Melinek, Pompliano teaming up on Token Relations

Former TechCrunch senior reporter Jacquelyn Melinek and investor Anthony Pompliano are launching Token Relations, which aims to help blockchains and crypto projects improve their visibility.

Melinek is launching a crypto podcast and newsletter, “Talking Tokens,” to operate under the Token Relations brand to bring on executives and ecosystem players from partnered chains to help them reach a broader crypto audience. She will also cover crypto founders, startups and market players.

Token Relations also plans to create opt-in wallet technology that helps token issuers learn more about who their holders are and what tokens they’re holding.

Earlier this month, Pompliano teamed up with former Business Insider journalist Phil Rosen to launch Opening Bell Daily, an independent news and research outlet that aims to demystify markets, investing, and Wall Street — at no cost to readers.

“Talking Tokens” will bring in revenue from advertising and sponsorships. Token Relations will bring in revenue through partnerships with the blockchains mentioned, including its initial launch partners, Avalanche, Aptos Labs and Optimism, as well as future ones.

The content will be free.

Melinek had been at TechCrunch for two years. Before that, she had been at Blockworks covering digital assets, specifically cryptocurrency.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.