Gannett Launches Non-Fungible Tokens in Collaboration With American Artist Peter Tunney

Two One-of-a-Kind NFTs Created Using USA TODAY NETWORK Assets will be Auctioned to Benefit The Sunny Center and the Gannett Foundation

USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co. Inc. (NYSE: GCI), announced it will auction Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in collaboration with leading American contemporary artist Peter Tunney, who created signature collages, titled “GRATTITUDE” and “LIBERTY” using original pages from Gannett-owned newspapers. The highest bidder of the “LIBERTY” NFT will also receive the original painting created exclusively for Gannett by Peter Tunney. The auction will be hosted on OpenSea, the first and largest marketplace for NFTs. This is Gannett’s second NFT auction following its inaugural First Newspaper Delivered to the Moon collection which went to auction in June.

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In partnership with Gannett, GRATTITUDE, a Peter Tunney original 4’x6’ painting, will be minted into 500 limited edition NFTs, more details at usatoday.com/nft (Graphic: Business Wire)

Peter Tunney is a legendary artist who has lit up the world with his colorful stories and unique lifestyle. Known for his innovative mixed media use, Peter Tunney’s work evokes timely emotions of hope, gratitude, and inspiration. His pieces can be seen from the streets of New York City where dozens of ubiquitous billboards have illuminated the skyline for over a decade to Miami’s Wynwood Walls. In 2010, Peter opened the Peter Tunney Experience gallery, becoming the first tenant of the now famed colorful walls that pay homage to graffiti and street art. His work is appreciated widely throughout the world and owned by people from serious art collectors to well-known celebrities alike.

This collaboration between Gannett and Tunney celebrates the season of giving with proceeds equally benefiting The Sunny Center to help individuals who have suffered the injustice of wrongful conviction and the Gannett Foundation which supports community-building initiatives across the country.

The Gannett and Peter Tunney NFT collection includes the following:

• “GRATTITUDE” NFT: The attitude of gratitude, a Peter Tunney original 4’x6’ painting will be minted into 500 limited edition non-fungible tokens at $250 each. The accessible NFTs will have a unique identifier for sale until all limited-edition pieces are purchased. A rendering of the original artwork will also be distributed across the USA TODAY NETWORK as a special keepsake insert for readers as a holiday gift.
• “LIBERTY” NFT and Original Artwork: An animated Non-Fungible Token of Peter Tunney’s original 5’x6’ LIBERTY painting created exclusively with Gannett content will have a starting minimum bid of $50,000 with the winner receiving both the unique NFT and the artwork. 

“We are thrilled to be launching our second NFT collection in partnership with the incredibly talented Peter Tunney whose works inspire and uplift — just as Gannett seeks to do through storytelling and emerging technologies,” said Kris Barton, Chief Product Officer, Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK. “We're committed to bringing innovative and diverse offerings to our valued readers and interested audiences.”

“It's exciting to see our newspapers come to life in such a unique way to support The Sunny Center and the Gannett Foundation through our use of technology to create greater awareness for our work and new ways to engage our audiences,” said Maribel Perez Wadsworth, President of USA TODAY NETWORK and Publisher of USA TODAY. “Leveraging a nationwide network of more than 4,000 journalists to pursue illuminating, impactful, relevant journalism — including important topics such as criminal justice — is core to helping the communities we serve to thrive. As we celebrate this holiday season, giving our readers the opportunity to experience Peter’s work in a meaningful way is a small token of our sincere appreciation for their support.”

“I am both ecstatic and honored to be collaborating with Gannett on this special project to bring awareness to the pandemic of those suffering injustice and wrongful incarceration,” said Peter Tunney. “The holiday season is an important time for us to reinforce gratitude and valuing the liberty that those who are innocent have been denied.”

“The Sunny Center Foundation’s mission is to help those impacted by the injustice of wrongful conviction by giving them a place to heal,” said Sunny Jacobs, Founder, The Sunny Center. “We are honored to be one of the recipients of the proceeds from Peter Tunney’s powerful artwork being converted to an NFT. Using technology and the reach of the USA TODAY NETWORK to highlight the importance of criminal justice reform means so much to us and we are very grateful.”

The limited-edition “GRATTITUDE” minted NFTs will be available for sale today via OpenSea at usatoday.com/nft. The NFT auction for “LIBERTY” begins on Monday, November 29 at 9 a.m. (ET) usatoday.com/nft through Wednesday, December 1 at 8 p.m. (ET). Gannett will be offsetting the NFT carbon footprint with carbon credits. For more details and the terms and conditions of the auction visit usatoday.com/nft.

ABOUT GANNETT

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and digitally focused media and marketing solutions company committed to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions with our Pulitzer Prize-winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services. Our current portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media organizations in 46 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 120 local news media brands. Gannett also owns the digital marketing services companies ReachLocal, Inc., UpCurve, Inc., and WordStream, Inc., which are marketed under the LOCALiQ brand, and runs the largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com.

ABOUT USA TODAY

Founded in 1982, USA TODAY reflects the pulse of the nation, serving as host of the American conversation by delivering high-quality, engaging content through unique visual storytelling across all platforms. A media innovator, USA TODAY reaches more than 90M unique visitors each month across digital platforms, with more than 25 million downloads of our award-winning app. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI). To learn more visit: www.usatoday.com.

ABOUT THE GANNETT FOUNDATION

The Gannett Foundation supports communities across the country and invests in community-building initiatives that positively impact the neighborhoods we share. In addition, the Foundation supports the development of diversity in the journalism field, invests in issues important to our employees, and provides opportunities and a national platform for consumers to raise ideas and community solutions to support services for historically underserved groups. We are one community with our consumers, business partners, and employees, building a better tomorrow together. Learn more at https://gannettfoundation.org/.

ABOUT PETER TUNNEY

Peter Tunney is a legitimate force of nature with boundless creative energy, spreading his positive messages in unconventional ways and delivering works of art to a worldwide collector base. He creates in almost every medium: paint, collage, wood, photography, found objects, and discarded materials. His nontraditional life, cache of extraordinary experiences, and countless wild adventures serve as the foundations for his work. Tunney is much more than a visual artist and businessman. He believes in humankind and the good that results from performing countless small acts of kindness. Over the years, Tunney has spent tireless human energy and donated countless works of art to deserving organizations. His main philanthropic efforts are devoted to criminal justice reform, supporting wrongfully convicted individuals, and ending the stigma of mental illness. For more information, visit: https://petertunneyart.com/.

ABOUT THE SUNNY CENTER

The Sunny Center Foundation is a non-profit organization that helps people who have suffered the injustice of wrongful conviction, giving them support after they have been exonerated and released from prison. The organization was established by Sunny Jacobs and Peter Pringle, both of whom were sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit. Sunny was released in 1992 after spending 17 years incarcerated in Florida, and Peter in Ireland in 1995 after 15 years in prison. The foundation uses a unique holistic approach encompassing physical, mental and spiritual healing and ongoing support at The Sunny Healing Retreat Center in Ireland and the Sunny Living Center, a housing complex in Tampa, Florida for exonerees. To learn more visit https://sunnycenter.org/.

ABOUT OPENSEA

Founded in 2017, OpenSea is the world's first and largest peer-to-peer marketplace for crypto collectibles and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). OpenSea supports multiple blockchains, with the broadest set of categories for new emerging asset classes, which include digital collectibles, gaming items, and other virtual goods. For more information visit, https://opensea.io.

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