Chris Brogan: Interview with Heroes Star Brea Grant
Deb
· 1 year ago
Nice insight into a new face on the scene.
warrenss
· 1 year ago
Great interview Chris. Unlike Britney and some of the others, I think Brea is one of the real celebrities on Twitter that will become extremely popular in the community. One question that I have for Brea: At the same time that Greg joined Twitter, there was someone impersonating Sarah Silverman for a brief period of time. What advice can she give other celebrities about letting fans know that your identity is real and how can fans determine the authenticity of the celebrity?
Thanks,
Merlene Paynter
· 1 year ago
Great interview! Brea has a lot of onscreen presence and it translates well to her online communications. When Daphne made her first appearance opposite Hiro and Ando you could really feel the sparkle there and it comes across with her twitter followers too. Brea Grant will be a name to watch I'm thinking.
As to celebs and their use of social media, I think she's very genuine and I hope that as time goes on, Brea continues to utilize it to connect with her fans.
As you mentioned above, Wil is doing it right. He participates in online media (he was - possibly still is - a moderator on Fark.com, attended Fark parties, etc.) - he answers his email, he makes himself both accessible and human which has solidified his fan base.
It looks like Brea (and Laura) are following the same path. Well done.
Ari Herzog
· 1 year ago
This is a real good interview, Chris, Brea, and Laura.
I'm sure others have more nitty-gritty questions, so I'll start with one directed at each of you:
Brea: You say that Access Hollywood wouldn't ask you about Twitter. I question whether they know about it, let alone if their writers read blogs for inspiration and attribution.
At what point (if there *is* a point) would you take the initiative and mention Twitter or Facebook in passing and ask your interviewer for feedback? If Rick Sanchez of CNN and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC grasp the concept of Twitter, why shouldn't you evangelize its benefits to those in the mainstream media who interview YOU?
Laura: Why do you feel Britney can't commit the same attention for her blog and Twitter feed the same that Brea is doing? Where's the authenticity if her "team" does it for her?
Chris: How do you differentiate online from mainstream, as you asked Brea?
KathleenLD
· 1 year ago
Great Interview, Chris! I think you asked some great questions and Brea and Laura had really insightful answers for the way that social media can be used as a marketing tool for actors. I'll absolutely be sending it to a friend who's creating a web series that'll need to be marketed come the spring :)
Phil Baumann
· 1 year ago
Bravo. Chris, I think you asked enough of the right questions. Brea now has a platform for her fans to know what she wants them to know.
Authentic, sincere interview which shows that the team Brea and Laura have formed will probably be a model for how mainstream celebrities interface with the online community.
What can I say? A very very very cool interview!
Brea, best to you on Heroes and your acting career. I think you've picked the right strategy for working with the future of online celebrity. Welcome to the Twitter world....hope don't disappoint.
Cheers!
Phil
jaybaer
· 1 year ago
Interesting interview. My favorite question is one that I'd actually like to ask you:
"As you’re coming up the ladder, it feels like this paradox where your fans think you’re on the top of the game and you’re still coming up. Once you’re Angelina Jolie, can you keep up the social media?"
I know you're hiring an assistant, but how do you feel about that Chris?
Cheers,
Jason
chrisbrogan
· 1 year ago
@Jason - the beauty of my plans with my assistant is that she's going to handle the more mechanized-but-still-takes-humans-and-time elements, and I'm going to focus on the "human and hand-crafted" stuff.
It's the ultimate best use of time. I can still answer people and be human, but not miss all the little balls falling off my plate daily.
Mateo Puig
· 1 year ago
Hi Chris,
I've been following your feed for sometime now and I just recently started venturing onto your blog. Just wanted to stop by and say hi.
And to comment on the interview it was great and fun to read. I think that's the first time I hear Hulu mentioned in any interview featuring someone from the TV industry. Right on Brea!
Laura Roeder
· 1 year ago
@Ari - Maybe Britney doesn’t need to make the same time commitment for blogging and twitter. I think Brea gets a great return, but I don’t know if Britney would, I don’t know if that’s a smart use of her time.
@Phil - Your comment made my day! I certainly hope that we can prove to be a model for others.
laanba
· 1 year ago
What a great interview!
