Scott Martin, the artist better known as Burnt Toast, is taking over as the CEO of Ethereum NFT project Doodles, replacing former Billboard executive, Julian Holguin.
Under Holguin’s leadership, Doodles announced collaborations with Adidas and McDonald’s—the latter just taking place over the last couple months. The project also developed a close relationship with famed musical artist Pharrell Williams, who a Doodles representative confirmed continues to serve as the project’s chief brand officer amid the CEO shakeup.
“I am stepping in as CEO of Doodles,” Martin posted on X (formerly known as Twitter). “We’re moving to a vision with a strong bias for risk, disruption, radical transparency and the authenticity that made us who we are in the first place.”
i am stepping in as CEO of doodles
we’re moving to a vision with a strong bias for risk, disruption, radical transparency and the authenticity that made us who we are in the first place
ideas transform societies. today, the disruptors come in many forms: NFTs rewriting… pic.twitter.com/Mk7G22vTMI
— burnt toast (@burnttoast) January 28, 2025
A Doodles spokesperson said that the firm and Holguin “mutually decided to part ways as part of our broader shift.”
Doodles quickly burst onto the scene in late 2021, in part due to Martin’s vibrant, cartoonish artwork and its wide appeal. After minting for around $462 worth of ETH in October of that year, its floor price, or the lowest listing of an asset on the marketplace, rose to a high of nearly $57,000 in May 2022.
Around that time Doodles installed Holguin as CEO, a role which he held until today. Along with the aforementioned brand partnerships and alliance with Williams, who fueled music and short film collaborations, Doodles also launched a second series of customizable NFT avatars, acquired an animation studio, and more.
“Julian helped build strong foundations, and we’re grateful for his contributions to Doodles’ evolution,” a spokesperson for Doodles told Decrypt.
With Martin stepping in as CEO, the collection is apparently shedding its “corporate” feel, a move that other notable NFT companies like Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs and Cool Cats did before when they replaced accomplished Web2 executives in favor of their own crypto-native founders.
“Execution isn’t just code or partnerships–it’s culture too. The extractive corpo era of Doodles is over,” Martin posted on X.
Immediate next steps for Doodles are not known, but “big things are cooking” according to Martin. In December, he teased Web3 when he posted a cryptic message which hinted at a Doodles token airdrop, perhaps similar to PENGU or ANIME tokens from NFT projects Pudgy Penguins and Azuki.
take ownership, keep evolving new ideas, shape communities, open minds, inspire new growth pic.twitter.com/iEBabGfwh3
— burnt toast (@burnttoast) December 19, 2024
The Doodles NFT floor price is relatively unchanged in the last 24 hours, but the collection is up 6.62% in the last week to a floor price of $13,501.