Oh, The Places You’ll Go: Social Editor Edition

Vincent Perella with his camera

From a young age, schools present their students with limited career paths. If the students express an interest in an industry (such as in the arts) for which the school could not make a step-by-step guide, it would be deemed a risk or unrealistic. The corporate world would be portrayed as a field that would make one financially stable—told that the only path to success is climbing the corporate ladder. Young creatives looking to pursue a career in the entertainment industry are often not provided with any direction from their high school and college advisors.

In a series of interviews, I will discuss with NYC-based creatives their journey in the industry and the different paths they took to get where they are today.

I had the pleasure to sit down with Brooklyn-based writer, photographer, and social media strategist Vincent Perella. At the young age of 25 he carved out a social media manager position for himself at Indiewire. He has covered some of the biggest events in the film world such as: Sundance, The Golden Globes, The Oscars, and many premieres. He also works as a freelance digital editor for an independent magazine, ODDA, interviewing celebrities such as Angus Cloud, Michael Cimino, Taylor Schilling, and many more. In two short years of living in NYC, Vincent has solidified his standing in this hard-to-navigate industry.

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A: What are some of the responsibilities of the Social Media Manager at Indiewire?

V: So going into the job, it was baseline a social media manager job. My day-to-day consists of planning the content across all our social channels (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube), writing the copy for that, coming up with graphics, and coming up with an innovative way to repurpose editorial content when certain things are trending, or I think a certain story will perform well. The role evolved. My higher-ups liked what I was doing; they asked what I wanted to make out of this job and would try to evolve to get there.

We evolved the role into a red-carpet correspondent; paired with that was also after-party photos and stuff for corresponding events such as premieres, film festivals, and award seasons.

I just hit my one-year anniversary with the company, so we are now…having a discussion over my title and where we want to mold me towards a little bit more than social media manager. So updates to come:)

A: Could you also give us a breakdown of your position as Digital Editor at ODDA?

V: The Odda team is really small. It's a global magazine, and the people running it are ten or fewer, including me. ODDA is really fascinating, we do two print editions a year, and each edition has 300-400 pages yearly (it's like a thicc boy). Apart from print, we run digital stories year-round. We cover everything from fashion to entertainment, highlighting up-and-coming talent in the art world. It's really cool having my toe dipped into culture in every possible sense.

As a digital editor, apart from the print world, I am usually the point person running all the online stories. Often I help with pitches; I have a cool hand in sourcing talent. I do most of the digital interviews, I help with the planning of the editorial shoots that go into it, and I coordinate with their team and PR; planning the launch and rollout is cool. It’s really fun.

To sum up both roles, Indiewire is like the hub of all my interests in the movie and tv world, which is what I have always been passionate about. ODDA is really cool too, because I can get a taste of the fashion and art world.

A: How do you prepare for these interviews after filtering pitches for interviews and selecting the celebrity/influencer?

V: I immediately jolt out questions I can think of off the top of my head. Most of the time, if I agree to interview someone, I know who they are. First, I write down questions that I find interesting. Then I google their name and click on the news tab to see what projects are on the horizon to keep it as current and relevant as possible. The best/worst part of these interviews is that I am limited to 10-12 questions, so you have to narrow it down, which could be tricky. I approach it as finding the best story; I’ve never had an issue when asking a question and asked to scratch it, which is good.

A: When you do red carpet events for Indiewire, how do you keep tabs on all the people you’ll potentially meet?

V: That's a great question. With ODDA, you talk to one person and know you’re only talking to one person going into it. With Indiewire, when I’m going to a movie premiere, they’ll give me a list of expected attendees for the carpet, but they don’t all stop for the press. Typically, I approach it by picking the big names and preparing a couple of questions hoping to get them. And for the people I don’t prep questions for; it’s easy to come up with something off the top of the head.

One thing I found advantageous with larger groups, such as at the Emmys, was asking specific questions to relevant talent, but I was asking a lot of people the same question. One question I asked was, “If you could put your character in any other show nominated tonight, what would it be and why?” That was cool because we could make one article of their answers and conceptualize the storyline—the same thing with social videos.

A: How long have you lived in NYC? What was the process like getting your foot in the door?

