We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful The Scene Snobs. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mick below.
Hi The Scene Snobs, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Mick Manhattan: The Scene Snobs is the most meaningful project I have ever worked on because it’s the most personal. We started this because of our passion for entertaining. We love creating entertaining and fun content for our audience and having the full creative control is freeing and allows us to succeed or fail on our own terms.
Casey Plott: The Scene Snobs is the most meaningful project I’ve been a part of as it has allowed me to pursue my passion alongside my best friend. The work we’ve done has continued to improve and entertain while being able to give back to a community we’ve helped build.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Mick Manhattan: I was working as a Producer in Los Angeles for Movies & Television. A friend from high school had started a movie review website called “MarioLikesMovies.com” and wanted to interview me about working in the industry. A year later I moved back to the east coast to work in New York City and connected with him. For the next 2 years, I helped on the site and wrote reviews as well. I joined the sites podcast and completely fell in love with it.
I left the site, moved to Virginia and created ‘The Scene Snobs’ as a movie review blog in 2013 & began working in digital marketing. Also in 2013, Casey and I teamed up with another friend to host the Mystery Elephant Podcast for 6 years before our friend decided to end the show. So, Casey and I decided to start a new show – The Scene Snobs Podcast.
Since we began the podcast in 2019, we have grown to a full channel with many different comedy & entertainment based podcasts and video shows covering the world of pop & geek culture and more. I love the entertainment industry but having the ability to create exciting and unique content for our audience is my true passion.
Casey Plott: I always had a passion for radio DJ’s and improv comedy. As a bartender for years, the greatest part of the job, that I found the most joy in, was entertaining. An opportunity arose to be a guest on a friend’s internet radio show and I jumped at it. After a 1-hour live session, I was hooked. I found every chance I could to be on the air, which led me and another friend to join forces with Mick and spend the next 6 years on a show called Mystery Elephant. As Mystery Elephant wrapped, Mick invited me to join up his new show, in conjunction with his blog and learning from the previous lessons, the Scene Snobs Podcast was born. Mick and I always enjoyed wild banter and deep diving our favorite movies. This connection, born from our mutual love of movies and having toiled as Movie store employees, the Snobbiest of the Snob’s when it comes to Cinema, ala the music store employees from High-Fidelity.
Now, going on 13 years later, and the work has only become more honed as a finely crafted blade of wit, Tom-foolery and Hijinx always guaranteed to ensue. We have 3 main shows that we showcase, the first being our Tuesday night live show, The Scene Snobs podcast, where we tackle outrageous topics from our own minds and correlate to life, love and Movie’s. On Friday Morning’s we have the Morning Drive Live, think a normal, everyday morning drive radio show, just more fun and absurd from Traffic around the States, Local to you Weather, News of the week and other fun topics to get you ready to wrap up the week. On Sunday’s, the Snobs enjoy another live show in the evening called Geeked Out. During this show, the audience selects the topics and we go deep on whatever is in store for a wild improv-driven absurd fun ending to the weekend.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Mick Manhattan: I was very fortunate at the start of my career in the entertainment industry to begin when social media was in it’s infancy. MySpace was the top site back then. I knew with each new platform that the ability to market projects was becoming easier to allow for more creative channels.
The Scene Snobs was started through social media and when we launched our shows, it was the absolute best way to reach the masses and build a community. I have learned through trial and error that promoting just like everyone else is a good way to get lost in the crowd. Capitalizing on trends is important but if you don’t add a voice unique to your own, you will be dead in the water.
Each platform has a different audience and personality and your content should match that tone. While also incorporating a look and feel that shows what your brand is all about. The Scene Snobs mantra has always been to “Embrace Absurdity”. We try to make sure that our content engages our audiences in different ways. It is important to not become stale or lazy in your content. The best advice I think I can give is to be willing to try new things in the name of imagination and creation.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Casey Plott: Being agile in life is one of the most important qualities a human can have. The military was helpful in teaching me a phrase that has stayed with me since hearing it: “Adapt and overcome”. It’s a simple statement, yet as I have always had to remind myself that through life to just keep it simple. Throughout a life time so much can change and sometimes it can happen at warp speed. The ability to see the future is unfortunately not a reality, yet, so the next best thing is to be light on your feet and able to change course as rapidly as one can in order to continue moving in a positive direction. This can take form in a multitude of ways, whether it be changing jobs/careers or moving, an illness in the family, etc. I’ve experienced several of these life experiences, as I’m certain most of us have. It was a pivot that led me to the Scene Snobs and an entirely different path than I had planned on walking.
Years back, circa 2013, I along with a fellow friend had decided to begin a podcast that we invested heavily in. The show’s format was a 2+ hour show of the ramblings of 3 friends with no topics just chatting. It was a great time. The years of Mystery Elephant were filled with humor and friendship, yet after 6 years, times wore thin the bonds that created that show. From personal aspect, it was hard as the abrupt news came one day that the show was being shuttered. After making several attempts to bring the show back, it was clearly gone forever. It was devastating as I watched my own creation end. I had to make a move as I still had this growing passion and desire to not only entertain, but to work with my friend again. It was by making a pivot, being agile and available to get back into podcasting and working as a Scene Snob. If not for being able to make a clear change when the course is altered for you, while not losing your cool and maintaining the presence of mind to be able to make the correct decision for yourself, then I would not be in the position that I am and so very happy doing what I love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thescenesnobs.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescenesnobs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSceneSnob
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-scene-snobs/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSceneSnobs
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheSceneSnobsChannel
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thescenesnobs Discord: https://discord.gg/XKXNN2p434 Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thescenesnobs
Image Credits
Mick is the big one and Casey is the normal sized one.