How does a decentralized protocol keep both their institutional participants and the broader crypto community informed and engaged? Liquid Collective needed a brand spokesperson. Under After created Mr. X, a talking cat newscaster in a suit who objectively reported protocol updates, ecosystem news, and technical developments through monthly video newsletters and livestreamed events.
Liquid Collective launched in Oct 2022 as an enterprise-grade liquid staking protocol supported by established companies including Coinbase, Kraken, Figment, and Staked. The challenge: communicate complex protocol and ecosystem developments without hype while informing a busy audience and building brand recognition in a crowded market.
Under After created Mr. X, a professional newscaster who happens to be a cat. The character served as brand ambassador for Liquid Collective's monthly newsletter video program, delivering objective updates about protocol metrics, validator performance, ecosystem partnerships, and industry developments. Over the course of a year Mr. X, maintained journalistic objectivity while dropping staking puns on his monthly news program.
The character combined institutional professionalism with personality. Mr. X reported facts, cited sources, and avoided promotional language. The talking cat format created memorability without sacrificing credibility. Cat puns provided levity ("the long tail of adoption"). The monthly video series ran from May 2023 through December 2023, covering protocol growth from 2,247 ETH to over 36,000+ ETH staked.
Under After developed the concept and complete character world: technical stack, brand voice guidelines, backstory, go-to puns, news program cold open, inset news graphics to accompany the stories, and Mr. X's news studio design. The character was built as a puppet in Adobe Character Animator, with animation and video production done in After Effects. Each monthly video opened with Mr. X at a desk reviewing news articles displayed on monitors, and transitioned through protocol updates, ecosystem developments, and upcoming events.
The visual environment featured mid-century modern design with vintage television monitors, retro furniture, and the Liquid Collective logo illuminated in the background. A scrolling ticker displayed city names (Toronto, New York City, Mexico City, London, Berlin, Zurich, Luxembourg) reinforcing Liquid Collective's global institutional audience.
Mr. X hosted live community events, including a May 2023 AMA on ETH staking featuring CEOs from Obol, Alluvial, EigenLayer, and representatives from Rocket Pool and Coinbase. The character maintained consistent brand presence across Twitter (@mrx_lc), newsletter updates, videos, and virtual event appearances.
Services: Character Design, Brand Identity, Video Production, Animation, Art Direction, Community Engagement
Launch: March 2023 - December 2023 (10 monthly updates)
Tools: Adobe Character Animator, After Effects, Photoshop, Midjourney
Context: Work performed while Mark Forscher served as Chief Marketing Officer at Alluvial at zero additional cost (no work was outsourced). Melissa Nelson (Content Marketing Manager) collaborated by leading research, scriptwriting, cat puns, and event programming.