Chris Nadeau
· 1 year ago
Very cool Chris! Great idea on talking social media with Brea. Great to see her take on it and how she uses it.
Dave Peck
· 1 year ago
Great Interview!! Way to go Chris!
John
· 1 year ago
I really enjoyed the interview. I think I’m especially interested because I’ve been working with Julianne Hough and Derek Hough’s mom doing some of the same things you’re talking about.
One thing I would have loved to hear you talk with her about is if and how they plan on monetizing the site. Is the goal just to create a huge fan following so that Brea can get more jobs that pay more or do they have other plans to make money on the site?
I’d be interested to hear Laura’s business model too since new actors don’t have money to pay her for her work. So, is she focusing on big name actors for now? Does she charge a flat rate or some sort of commission based on new jobs?
Thanks again. I enjoyed reading it
Laura Roeder
· 1 year ago
@John There are no plans to monetize the site, and I doubt we ever will. Looking at it from a purely financial perspective, the main way this benefits Brea is that her fans will follow her from project to project, making her future projects more profitable and creating more buzz.
As for your second question, it isn't necessarily true that new actors don't have money to pay for this. You'd be shocked at how much actors pay for headshots, training, acting coaches, lawyers, etc. That's sort of like generalizing that small businesses don't have money to spend. That being said, my focus is not only actors but anyone who wants to establish a "cult of personality" using the web.
All Comments
Thanks,
As to celebs and their use of social media, I think she's very genuine and I hope that as time goes on, Brea continues to utilize it to connect with her fans.
As you mentioned above, Wil is doing it right. He participates in online media (he was - possibly still is - a moderator on Fark.com, attended Fark parties, etc.) - he answers his email, he makes himself both accessible and human which has solidified his fan base.
It looks like Brea (and Laura) are following the same path. Well done.
I'm sure others have more nitty-gritty questions, so I'll start with one directed at each of you:
Brea: You say that Access Hollywood wouldn't ask you about Twitter. I question whether they know about it, let alone if their writers read blogs for inspiration and attribution.
At what point (if there *is* a point) would you take the initiative and mention Twitter or Facebook in passing and ask your interviewer for feedback? If Rick Sanchez of CNN and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC grasp the concept of Twitter, why shouldn't you evangelize its benefits to those in the mainstream media who interview YOU?
Laura: Why do you feel Britney can't commit the same attention for her blog and Twitter feed the same that Brea is doing? Where's the authenticity if her "team" does it for her?
Chris: How do you differentiate online from mainstream, as you asked Brea?
Authentic, sincere interview which shows that the team Brea and Laura have formed will probably be a model for how mainstream celebrities interface with the online community.
What can I say? A very very very cool interview!
Brea, best to you on Heroes and your acting career. I think you've picked the right strategy for working with the future of online celebrity. Welcome to the Twitter world....hope don't disappoint.
Cheers!
Phil
"As you’re coming up the ladder, it feels like this paradox where your fans think you’re on the top of the game and you’re still coming up. Once you’re Angelina Jolie, can you keep up the social media?"
I know you're hiring an assistant, but how do you feel about that Chris?
Cheers,
Jason
It's the ultimate best use of time. I can still answer people and be human, but not miss all the little balls falling off my plate daily.
I've been following your feed for sometime now and I just recently started venturing onto your blog. Just wanted to stop by and say hi.
And to comment on the interview it was great and fun to read. I think that's the first time I hear Hulu mentioned in any interview featuring someone from the TV industry. Right on Brea!
@Phil - Your comment made my day! I certainly hope that we can prove to be a model for others.
One thing I would have loved to hear you talk with her about is if and how they plan on monetizing the site. Is the goal just to create a huge fan following so that Brea can get more jobs that pay more or do they have other plans to make money on the site?
I’d be interested to hear Laura’s business model too since new actors don’t have money to pay her for her work. So, is she focusing on big name actors for now? Does she charge a flat rate or some sort of commission based on new jobs?
Thanks again. I enjoyed reading it
As for your second question, it isn't necessarily true that new actors don't have money to pay for this. You'd be shocked at how much actors pay for headshots, training, acting coaches, lawyers, etc. That's sort of like generalizing that small businesses don't have money to spend. That being said, my focus is not only actors but anyone who wants to establish a "cult of personality" using the web.