V: I’ve been living in NYC for just over two years. Getting my foot in the door was a lot of work in college, in internships. Throughout college, I bartended to fund my move here; that was always the lifelong dream. I had four internships in college; one was at a small PR agency, two were at Boston Magazine, and the fourth was at Vice in Williamsburg. They all were pretty similar, social editorial focused. My first job out of college was at an agency doing socials for the New York Times. It wasn’t a sexy job, but most media people will say, “you need the agency experience to get started.” I was like, alright, let me get this under my belt. It was kind of a sucky job, and six months into it, I had to get out. I started to apply for jobs, and Odda came across my lap first. I was obsessed with the magazine, and I was bugging the editor-in-chief for a couple of months to give me the opportunity to show him what I could do. For a month or so, I helped him do socials and did a couple of interviews for digital. They didn’t have a digital editor, and after a month of doing this, he asked if I wanted it. It was never a full-time opportunity. I continued to work at the agency and used Odda to keep me excited about my day-to-day work life. It was an excellent resource for connections and building my portfolio with writing samples, and I grew from there.

In January 2022, I saw a job listing at Indiewire for this role, and went into it like, “I’m going to fight to the death to get this; I don’t care what it takes.” I applied for the job, found out who the hiring manager was on Linkedin, and messaged her. “Hey, girlie, I would love to hop on a call with you and learn about this opportunity.” That went really well. It was seven interviews and two tests, it came down to another person and me, and I got it.

To answer the question on how I got both those opportunities, it was having a strong resume and being knowledgeable about both those spaces. ODDA, which I was always passionate about because it covered so many spheres of culture I was interested in. What worked so well with Indiewire, I am so addicted to movies and TV, and I think they picked up on that.

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When Vincent isn’t conducting interviews on the red carpet, he continues to put his creative ambition to work through his photography. Looking through his portfolio, you’ll start to recognize a number of faces, such as Jennifer Coolidge, Anne Hathaway, Dylan O’Brien, Jenna Ortega, and many more. Captured right off the red carpet or at exclusive events, Vincent has a collection of unique portraits that feel spontaneous and raw, unlike most photos captured at these highly covered events. These celebrities are captured in a radiant and natural moment. With the vintage look amplified through the slight grittiness and overexposure in his photos, these candids resemble a ‘90s college vibe rather than a staged photo op.

Pictures by Vincent Perella (From Left to Right; Bella Thorne, Dylan O'Brien, Desus Nice, HoYeon Jung)

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A: Taking a look at your Instagram, there are a lot of familiar faces. How did you get started with your photography, and how do you approach celebrities at these events?

V: Before these jobs, I always had my camera on me. If it was taking pictures of friends or at a restaurant/bar, I was always strapped for aesthetic purposes. It started with ODDA, a lot of these events celebrities were sprinkled around. I said, “I like taking pictures of my friends, but let me try to get some celebs in the mix and see if I can pull it off.” I would straight up walk up to people and ask if I could take their picture. No one has ever given me a problem with it except [name censored, not spilling that tea]. A lot of these portraits come from after parties and big events. If you go to a movie after a party, they are expecting people to take pictures, which makes it pretty relaxing. I am pretty outgoing, so if I see someone I want to take a picture with, I will just go up and ask.

A: What is your favorite film you have seen while working the red carpet?

V: If I had to pick one, I would say Tar. It was my #1 of the past year.

A: In your recent red carpet coverage for Knock at the Cabin, you chatted with Dave Bautista about potential DC characters, and he brought up an interest in doing a rom-com.

How would you pitch the actor to be in a rom-com?

V: It’s hard; Dave is a beast. I can’t picture him being soft, cute, and funny in a rom-com. If I could pitch him in a rom-com, I think it would be cool if he could be a character of himself. I think it could be interesting if he were some sort of wrestler in the film, but behind closed doors, he is a miserable, sad man who needs someone to pick him up.

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Check out his most recent coverage with Indiewire at the Independent Spirit Awards. He chatted with Paul Mescal, discussing his commitment to the independent film industry. As well as getting Jamie Lee Curtis’ input on the current nepo baby conversation.

To see more of his work, check out his Instagram @vincentperella or his website below.

