The Forge Report #001: The Very Beginning
On May 22, 2026, @ZecForge officially opened its doors.
A few days later, on May 27, we held our very first Assembly.
Since then, our focus has been: validate whether a creator-first onboarding, development, and distribution model can become meaningful infrastructure for the Zcash ecosystem.
We’re still early, but we wanted to begin documenting the journey publicly from day one.
By the Numbers
From May 22 to the end of the June:
- 4 Assemblies held
- 40 community members on Telegram
- 12 active contributors
- 2 creator workshops hosted
- 1 community commission launched
Our social channels also took their first steps:
- X: 24 followers
- Instagram: 5 followers
- TikTok: 5 followers
Building the Forge
A significant portion of this first month was spent building the systems that will allow creators to thrive over the long term.
So far, we have:
- Created our contributor onboarding process.
- Built our contributor ranking and leaderboard system.
- Established the Forge lore and creator progression.
- Developed a consistent Assembly structure.
- Introduced the Bench system for niche-specific workshops and collaboration.
- Created contributor standards and publishing guidelines.
These systems may not be visible from the outside, but they’re the foundation we’re building on.
Anvils (Workshops)
We hosted our first two practical workshops this month.
Writers’ Anvil
Facilitator: @elzz-ux
Attendees: 7
We focused on helping writers discover their own voice and tone first before using AI. Our belief is that AI should amplify a creator’s voice not replace it.
Since the workshop, we’ve already seen a noticeable improvement in the quality and confidence of our writers’ submissions.
Filmmakers’ Anvil
Facilitator: @Omegaonchain
Attendees: 6
This workshop focused on helping creators get started with the fundamentals of video creation.
For many participants, it was their first structured introduction to creating video content, and the improvement in confidence has already begun showing in their work.
Seeing creators visibly improve after just one workshop has reinforced something we’ve believed from the beginning:
Training creators is one of the highest-leverage investments we can make.
Our First Commission
This month, we launched our first creator commission.
Brief:
“Express your genuine perspective on why financial privacy matters.”
The commission received:
- 5 submissions
- 4 X threads
- 1 video
Winners: To be announced.
Our goal with commissions isn’t simply to produce content, it’s to encourage creators to think deeply, develop their own perspectives, and communicate financial privacy in authentic ways.
Community Highlights
One of our contributors’ submissions from our first commission was reposted by Zooko, founder of Zcash.
It’s a small moment, but a meaningful reminder that investing in creators can produce work that resonates across the ecosystem.
Distribution Metrics
The following metrics represent content published by @ZecForge contributors during this period.
Total Posts Published: 11
Total Impressions: 2,443
Likes: 93
Comments: 23
Reposts: 22
Bookmarks: 3
As we continue running commissions, these metrics will help us measure how effectively we’re expanding the reach of privacy-focused content across different audiences.
What We’ve Learned
Perhaps our biggest takeaway this month is that workshops work.
We’ve watched creators become more confident, more intentional, and more skilled after just a single practical session.
That has strengthened our conviction that @ZecForge should not simply be a place where creators complete bounties. It should be a place where creators continuously improve.
Our ambition is to help writers write better, designers design better, filmmakers tell better stories, and creators of every discipline sharpen their craft, while becoming deeply grounded in the values of privacy and the Zcash ecosystem. Because better creators create better conversations, and better conversations lead to greater understanding and adoption.
Looking Ahead
As we move into our next month, our priorities are clear:
- Host more creator workshops.
- Launch more commissions.
- Introduce Creator Spotlights.
- Continue improving our onboarding experience.
- Expand our contributor network.
- Continue refining the systems that make the Forge stronger.
Closing Thoughts
This is only the beginning. We’re not measuring success by the size of our community yet, rather by whether we’re building something worth growing.
Every Anvil, every Assembly, every creator who improves their craft, and every piece of content published brings us one step closer to our long-term vision: building the creator development and content distribution layer for the Zcash ecosystem.
The Forge has only just been lit. We’re excited to see what it becomes.
You’re welcome to follow our journey via social media: