High Profile: Power Broker Brock Pierce

Some know Brock Pierce as a childhood actor. Others recognize him as a business tycoon with roots in cryptocurrency and venture capitalism. Philanthropists know Brock Pierce as a giver, one who seeks to make the world a more just and equitable place for all.

However one knows Mr. Pierce, they know he’s a force of nature, who is unstoppable.

Minnesota-native Brock Pierce caught his “big break” in the film industry in 1992. After appearing in several commercials as a toddler, directors and producers recognized that Pierce’s screen presence was destined for the big screen. After auditioning for a role with Disney, Pierce was asked to star in a lead role in the film The Mighty Ducks. Pierce was chosen to play a young Gordon Bombay — a major and recognizable role in the feature-length film, which springboarded a career in the film industry.

Over the next several years, Pierce starred in several other hit movies that were shown nationally and internationally. Pierce became an in-demand commodity in the film industry, when he was hand selected by iconic actor Sinbad to star at his side in First Kid. By age 17, Pierce had starred in several movies that were shown nationally and internationally.

By the late 1990s, Pierce’s interests began to broaden as the world of technology captured his interest. His intrigue and entrepreneurial spirit led him to pursue a career in business, though sometimes, he looks back.

“It was  a unique childhood that taught me wonderful things, like how to interview, how to audition. It taught me how to handle rejection. Two or three auditions a day, they don’t always work out. I had to grow up fast, living on sets, often for weeks at a time, interacting with adults.

“It was a wonderful childhood, but now, I prefer to write my own script. I now get to star in my own life, and be my own authentic self, not be someone else. And, I get asked all the time if I would do it again, and the answer is yes — but it just can’t interfere with the other great work I intend to do in the world.”

About three decades later, Brock Pierce is one of the most recognized names   in cryptocurrency and is a renowned venture capitalist. He has positively impacted dozens of industries and affected numerous significant innovations, many of which have advanced society into the digital age. Pierce, whose original passion for technology was centered around video games, has been a catalyst for change in the global finance industry and society at-large.

Pierce founded IGE, the first-ever company that brought digital coin to gaming.  The company valuation exceeded $100 million  in 2006, and was sold in 2007.  He is also the founder of the EOS Alliance, Block.one, Blockchain Capital, and is the co-Founder of Tether, and Mastercoin – the world’s first ICO.

“Change is a constant in the universe, the only thing that matters is how we adapt to that change,” said Pierce.

His successes have been recognized and honored numerous times, and he is counted among the “Top 20” of Forbes List “Richest in Cryptocurrency.”

Pierce is credited with pioneering the market for digital currencies and has raised more than $5 billion for the companies he has founded. He is the Chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation – an educational arm of the cryptocurrency movement that has helped advance mainstream acceptance of digital tokens.

“Cryptocurrency is extremely important. What it is doing is bringing accountability to systems, bringing transparency to the world systems, bringing inclusion to the billions of people on the planet with limited or lack of financial tools. We are democratizing opportunity, so that everyone in the world has the opportunity to participate.  We are creating an open banking system with savings accounts. Providing financial tools to the underserved is of critical importance.”

Pierce is also a renowned philanthropist, advocate, and activist for equality and justice.  He is the vice chair for the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots for New York, Long Island and Puerto Rico. Pierce is the founder of the Integro Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that is committed to catalyzing social, environmental, and economic change in developing regions of the world, with the most recent impact in Puerto Rico.

Pierce believes that his work in philanthropy is just getting started, and the financial success he has earned over his career has only advanced his sense of purpose, mission, and desire to make this world a better place.

“I believe that giving is the greatest gift there is. I truly believe that the more you give, the more you get. It is the good will that you put out into the universe, and that goodwill does have a positive impact in your life. Maybe not immediately, but over the long term it does. I see a lot of good people that need a hand – and in these troubling times of COVID-19, if ever there was a time to give, it’s now.

“Pierce has recently become a Hamptons regular, visiting the East End of Long Island frequently. He was appointed the honorary chairman of the upcoming Angel Ball, one of the nation’s largest charitable endeavors.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers