The promise was to become a “co-producer” of an animated feature film thanks to teddy bear NFTs, sold for 1,250 euros each. Comedian Kev Adams, among other stars like Camille Lellouche or rapper Gims, promoted the crowdfunding of the animated film Plush on social networks. But the latter never saw the light of day, note Mediapart in a survey published on Sunday April 23. Some 770 people invested in this project and lost around 1.5 million euros.
In a live Instagram broadcast on May 14, Kev Adams made promises on this project, which aimed to raise more than 60 million euros. Buying a teddy bear NFT would allow you to be credited in the credits, to vote on the film’s script and even to recover part of the profits of the work. “On average, you will make six to seven times what you put in in twenty-four months. Which is huge, when you think about it! “, enthused the man dressed as a teddy bear on the live Instagram of the comedian. Faced with certain critical comments, Kev Adams exclaimed: “No, we are going to ruin no one! The film was to be released in the winter of 2023. But since June, it has been radio silence.
A t-shirt at 2,250 euros
Investors lost almost all of their stake. One of them, Wylem, explains to Mediapart only received a thank you t-shirt after buying two teddy bear NFTs, for 2,250 euros. Comedian Kev Adams promised “a real thing to do, really cool, really fun”. But for these investors, it’s a cold shower. For nine months, no more communication has been made about the film. The Discord has been closed, the accounts of Plush on social networks are silent, buying teddy bear NFTs is now impossible.
The organizers defend themselves from a scam, recalling that 50,000 NFTs had to be sold for the film to be launched. The personalities who promoted the project remain silent. The company behind this campaign is called Illuminart, a name close to the subsidiary of Universal Pictures, Illumination, which maintains even more confusion. The company has, in fact, dangled a return on investment calibrated on the income of the latest Illumination films. But the Illuminart company has never had the same capabilities as this studio, which has produced animated films recognized as Despicable Me Or Minions, remember Mediapart.
Camel rental
The company Illuminart, registered in Dubai, has not renewed its commercial license, which expired in February. Even more surprisingly, the company is called “Illuminart calligraphers and painters” in English and “the minaret rental of horses and camels for excursions” in Arabic. Behind this stillborn project also hides Fabien Tref, whose profile raises many questions, reveals Mediapart.
The one who has never worked in the film industry says that the failure of the project comes from the crash of cryptocurrencies, teddy bear NFTs can only be purchased with Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency in the world behind Bitcoin. Fabien Tref was the subject of a preliminary investigation in 2016 after a report from Tracfin, Bercy’s anti-money laundering service. Kev Adams refused to justify himself to Mediapart and made no comment.