a top 10 album in America when he was just 22. Throughout his work, Trevor has focused on creating new instruments to help creative people capture more of the value they generate.
Key Takeaways
Embrace New Value-Capture Instruments
Trevor argues that creative people need to stop being afraid of commerce and start playing "the game on the field." (07:48) He suggests that traditional gatekeepers and intermediaries often capture most of the value that creative people generate, citing how real estate developers got wealthy from Williamsburg's cultural transformation while artists remained broke. The solution isn't to opt out of capitalism, but to create better instruments—like crypto tokens, meme coins, or prediction markets—that can pass value back to the people who make life worth living. This requires creative people to understand and engage with financial systems rather than dismissing them as beneath their artistic pursuits.
Selling Out May Actually Be Punk Now
In a reversal of traditional cultural values, Trevor observes that playing the algorithm game to survive has become "optically punk and honest." (15:51) He explains that the only people who can afford to be truly indie and opt out of algorithmic platforms are trust fund kids, making authentic artistic pursuits a luxury good. Meanwhile, working artists who need to pay rent and support themselves are forced to engage with social media algorithms and commercial opportunities. This creates a situation where embracing commercial opportunities—what previous generations would have called "selling out"—is actually the more honest and punk rock choice for today's creative class.
Speculation and Creation Are Becoming Similar Acts
Trevor proposes that the act of speculation and the act of creation are converging in interesting ways. (39:49) Both involve having beliefs about the future and expressing them through a medium, seeking validation from peers or recognition in the market. He argues that meme coins and prediction markets allow creative people to express cultural beliefs with the same asymmetric upside that traditional investors enjoy, but with faster feedback loops than traditional art markets. This shift represents moving from a postmodern era focused on framing and narrative to a "belief economy" where the ability to predict cultural movements becomes as valuable as creating cultural objects.
Authenticity Matters Less Than Honesty
Rather than focusing on authenticity—which Trevor sees as an impossible ideal—creative people should prioritize honesty in their work. (22:29) He distinguishes between artists who are transparent about their commercial intentions (like Rihanna making "cheeseburger" music) versus those who pretend their derivative work is groundbreaking art. Trevor admires Lana Del Rey because her constructed persona has become so internalized that it feels genuine, demonstrating how identity can function as both projector and mirror. The key is being honest about what you're doing rather than trying to achieve some impossible standard of authenticity.
Creative People Need to Develop a Taste for the Bizarre
To stay ahead culturally, Trevor emphasizes developing "a taste for bizarre" and actively seeking out unfettered cultural spaces. (80:15) He finds the most interesting cultural developments in places like obscure Telegram channels where young people can express themselves more freely than on mainstream platforms. This requires genuine curiosity, doing homework rather than "winging it," and being willing to venture into spaces that might be uncomfortable or illegible to most people. The goal isn't just to be early, but to find the genuine subcultural movements that haven't yet been flattened by algorithms and mainstream adoption.
Statistics & Facts
- Shwayze had a top 10 album in America when Trevor was 22 years old, giving him early exposure to the music industry during its decline. (05:50)
- Trevor started creating Lil Miquela in April 2016, before the Trump election and when social media still had chronological feeds rather than algorithmic ones. (96:09)
- No specific additional statistics were provided in this episode beyond personal career milestones and dates.