You can also find his work on Indiewire’s website.

Interviewed and Written by Ashley Murphy

Photography by Mark Bluemle

The History of Soul Train

“Soul Train, the hippest trip in America. 60 non-stop minutes across the tracks of your mind, into the exciting world of soul” — these words were heard across the nation for the first time in 1971, when Soul Train, the longest-running nationally syndicated program in American television history, premiered. In the 1950s and 60s, American Bandstand, a television music and dance performance program, was sweeping the nation. The notion of television itself was just just becoming available to the average American family, with the number of television sets purchased in the country increasing from 6,000 in 1946 to almost 12 million in 1951. During the 1950s and 60s, the biggest civil rights movement in the history of our nation was also occurring; Black Americans were fighting to end segregation and collect reparations from times of slavery. A young man from Chicago by the name of Don Cornelius was heavily involved in this movement, not knowing the future impact that he himself would have on Black culture in America and all around the world.

American Bandstand originally started out as a local Philadelphia television program known as Bandstand, showing “musical films”, which can be considered the ancestors of the music videos we’re familiar with today. The original host, Bob Horn, was dissatisfied with this version of the program, and brought up the concept of turning the show into a dance program where teenagers would be invited to dance on stage to popular records. The rest of American Bandstand’s upcomings are inconsequential to the story of Soul Train, except for one fact; while American Bandstand preached inclusion and progressiveness — Black performers and background dancers were nonexistent or unseen throughout the first 20+ years of production.

Political activist and up-and-coming television show host, Don Cornelius noticed this, not just within American Bandstand, but with American television in general. He was proud of his skin color and his heritage — and of “the culture African Americans had created for themselves” and sustained even through hardship and suffering. He wanted to show mainstream America what Black joy looked like, he wanted to become a cultural beacon for young Black kids who saw little to no positive representation of themselves in media, and he wanted to bring the magic of authentic soul, R&B, jazz, blues, funk, and disco music to American television and radio. By the end of 1970, he had created, hosted, recorded, and aired the first episode of his very own local music and dance performance television show — Soul Train. After going national within the following year, Soul Train very quickly became an outlet and inspiration for Black Americans; spotlighting and elevating music, dance, fashion, culture, and activism with a specific focus on Black communities.

Come join us on a Soul Train journey, exploring three of the most popular Soul Train performances from the 70s and how the show began to equalize and desegregate music performance and introduce Black culture to mainstream America in the 1970s.

October 7, 1971

On this date, Soul Train aired its first ever nationally syndicated episode in history. Artists that performed on this episode included Gladys Knight & the Pips performing “Friendship Train” and “I Don’t Wanna Do Wrong”, Eddie Kendricks (co-founder of the Temptations) performing “It’s So Hard for Me to Say Goodbye” and “I Did It All For You”, Honey Cone performing “Stick-Up” and “Want Ads”, and Bobby Hutton playing “You’re My Only Reason”.

The Jackson 5

On a November day in 1973, The Jackson 5 performed “Dancing Machine”, “Don’t Say Goodbye Again”, and “Get It Together”. Jermaine Jackson performed “You’re In Good Hands” and Michael Jackson performed “With A Child’s Heart” and “Morning Glow” on Soul Train. During this time, “Dancing Machine” was charting #1 on the R&B charts and #2 on the pop charts. This achievement was highly valued at the time; an all-Black soul/disco group was topping the mainstream charts. In this episode, Michael Jackson famously brought “the robot” dance into the world and inspired a dance craze throughout all of America.

The Super Brother

During this performance, James Brown performed 10 of his most popular hits, most famously including “Get Up (I Feel Like A) Sex Machine” and “Say It Loud I’m Black and Proud”. James Brown was best known as one of original progenitors of funk music, as well as a dedicated social and political activist throughout the civil rights movement and continuing on into his career. People consider this performance on February 10, 1973, one of his best; he performed the entire 60-minute set by himself. Most artists or bands performing on Soul Train lip synced to their songs during the live performance, but a few artists consistently showed off their true talent by singing live; James Brown being one of them. From his over-exaggerated fashion sense to his jaw-dropping dance moves, it is no surprise that James Brown is called the “godfather of soul”. (Fun fact: Prince was inspired to become a performer because of James Brown!)

