Blogger Spotlight: Back to the Movies with Sean Evans

Blogger spotlight with Sean Evans, author of film blog, Back to the Movies. Sean spoke to us about keeping his posts conversational, moving into film production, Perez Hilton and “hanging out with Slash.”

Why should people read your blog? What makes it different?  My blog stands out as we review movies on it the way you would talk to your friends about them – no over analytical statements, no huge words that make you run to the nearest bookshelf and skim through the dictionary. It’s a fun gathering of movie lovers who all share the same passion. Our interviews with celebs are fun, personal and friendly. They really stand out as conversations rather than generic interviews and we always have fun doing them!

Aside from that, my blog has become a hub for movie promotion and production, so the blog has essentially turned into a marketing hub for Indie and studio movies of which I’m proud to be a part of.

How do you measure the success of your website? My website has led me down a film marketing / advertising avenue. The blog has helped me make some great contacts and evolve my business. I have worked on many movies thanks to the blog and as a result I’ve started producing films too. All of this stemmed from the blog and without it none of the work I am doing at the moment would have been possible.

What’s your favourite blog and why? I love Perez Hilton’s blog and not necessarily for its content – I love the idea that a blogger can achieve that kind of success…it’s mind blowing. Turning a hobby into a full time business has always been a dream of mine and seeing someone else achieving that is a benchmark for what I could potentially achieve in the future.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a blog? Write from the heart – if you’re not passionate about something then do not blog about it. It has to be something you’re truly interested in and something you’re willing to put a lot of hours into to get the best results.

How do you work with marketers and PRs? Thanks to the blog I am now marketing and running PR for many Independent movies. I have press releases that come in from studios and independent film companies on a daily basis but aside from that, everything else I do is purely off my own back.

How do you use social media to promote/share content? What are the challenges? Social media is key to promoting my content. I find that Facebook is becoming more difficult to promote now that you have to pay to boost your content to your own audience. I find Twitter and Reddit are fantastic ways of getting a story out there. One article we posted onto Reddit went viral and we hit a quarter of a million views in one day which for a brand new blog is quite amazing.

What can PRs do in working better with you? More interactive campaigns would be fantastic, more freebies, and more competitions – anything that gets my readers involved more than the generic text press release.

What has been your blogging highlight? My blogging work has taken me to Los Angeles on two occasions to work on a movie.  Without my blog I wouldn’t have been involved with any production I have been a part of and without it I wouldn’t have met such amazing people. One day I’m writing a blog in my own home the next minute I’m working with Robert England at his house in LA, hanging out with Slash from Guns n’ Roses and meeting hundreds of celebs.

 What will be big in your blogosphere in the coming months? We are just finishing up coverage on Fear Clinic the Movie, a film I have been heavily involved with. The blog is helping promote a few films I am producing this year  – should hopefully generate a few more key interviews with big names.