We recently connected with Tracy Mangum and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tracy, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I spent most of my life being incredible introverted, shy, and unsure of myself. My first weeks of working as a high school video store clerk forced me to interact with people and began a process of forcing me to be more social and open up about my love of film. Customers would ask me to recommend films to them and at first I would panic. This person was looking for a film to enjoy on a Friday night and I risked ruining their entire weekend if I suggested a movie they didn’t like. I didn’t want that pressure, but instead of running and hiding in the children’s section I began asking a series of questions to get a better understanding of what kind of movie they wanted. Was it a thriller? A romance? Horror? Sci-fi? What actors did they like? I would then suggest a film that I loved, or one that I had heard good things about, and I would ask them what they thought about the movie when it was returned. It’s risky recommending art to another person and having them return and questioning your taste and mental state. Especially when you’re a quiet, shy, nerdy film lover. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was the start of me becoming a member of the Utah Film Critics Association.

I took a risk in going to film school at the University of Utah when so many friends went to study education, engineering, accounting. They took classes that easily led to good paying jobs, and I was learning the art and craft of filmmaking through lecture and screenings, but also by making short films. I learned how to frame a shot, how a slight change of focus can redefine a character’s relationship to their environment, how an edit can manipulate an audience’s perception. I learned how to talk about WHY a movie affected me, I could point to the coloring, the staging, the delivery of a line and discuss how these things worked to create an emotional response in me, I no longer just said that I enjoyed the film, I could now say WHY.

I took a risk in asking Blake Casselman (Director of Programming at Salt Lake Comic Con, now FanX) if I could be on a panel or two at the convention and discuss some of my favorite films and tv shows with other knowledgable people in front of audience members. I remember walking up the stairs to the table for the very first time and keeping my hands under the table to prevent people from seeing how bad they were shaking. By being on that stage, I was presenting myself as an expert on the subject, who had an opinion that was worth sharing and that people would find interesting. Over the last 10+ years, I have been on numerous panels and though I still get nervous before each panel, I love sharing, exploring, and listening to my fellow panelists and audience members thoughts on things I love.

I took a risk in asking Valerie Cameron and Jake Dietz to start a podcast with me, luckily they both agreed, and we created Movies that Make Us which just celebrated the start of our sixth season and I’ve been able to consistently talk about films I love, breakdown specific scenes and get under the hood to explore how these films affect us and why.

All those things led me to the biggest risk of all.

Valerie Cameron was the movie critic for Good Things Utah on ABC 4 in Utah, and called me at work one day and said that she had to be out of town for work in a few weeks time, and that she needed someone to go on air and discuss Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and that she had already volunteered me for the job. My brain went into a mad scramble and I thought of a million reasons not to go on live TV. I don’t like my own voice, I am not attractive enough, I am riddled with ADHD and I likely will forget Harrison Ford’s name on live television. My brain was screaming at me to say no, but I instead agreed. I was pushing myself into a new opportunity to share my love of film, but I was risking making a fool of myself in front of the largest audience I had ever spoken in front of in my life. I was nervous wreck that morning and I did indeed stumble over my words and my thoughts were jumbled. The segment was over before I knew it, and I stepped off the set shaking like a leaf, but I was also so proud of myself for taking a chance. The hosts were extremely kind and supportive, and I did well enough they asked me to fill in for Valerie when she wasn’t available. I have now been on the show for almost two years and I absolutely love going on the show now.

With a larger audience, I was now able to gain access to be recognized as a critic by the larger movie studios and their representatives, and I was allowed to attend preview the movie screenings the week of release, and to apply and be accepted into the Utah Film Critics Association. I continue to discuss movies in length with the Movies that Make Us team, I still get to sit on panels at FanX, I get to go on TV and share my thoughts on major movies being released that week, and I even got to interview an Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker at Sundance. I wish I could reach out to that 18 year old boy who was terrified to ask a customer if they were looking for any particular movie on a quiet Tuesday morning, who was scared to suggest the latest blockbuster, let alone an art film he just saw in film school, and tell him that he’s going to be just fine. That one day, he would be sitting next to people like Sean Means whose reviews he loved reading each week in the Salt Lake Tribune, and they would be discussing the latest Marvel movie they just watched. That he would be voting for the Best Picture of 2024 in the same room as Tony Toscano the TV critic who gave him the opportunity to attend his first preview screening, and it was for a small independent studio whose short films you discovered in film school, who were debuting the first feature length computer animated film Toy Story.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a film and TV critic, we consume a lot of media during the year. In the span of about six weeks in November and December, I screened something like 35 movies. I am not compaining, but it’s a lot. You are going to a different theater each night, you are streaming some on your laptop, you are trying to review each one and give feedback to studios and their reps. I loved it, but it was not easy. I’ve seen 30 movies in the first three months of 2025 – and numberous streaming TV shows. It’s easy to get jaded and it’s easy to get burned out. It’s also a VERY competitive space with lots of people on TikTok, YouTube, TV, radio, print, etc. Everyone is trying to get more eyes on their reviews and grow their brand, so there can be a desire to be negative, to write the snarkiest headline, to have the most cutting review, etc.

I strive to go into every movie with an open mind, and ignore any internet hype or drama, and instead focus on the work itself. It’s not always easy, but it’s the standard I strive to hold myself to. I also try to back up my reviews with specific examples from the film, discussing some of the technical or artistic decisions that are used as to why I am grading it the way I am. Instead of just saying “This film is bad” I can say “This film has flat lighting which isn’t interesting or flattering” or “The script doesn’t fully flesh out this character which leaves the actor(s) with little to work with.” Ultimately, I am looking to see if the film told me an interesting story, did it entertain or excite me, is it something people should seek out. Going out to the movies isn’t cheap, especially if you add in popcorn, drinks, a babysitter, etc. I try to let people know if watching the film is worth their time and money, or if they should seek out better work elsewhere.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love talking about movies with other people. It’s so much fun to stand around with other critics after a screening and discuss what we liked, what worked, what didn’t work, etc. The Utah Film Critics Association members are all very supportive of each other and get along which is rewarding. We really support each other and support film and filmmakers.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am a big believer in being authentic with my brand. It doesn’t matter if I am speaking on the Movies that Make Us podcast, doing live TV on Good Things Utah on ABC4, speaking on a panel at FanX, doing reviews on my own TikTok page, I want to be the same person online as I am in real life. There is no online persona, I am not putting up a front. I won’t give one type of review online and give a completely different review on-air. I feel it’s important to be consistent. I personally don’t like reviewers that get super angry or loud, or feel like they are putting on a performance. I believe in organic growth with my social media – and I’m not going to pretend to be something I’m not. I am good at skits or gimmicks, so I just give you my honest opinion on film and tv, but in a friendly and hopefully interesting way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://MoviesThatMakeUs.com
• Instagram: Mangum_Tracy
• Facebook: Tracy Mangum
• Other: @MangumTracy on TikTok