Kingpin Empire

We’re Going Worldwide!

kingpin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:41:08 +0000

I just got back from an inspiring trip to Hack in the Box Malaysia. Thanks to Dhillon and the rest of the HITB crew, we were able to sell some t-shirts and auction some others. All said, we raised 800RM (Malaysia Ringgit, approximately $235) for our charities and the HITB-sponsored Parents’ Resource for Autism (PR4A).

Bringin’ Home the Bacon

kingpin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:31:33 +0000

DEFCON may be the only place in Las Vegas where people willingly donate money instead of just gambling it all away. At the annual EFF Summit fundraiser, we auctioned some Rock Logo t-shirts and circuit boards and raised $350 for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. At Johnny Long’s Hacker for Charity silent auction, one of my DEFCON 17 Badge prototypes and a hardware hacking training circuit board brought in $1045! Thanks to charliex for the huge bid. The donations were matched by BigFix for a total of $2090 going to HFC. We also sold a handful of t-shirts in DEFCON’s vendor area. It’s amazing that these small items can make a huge difference and it’s a great feeling to be able to give back to the community. Consider doing the same any way you can.

DEFCON Bound

kingpin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:56:58 +0000

It’s time yet again for the annual quest to Las Vegas for DEFCON. I’ll be spending most of my time in the Hardware Hacking Village, but will also be sharing a table with Vertigo and LosT in the vendor area to hawk Kingpin Empire shirts, BSODomizers, and hardware hacking materials, and to dispense knowledge related to the DC17 Badge Hacking Contest. Hope to see you there (and don’t forget your wallet).

‘We Are They’ Brings The Rock

kingpin — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:59:46 +0000

It’s not often that I get e-mail from rock bands. Actually, it’s only happened once. We Are They dropped me a line after Prototype This hit the airwaves and they wanted to know how they could help promote Kingpin Empire. Seeing how the band tours all over the country on their quest for rock stardom, it only made sense to hook them up with some shwag and flyers.

Ryan, JG, Andrew, Tyler, and Markandeya took a break from playing the Florida Music Festival in Orlando to do some sexy poses with their Kingpin Empire gear. These guys are super talented and a lot of fun, so check out the photo shoot, listen to their tunes, and be on the lookout for some joint projects in the future!

Success at SOURCE Boston

kingpin — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:44:34 +0000

We had our first table set up at the SOURCE Conference in Boston, complete with flyers, t-shirts, and stickers. We raised with $230 through t-shirt sales and cash donations. Thanks to the folks at SOURCE for watching over the table while I was speaking and, of course, to everyone who stopped by and supported the cause!

The Kingpin Empire Flyer

kingpin — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:34:47 +0000

There’s something to be said for good old ink and paper. I put together this flyer to hand out at hacker/security conferences and to help spread the message of Kingpin Empire. Feel free to grab the flyer and distribute it far and wide! Thanks to Doc4 Design for the pro bono design assistance.

ShmooCon Silent Auction

kingpin — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:03:36 +0000

We donated two t-shirts (one Sinewave and one Rock Logo) and autographed Prototype This photos to Hackers for Charity’s silent auction held at ShmooCon 2009. Thanks to everyone who bid – $140 was raised for the charity!

2008 In Review

kingpin — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:53:31 +0000

Six months ago, I decided to launch Kingpin Empire with a goal of giving back to our hacker community by inspiring, educating, and raising awareness about the community and donating money to technology- and health-related charities. Before starting this project, I wouldn’t exactly have called myself a philanthropist or activist and only occasionally donated money to various causes. But, it’s never too late to start and actions speak louder than words.

So, what have we accomplished?

We got the website and store up and running.
We manufactured a few t-shirt styles (which I wore on almost every episode of Prototype This on Discovery Channel).
We donated just under $2,500 in cash to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union, American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association.
We donated over one hundred Kingpin Rock Logo t-shirts to Hackers For Charity, who distributed them to needy families in Africa.

We’re starting to get some momentum and I want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported us, but there is still a long way to go. Academics and security researchers are still getting threatened and prosecuted for informing the public about security flaws in products and systems. Kids are still getting arrested and thrown in jail for technological mischief that previously would have just gotten a slap on the wrist. The more pervasive technology becomes in our culture, the more dangerous it becomes to people who don’t understand it. Our digital rights online and our basic rights as human beings are threatened on a daily basis.

For 2009, we’re keeping the pressure on. We’ll have a presence at SOURCE Boston and DEFCON. We’re also now looking to use the Kingpin Empire store to sell other apparel, products, music, or interesting things that are donated to the cause, instead of just selling our own gear. All proceeds will continue to go directly to charities.

If you’re interested in getting involved with Kingpin Empire in one way or another, drop me a line. I know what the hacker community is capable of and I know we can continue to make a difference.

-Joe Grand aka Kingpin

Can I submit a T-shirt design or other product to you?

admin — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Yes! We are always looking for compelling designs to use on Kingpin Empire gear. We’re also looking for existing apparel, music, electronic products, or other interesting materials to sell through Kingpin Empire and have their proceeds go directly to charities. If you want to contribute to the cause, let me know.

Can I get your stuff anywhere else but here?

admin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Nope. Right now stuff is only being sold through the web store. However, I’d be happy to have Kingpin Empire gear sold by other distributors, online or physical, provided that they have the same motivation to support the cause. If you know anyone like that, let me know!