FOUNDERS SPACE SPOTLIGHT 🎙️ w/ @MikeCantMiss | EMT -> Web3 Creator ->

The Spaces features Mike (“Myc”), a former EMT/dispatcher who became a Sui content creator and is now a full‑time marketer at Double Up. Kicking off with Double Up’s Sui validator announcement, the discussion traces Mike’s upbringing, early interest in content, detours through FedEx and EMT work, and the emotional weight of dispatching. He discovered Sui in March last year, noticed a content gap, and consistently hosted Spaces, collaborating with figures like Mateo and Kataro; a Bali trip cemented relationships and direction. Mentored by Healthy (Double Up’s founder) and Kataro, Mike transitioned from part‑time social support to a full‑time role after proving grit and initiative. He outlines a “vibe marketing” approach—authenticity, humor, and creator–product fit—over vanity metrics and scattershot ambassador programs. Double Up’s strategy spans gaming, “stake the house,” transparent on‑chain metrics, and music/entertainment collaborations, aiming for resilience across cycles. Mike’s goals: help grow Double Up to a unicorn‑level business, support his mother financially, and earn recognition for quality work. His advice to aspiring creators: start now, be consistent, find your niche, and create your own opportunities.

Founder Space Spotlight: Mike’s journey from EMT to Web3 creator to full‑time marketer at Double Up

Session overview and participants

• Host: a long‑time crypto participant (since 2017) running the Founder Space Spotlight series; emphasizes human stories over tokens/tech, frequently collaborates with Capo.
• Co‑host: Capo (active community builder/host; sharp on growth and marketing strategy).
• Guest: Mike (“Myc”/“MyCampus” on Twitter), currently leading marketing at Double Up (on Sui); previously an EMT and police dispatcher.
• Mentioned (not on mic): Healthy (founder of Double Up), Mateo, Kataro/Kitaro, Wara/Warro, Trevin, Joshua (formerly “Delicate Josh”), Sui King, Ted, Bobby Shmurda, Alex and Zenfrox (NFT project).
• Audience interventions: Lifeguard (EMT/lifeguard founder), a Nigerian community member praising Mike’s spaces.

Quick news and housekeeping at the top

• Audio/music: Mike notes Twitter/X often “rugs” music on Spaces; no intro music used.
• Double Up validator: Mike says they “just announced the validator” on Sui. Funding/operational specifics vary by project; he isn’t certain if the Sui Foundation delegated stake to them but confirms Double Up has substantial SUI from investors/believers. He mentions they previously operated a validator for “Walrus,” which helped show capability. Delegation is encouraged.
• Upcoming: Double Up has activity in New York imminently (team is preparing).

Mike’s backstory: from content‑curious kid to EMT and dispatcher

• Early pull toward content: as a teenager he posted Call of Duty/2K clips recorded straight off the TV on a phone—no gear, pure enthusiasm.
• Post‑high school detour:
  • Brief stint in community college (psychology major); no clear career plan; worked at FedEx for ~$12/hr in tough conditions.
  • During COVID, a friend exposed him to forex (yes, including the pyramid‑scheme zeitgeist around it). Mike dove in with a friend group—studied, watched tutorials together, took trades, celebrated/went bust together. It was formative and fun but didn’t pay the bills.
• Family background and influences:
  • Parents separated; Mike primarily grew up with his mom (a longtime school staffer; did not attend college). Dad did some community college, later became a firefighter when Mike was ~8, which shaped Mike’s exposure to that career.
  • Experienced early grief: a younger sister passed away at 7 days old. Therapy helped him as a kid and inspired an early interest in becoming a child therapist (reason he initially pursued psychology). Ultimately, the schooling commitment turned him off.
  • Male role model: an uncle taught him to ride a bike, play basketball, had the “birds and bees” talk—his mom also “played both parts” when needed.
  • Relationship with father: never very strong; improved while Mike pursued EMT/fire, especially while dispatching (his dad would do those shifts as overtime). After Mike decided to exit that track, tensions rose; they haven’t spoken for about a year.
• EMT and dispatcher phase:
  • Took a 3‑month EMT course, got licensed, and worked for an ambulance company in Miami‑Dade for ~2 years (two‑person trucks; often partnered with close friends; enjoyed the work and schedule—24h on, 48h off).
  • To improve firefighter hiring odds, spent ~1 year as a police dispatcher (government job gives preference in firefighter recruitment). Found it emotionally grueling: “listening to people’s worst day” for 8–16 hours.
  • Despite liking the EMT work and team camaraderie, he wanted to explore a better fit and return to content creation.

Discovering Sui and building a personal brand

• Entry to Sui (around March last year; SUI near ~$0.90–$1.00): saw a “dumb pink bird” meme and consistent posts from Mateo and Wara; came from ~3 years participating on Solana.
• Noticed a gap: besides Trevin, there weren’t many content creators or regular Spaces on Sui. Mike sensed an open lane to contribute.
• Scheduling advantage: the EMT schedule (24 on/48 off) let him create consistently—two days off to script/edit videos and host Spaces; even stole time during breaks on shift.
• First Spaces: co‑hosted with Joshua (then “Delicate Josh”) and Sui King. Kataro joined, tipped an airdrop opportunity (“buy a robot” NFT); Joshua jumped, Mike hesitated. Later, when Kataro left to attend KBW, “Building on Sui” paused. Mike filled the gap with near‑daily “yap on Sui”—showing up consistently and building mindshare.
• Goal at the time: build audience and credibility as a foundation for a media company. He briefly tested this with “Canvas Media” (learned a lot, but it wasn’t yet what he envisioned).
• Social growth: Mike historically wasn’t super social (tight 5‑friend circle from K–12); crypto and Spaces built his comfort with public speaking and broadened his network.

Bali, Taipei, and the Double Up opportunity

• First connection with Double Up: Double Up was the first Sui protocol to interact with his post when he swapped Solana for Sui; Mike later invited them to an AMA that brought Sui and Aptos founders together.
• Meeting Healthy IRL: In Bali, Mike and Healthy had minimal interaction due to jet‑lag and Mike’s reserved nature. A real talk only happened on the ride back to the airport. Healthy expressed he liked Mike’s Spaces and saw potential.
• Mentorship: Over time, Healthy and Kataro became informal mentors—advising Mike on content, career, and structure (he often asked about how to found/operate something like Canvas Media).
• From intern to full‑time: After disbanding Canvas to focus on his personal platform, Mike helped Double Up part‑time on socials (began around Taipei Blockchain Week). Healthy quietly tested Mike with small tasks; impressed by his learning mindset and drive, he offered a trial—and then a full‑time role. Mike is now the lone non‑technical employee at Double Up on a dev‑heavy team.

Marketing philosophy: “vibe marketing,” authenticity, and doing what sticks

• “Vibe marketer”: Healthy’s label for Mike—no formal marketing pedigree, but he gets outcomes by being himself and keeping it fun.
• What works (Mike and Capo’s view):
  • Fit matters more than follower counts. Pair creators whose tone/personality match the product. Pure “KOL blasts” driven by spreadsheets, follower thresholds, and botted impressions are mostly wasted budget.
  • Prioritize a few deeply committed creators over 20 “ambassadors” chasing KPIs. One hungry, aligned person can outperform a crowd of NPC‑like shill accounts.
  • Audiences are numb to straight product shilling. “Brainrot” humor, memes, and lighthearted storytelling can anchor brand memory better than formal threads. Make people laugh or feel something—entertainment is a sticky wedge.
  • Measure what matters: impressions and likes are vanity if they don’t drive adoption or revenue. Founders should demand better metrics and outcomes.
  • Create opportunities: Don’t wait for permission. Fill gaps (e.g., daily Spaces when none exist), and let consistency compound.
• Dream project: build a creative collective of genuine, aligned creators producing absurd, memorable commercials that “don’t make sense—until they do.” Mike wants to prove this model at Double Up first, then scale it.