Check out this curated playlist with a full list of songs from the 8 most popular Soul Train performances of the 70s:

If you’re interested in listening to more 70s music and learning more about Soul Train and the music culture of the 1970s, tune into my radio show with WPUB radio, That 70s Show, every Wednesday from noon-1pm!

https://shoutcheap.com/mobile/wpub for mobile streaming.

http://cp8.shoutcheap.com:8040/index.html?sid=1 for computer streaming.

Written by Eli Butler

Daisy Jones & The Six: Episode One and Screening Review

Picture this: it’s October 4th, 1977, and you are watching the biggest band in the world perform a sold out show at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Without even knowing it, this is the last time you will ever see them perform together.

The band in question is Daisy Jones & The Six and they are coming to screens worldwide. Based on the best-selling historical fiction novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Daisy Jones & The Six tells the story of the rise and fall of one of the most famous bands in the world in the 1970s. Nobody knew why the band broke up, until 20 years later, when members of the band sat down with an interviewer to speak up about what happened. The show is told in mockumentary format with the band 20 years later talking about their story, and the events that occurred are shown through various flashbacks throughout the episodes.

On February 27th, I had the pleasure of attending an early screening of the first two episodes at the 92nd Street Y, followed by a Q&A with the cast and creative team afterwards. Daisy Jones & The Six is one of my favorite books of all time, so seeing it come to life right in front of me was surreal. I can safely say that fans of the book will be very satisfied with how it was adapted to televison. There are minor changes from the book, but they either add more to the story or don’t really affect anything at all.

The first two minutes of episode one starts off with the band 20 years later settling down to give their interviews. They are all in separate places, and there are a variety of emotions on all of the band members' faces. While half of the band looks anxious and distressed, the other half of the band seem excited to finally be able to say what happened. Before the band formed into Daisy Jones & The Six, Daisy was working as a solo artist, and the rest of the five band members had a band that was called The Six. After the band settles into their seats to give their interviews, episode one begins with the backstories of Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, the lead singer of The Six before Daisy comes along to join him as a lead singer. Daisy’s backstory is just as heartbreaking in the show as it is in the book. At 15 years old, Daisy was sneaking into rock shows on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, where she fell in love with music. Unfortunately, she got mixed in with the wrong crowd and became addicted to drugs. At the same time we are learning about Daisy’s introduction into the music industry, we are also learning about Billy’s. Billy has been playing guitar for as long as he can remember, but he had no real interest being in a band. It wasn’t until his brother, Graham, formed a band and asked Billy to play with them that he got serious about music. Episode one was just an introduction to the characters, and how Daisy and Billy got into their music careers, but nevertheless, it was a very strong start to the series that still held the essence and heart of the book. It just made me more excited as a fan of the book to know how Daisy and Billy meeting in a future episode will eventually change everything.

The main cast of Daisy Jones & The Six consists of Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse, Will Harrison, Joshua Whitehouse, Sebastian Chacon, Nabiyah Be, Tom Wright, and Timothy Olyphant. All of them except for Tom and Timothy were at the 92NY screening, as well as executive producers Scott Neustadter, Lauren Neustadter, and Will Graham. The whole cast was ridiculously charming, and it was very obvious that they are all really close friends. It was so entertaining hearing them talk about what it was like filming the show and how they got casted as their respective characters.

They told several stories of what it was like auditioning for the show, and how they had to go to band camp for three months before filming to solidify them being a band. Sam and Riley, who play Billy and Daisy respectively, kept insisting they were terrible singers when they first started rehearsals, but the executive producers argued that they were always incredible singers and they were cast for a reason. The Q&A was such a fun experience. As an actor myself, it was inspiring hearing about how much hard work was put into this show.

Daisy Jones & The Six premieres this Friday, March 3rd, on Prime Video. The first three episodes premiere this Friday, followed by the next three episodes airing on March 10th, the next two episodes air on March 17th, and the final two episodes will be out March 24th. Aurora, the album that Daisy Jones & The Six create in the show, will be out on Amazon Prime Video on March 3rd.

Written by Emily Savona

Screening Photo from Emily Savona