Dolphin Entertainment and FTX Announce Partnership To Create NFT Marketplace Programs for Major Sports + Entertainment Brands

MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 2, 2021 / Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and premium content production company, and West Realm Shire Services Inc.( "FTX" or "The Company"), owner and operator of FTX.US, today announced a partnership to create large-scale, consumer-facing NFT marketplaces for major sports and entertainment brands.

Dolphin will develop and execute the creative branding, production and marketing of these programs alongside FTX, who will use their crypto exchange services and technical development as the backbone of the marketplaces. Together, the award-winning production and marketing teams of Dolphin and the industry-leading team at FTX behind one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world will develop and program global NFT marketplaces targeting brands within the sports, film, television, music, gaming, eSports, culinary, lifestyle and charity industries.

"We see the trading of NFTs as much more than just a list of digital products - we view our marketplace experiences as the future of fandom for internationally-recognized brands and franchises in sports and entertainment," said Bill O'Dowd, CEO of Dolphin Entertainment. "To achieve this vision, we have searched for the absolute best technology partner. We are unbelievably excited to partner with Sam, Brett, Avi and the entire team at FTX, who we consider the market leader for customer experience in the crypto and blockchain worlds."

"Buying NFTs today is clunky," continued O'Dowd. "To be able to offer a seamless user experience, where the wallet and the product are all in one place; to allow the consumer to pay with crypto, credit card or traditional currency; to have the product available on wholly-owned and programmed online destinations; to have the same product available for purchase directly in app; and to also have actual customer support, when necessary, are enormous differentiating factors that FTX provides. Combined with Dolphin's unparalleled access and relationships across the film, television, music, gaming, eSports, culinary and sports industries, our joint offerings are distinct from the rest of the market and, most importantly, immediately put NFTs on a level playing field with all other consumer products available for purchase online."

Brett Harrison, President of FTX.US commented on today's news, "Dolphin's reach and scale across all of pop culture is very impressive to us. We are excited to build marketplaces with Dolphin, both because of their ability to access content and IP, but also because they are leaders in public relations and influencer marketing for every major vertical of entertainment. With that said, there are several items on the horizon that we can't wait to launch together."

Dolphin's wholly-owned subsidiaries include 42West, ranked the most powerful PR firm in the entertainment industry by the New York Observer, with the preeminent content marketing division for films and television, and an expansive and diverse celebrity roster; Shore Fire Media, believed to be the largest music PR firm in the world, with an artist roster that spans virtually every genre of recorded music; The Door, a market-leading celebrity chef, hospitality and lifestyle PR firm; BHI, a division of 42West, servicing the gaming, eSports and entertainment consumer products industries; Be Social, a top-tier influencer marketing company, executing both consumer campaigns for a variety of major brands and managing a substantial roster of well-known online celebrities; and Viewpoint Creative, an award-winning creative agency.

About Dolphin Entertainment

Dolphin Entertainment (NASDAQ:DLPN) is a leading independent entertainment marketing and premium content development company. Through our subsidiaries 42West, The Door and Shore Fire Media, we provide expert strategic marketing and publicity services to many of the top brands, both individual and corporate, in the film, television, music, gaming and hospitality industries. Viewpoint Creative and Be Social complement their efforts with full-service creative branding and production capabilities as well as social media and influencer marketing services. Dolphin's legacy content production business, founded by Emmy-nominated CEO Bill O'Dowd, has produced multiple feature films and award-winning digital series. Dolphin's Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) division, Dolphin Digital Studios, is dedicated to designing, producing, distributing and promoting NFTs for itself and its clients within the film, television, music, gaming, culinary and technology industries. The NFTs division is comprised of executives across all six of Dolphin's wholly-owned subsidiaries blending their creative expertise in creative services, digital design, production, marketing, sales and public relations. To learn more, visit: https://www.dolphinentertainment.com.

About FTX

FTX.COM is a cryptocurrency exchange built by traders, for traders. It offers innovative products, including industry-leading derivatives, options and volatility products, tokenized stocks, prediction markets, leveraged tokens and an OTC desk. FTX.COM strives to be an intuitive yet powerful platform for all kinds of users, and to be the most innovative exchange in the industry. FTX.COM has grown quickly since its founding, becoming one of the most respected cryptocurrency exchanges in the world in 2 years. To learn more about FTX.COM, please visit: https://ftx.com/.

About FTX. US

FTX.US is a US-regulated cryptocurrency exchange, built from the ground up with customers in mind. Its mission is to grow the digital currency ecosystem, offer US and international traders a platform that inspires their loyalty, and to become the leading US crypto exchange by volume within the next two years.To learn more about FTX.US, please visit: https://ftx.us/.

This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-looking statements are distinguished by the use of words such as "will," "would," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "designed," "plan," or "intend," the negative of these terms, and similar references to future periods. These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, Dolphin Entertainment's actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in its forward-looking statements. Dolphin Entertainment's forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events Dolphin Entertainment cannot predict, including those described in the risk factors contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Although Dolphin Entertainment believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved, and Dolphin Entertainment undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

CONTACT:

James Carbonara
Hayden IR
(646)-755-7412
james@haydenir.com

Jay Morakis
M Group Strategic Communications (For FTX)
(646)-859-5951
ftx@mgroupsc.com

SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.