Double Up today: product, positioning, and expansion

• Core value: entertainment + finance on Sui—a casino product complemented by DeFi primitives.
• Resilience across cycles:
  • In quiet markets, people still want fun—slots, games, and social experiences can keep a community engaged.
  • If you’re not a player, “stake the house” and earn a share of platform volume (transparent metrics available). This creates options for different risk appetites.
• Expansion into entertainment: partnerships and activations with music/hip‑hop names (Ted, Bobby Shmurda) aim to extend brand reach beyond pure crypto.
• Sui validator: Double Up announced a Sui validator; delegation welcomed. Funding/structure for validator varies by project—Mike isn’t certain if the Foundation delegated to them; Double Up also has investor‑provided SUI.

Personal notes and community moments

• On community and accessibility: Mike rejects pedestal behavior—this is social media; everyone’s just people. His Spaces aim to be welcoming, fun, and conversational (he doesn’t posture as an “expert”).
• Friends IRL: his tight five—several became EMTs/firefighters; Mike tries to onboard them to Sui/Twitter but teases them about weak branding.
• Dating: self‑deprecating humor—says he “doesn’t know how to flirt,” jokes about sending Spaces co‑host links as a pickup line; currently single.
• Basketball: plays weekly; claims he’s the best hooper on Sui and at Double Up. Top‑5 all time (his list): 1) LeBron, 2) Jordan, 3) Steph, 4) Kobe, 5) Shaq.
• Shoutouts from the room:
  • Nigerian community member credited Mike’s Spaces for creating a “fun, forget the market” vibe; called his rooms a cornerstone of their Sui experience.
  • Lifeguard (EMT/founder) asked how far the vision can go. Mike’s answer: think bigger—everyone you admire is “just people.” Create your opportunity and differentiate.
  • Capo congratulated Alex and Zenfrox on a successful NFT mint; praised the art as top‑tier on Sui and commended the community for rallying behind homegrown builders.

Mindset, process, and the inflection points

• The “Bali shift”: The host observed Mike returned from Bali/Taipei with stronger purpose and intention. Mike credits seeing Kataro’s relentless execution—constant content creation, being generous, and crafting experiences for others—as a powerful model that raised his bar.
• Content execution during EMT days: leveraged break times and off days to host and ship; consistency built reputation.
• From “spaces host” to “actor and producer”: traveling with Kataro showed Mike the full pipeline—camera choice, editing, production planning. He’s not a producer yet, but he learned by osmosis and practice.

Roadmap for Mike: 3–5 year goals

• Business impact: help Double Up scale materially (explicitly floated a $1B valuation as an ambitious goal); grow revenue and mindshare versus competitors.
• Family: achieve a financial position where his mom never has to worry about bills again. He already gifted her his paid‑off Camry when he moved to NYC.
• Personal brand: expand beyond Twitter; be recognized for the quality of his craft and outcomes, not just follower counts. He has his first conference talk lined up this year.

Advice to aspiring creators and community builders

• Start now—there is no perfect time. Expect to be bad at first.
• Find what gets traction and double down; once momentum exists, branch thoughtfully into adjacent formats.
• Differentiate: don’t just “be present”; do something meaningfully different to create your own opportunity.
• Be genuine: don’t fake expertise; host conversations, entertain, and stay real—audiences feel authenticity.
• Measure what matters: design marketing for adoption/revenue, not just impressions.

Highlights and takeaways

• Double Up news: Sui validator announced; continued push in NYC and entertainment tie‑ins.
• Mike’s case study: proof that consistency, authenticity, and seizing “open doors” can move you from EMT to recognized community builder to full‑time marketer—without a traditional marketing resume.
• Marketing thesis: fit > followers. One aligned, hungry creator can outperform 20 paid‑by‑spreadsheet ambassadors. Focus on memorable, humorous, and human content that drives real adoption.
• Culture matters: Sui’s community remains approachable and collaborative; creators and teams amplify each other.
• Human north star: build a career you’re proud of, take care of family, and let your work speak loudly enough that the space recognizes it.